Monday, April 7, 2014

BIBLE STUDY WEEK # 7 (FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS)

 
  Reflection Questions: Faith

1.  Have you been making an active effort to strive to keep your promises?

Yes, I have!  I am still praying for God to increase my faith. This is faithfulness!!

2.   Are you known for being a promise-keeper, or is flakiness a trademark of yours with your friends and family?

I have been encouraged through my sister that she see that in me, and friends tell me that see my faith in God, and me keeping God's promise in His Word.  I would like to share this…..

 

 

I took some time off work and stay at a hotel for rest.  I was taking a shower and I failed out of the shower and hurt my knee. It hurt so bad!  Others were trying to convince me to go to the ER, but I wanted to trust God's Word, and stand on His promise that I was healed by Jesus' stripes.  I did!  I walked through this with faith in God. Today I am doing great, no doctor, and no pain.  I am healed! That is what I call promise-keepers!  And, this is God's faithfulness that He promised.

 

3.  Do you carefully consider the commitments you make before you embark on them, or are you careless with them?  

I have to admit that I do embark upon them sometimes without consulting with God. I am guilty!  I am learning to acknowledge Him in all my ways now.

 

4.  Do you find yourself more willing to elevate your priorities above others', or do you find yourself making sacrifices to be faithful to others? 

I am making sacrifices to be faithful to others.  By reading and studying God's Word it help me to remember what He did for me, so it much easier to be considerate to others' need.  I do want God to help me do more in the area of faithfulness too.

 

What is the difference between faith and faithfulness?

 


I want to clarify the difference between faith and faithfulness.

Faith - Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen." NASB

Faithful – loyal, true, constant, trustworthy

 

FAITH and FAITHFULNESS ARE NOT THE SAME.

 

I realized that many of our faithful brothers and sisters expect God to deliver and heal them because of their faithfulness. Faithfulness is wonderful. Merriam-Webster defines it as "Unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise"

God rewards our acts of faithfulness at various times in our lives and at the Seat of Judgement. Check out Malachi 3:16-18.

But faith is different. According to Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is seeing as real what is not perceived by the physical senses. This includes the promises of God which encompass our authority in the Name of Jesus, divine healing and divine health, angelic protection, and so on.

 

If we truly believed in this things, we would speak them out. Like King David said, "I believed and therefore have I spoken". Paul also echoed him in 2 Corinthians 4:13 and said if we believe, we should also speak. I've heard stories of Christians who were in dangerous situations and the first thing that came out of their mouths were words of fear. In particular, I watched a TV interview of a couple of missionaries whose flight developed serious trouble. They were on a missionary journey to somewhere in Africa. They told their interviewer that they looked at each other and said, "We're going to die!" I thought to myself at the time, "Wow, those are words of fear. It's a wonder they made it."

 

These were faithful men on their way to do a good work for God, but they hadn't expressed faith in their hour of danger, they had expressed fear. Their faithfulness will give them a reward before God's Judgement Seat, but it won't deliver them in time of danger. Do you remember the story of the disciples and Jesus in a boat on turbulent waters? If Jesus hadn't stood up to SPEAK to the storm and commanded it to be still, it would have raged on. Let me take it a step further, if he hadn't been in that boat, the disciples of Jesus could very likely have perished. What did he rebuke them for? For having LITTLE FAITH. He said nothing about faithfulness.

 

I learned today that no matter how faithful I am towards God and the things of God, in my hour of need, danger, or difficulty, I must EXERCISE MY FAITH and NOT DEPEND ON MY FAITHFULNESS.

 

This is the key I learn:  Faithfulness gives you a reward, but faith delivers what you hope for unto you. And when I have faith, I will speak and act my faith for God responds to my words and actions of faith. The bible is full of abundant examples of this. 

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