. 2Corinthians 5:16-17 tells us who we have now become in Christ Jesus. For many years, we have thought of ourselves as not being much different than we were before becoming Christians. We fought the same habits, addictions and even the same depression as we did before we were saved.
Romans 10:8-17 are a few of the famous verses we have used to bring people into a prayer of salvation. Romans 10:17 declares that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." This spiritual principle works with all things and should read that "Faith in God, comes by hearing the Word of God." Faith in anything comes by "hearing" what is being said, especially over an extended period of time.
Faith in Jihad comes by hearing, faith in Communism comes by hearing, faith in Buddha comes by hearing, just like faith in anythings comes from listening to something spoken over a period of time. We tend to place our faith in what was said, whether it is right or wrong. We have heard evolution spoken for so long, that we now teach it to our children as fact. So, once again, "Faith comes by hearing." Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) and equates faith in what we hear to seeds. Thus, He says, "Be careful what you are hearing, The measure of (thought and study) you give (to the truth you hear) will be the measure (of virtue and knowledge) that comes back to you-and more (besides) will be given to you who hear."
How much truth have we been hearing and how much faith have we put into the wrong things? Faith comes by hearing! We read something in God's Word, yet we hear it preached from a natural point of view and then we place faith in what we have heard. Then, it becomes Church doctrine and we receive that "measure" in our lives.
Romans 4:13-16 (Amplified) says, "For the promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through (observing the commands of) the Law but through the righteous of faith. If it is the adherents of the Law who are to be the heirs, then faith is made futile and empty of all meaning and the promise (of God) is made void (its annulled and has no power) For the Law results in (divine) wrath, but where there is no Law there is no transgression (of it either)." Verse 16 goes on, "Therefore, (inheriting) the promise is the outcome of faith and depends (entirely) on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor) To make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants-not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is (thus) the father of us all."
I'm sharing this message, because we are faith people, who trust in what we hear being preached. If the wrong things are preached and continue placing faith in what we hear, then we will also reap the "measure of thought and study" we put into it, according to Mark 4:24. Proverbs 4:22-23 (Amplified) talks about the Word of God, saying, "For they (God's Words) are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart (your spirit) with all above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life."
Many well-meaning people have spoken well-meaning words to well-meaning people, for many years. Instead of preaching the promise of the blessing and redemption from the Curse, we've actually been building our faith by what we have heard, thus placing our faith in the wrong things. It has now become such a standard in our churches, that it has even been said that, "God has chosen you as someone special to bear this burden of sickness." We have tolerated the curse and heard it preached for so long, that we have more faith in sickness and hardship, than we do in truth of blessing and redemption in Christ.
Some might think these lessons sound hard line, but it must be taught. Just like those under the Law (scribes and pharisees), we believe the old wine if better than the new wine. We've been so sure of our doctrine, that we put more faith in what man has said, rather than in what God says. And, because it is a spiritual principle and spiritual Law, satan has become very proficient in bringing our faith into his subjection by making sure what we have been hearing.
Nearly everything God has sent to us through Jesus, has been undermined by what we've put our faith in through what we've been hearing. I'm not implying that what has been preached was from evil men, but by those who believed they were preaching Christ Jesus. Satan couldn't stop the new creation or the new birth, so he made sure that what we were hearing would result in faith that would promote his kingdom and not God's Kingdom. He made sure that what we heard would build our faith in what we were hearing and that would support his ministry to steal, kill, and destroy. Our faith has been polluted with satan's lies, placed in our hearts by what we've heard throughout the centuries.
Nearly every super-natural promise and act of God on behalf of His children, has been falsified (in one way or another) by what we've been hearing. The very things that came to us by Jesus, we've heard "has passed away," "was only "for the early Church," "was only to start up the early Church," "was only an arbitrary and exceptional intervention of God" and in some instances we've heard how "healing, tongues and voices from on High might be from the devil." I heard some of these things, even before being saved.
All of these gifts, blessings and super-natural calling and character of our Father, were ingrafted into our spirits when we were born again and became part of God's family. We've never extended our faith to receive any of it, because we never heard much of it preached. Some pentacostal circles put faith in certain gifts, but still preach more about our old man, rather than the new creation. We were made much more aware of our past lives as sinners, than our new creation life as the sons and daughters of God.
We heard more preached about how God uses sickness to teach us, than we heard about the Holy Spirit being our Teacher. Consequently, we put our faith in an infirm spirit instead of the Holy Spirit. We began judging our spirit life more by the flesh, than by the spirit. We even began expecting sickness and hard times to come upon us (so we could learn from them) because of what we were hearing and putting faith in what we heard.
The persecution and afflictions Jesus said would arise were, "For the Word's sake." Read Mark 4 very carefully and let the Holy Spirit guide you through it. Jesus said in Mark 4:15 (Amplified) that, "Satan comes at once and (by force) takes away the message which is sown in them." He also said in Mark 4:17 (Amplified) that, "Even those who heard have no real root in themselves (not rooted by faith in the Word) and so they endure for a little while, then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word immediately they (are offended and displeased at being associated with Me) stumble and fall away."
Since faith in God comes by hearing God's Word (not man's idea of what we might think God's Word says), satan must take that Word out of their hearts (by force, if necessary). It's easier to dig up an acorn than it is to dig up an Oak Tree. Satan has only to "uproot" the Word when it is a Seed and before it gets down in your spirit to take root by faith. He used trials, affliction and persecutions to take away the Word or Seed that was sown.
Men have taught more about our downfall through Adam, rather than our new creation life in Jesus. We've been taught to "Just hang in there, until we get to heaven." It's time we actually begin believing our God and Father is still Almighty and wants to show Himself strong on behalf of His family. There will always be those telling you that you cannot do certain things. They did so about Moses, Joshua, Paul and even Jesus and will undoubtedly say that about you, when you dare to believe God. That's okay, because we aren't men pleasers, but God pleasers.
I can promise you on thing for sure...when we put faith in His Word (instead of men's words), we will see the miracles of God once again, in our schools, workplaces, homes and even our churches. When this happens, and it will, then we will have people who will have "Faith that comes by hearing God's Word." The woman with the issue of blood heard about Jesus and was healed. What have we been hearing about Him?
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