FREEDOM

Freedom

“Freely you have received, freely give…”

The true art of life is generosity. To give freely of ourselves is the revelation of our Saviour. How freely, how undeservedly we have received of His great mercy. Shall not that heart transform us from the stinginess of giving things rather than ourselves? To give of our time, effort, and most importantly our heart to those around us is life. To live in the freedom of each moment is to give with no thought to our own resources or concerns. That is freedom. To seek out the true welfare of another soul at our expense is true life. Life does not consist in what one has, but in the ability to give to others what has been so freely given to us. The Body of Christ today is one of ours, mine, us and they. All of these things denote a wrong thinking, which of course produces wrong living. I hear the term “our church”, “our pastor”, and “we believe”… how it crushes the real heart of all that we have been called to. Paul called himself a “steward” of the grace of God. A steward is one who owns nothing, but simply manages the wealth of another. Truth, Life and Power are only such in the giving of them away, freely and without expectation of any return. The only Law which governs true generosity is the Law of His Love. Love is never impoverished, for of and in itself is the very treasure of God! Men who are always talking of their poverty have not touched the reality of His Love. Love is not aware of itself. It has no vested interest in its state or “feelings”. It gives because that is its very nature. It lives because that is its very nature. It defends not itself, holds on to nothing, and takes no account of its own resources. It is a life that lives in the sheer wonder of God’s Glory and resources. It is no wonder that the Eternal Son with great Joy beckons us to live and walk in the halls of His Father’s house.

In this house (not houses), the way in is freely given, the way to abide in its richness is to freely give. May we in this hour discover that we receive by giving, live by dying, overcome by loving. This is the doing, this is the living and this is the chief joy of life. As the prophet said to the impoverished woman, “what do you have…?” She replied, “I have a little oil…” To which the word of the Lord comes, “Go find empty vessels…” and the little oil flowed until all were filled! So is it with us; a little oil is sufficient for the empty vessels around us. But the oil does not multiply where it sits in faithless inactivity. It is in the giving, that we receive, it is in the pouring that its flow is known. This is the way of true enlargement in the things of our Father. The conduit is only rich because of the flow; it was never designed to hold anything. Its real purpose is to channel the wealth and life of another. No wonder that except we become as little children we cannot (will not) enter the Kingdom, for the simplicity of its expression requires a life of freedom and spontaneity.

May we in this day, in this moment grow in the wonder of this Heart and Life. As Children may we grow into His very likeness, into His very Heart, unto the Life and core of all that He is.

The tissue of the Life to be
We weave with colors all our own,
And in the field of Destiny
We reap as we have sown.

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)

B. Troxel

LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Live in the Moment

The sin of unbelief is to hide the great investment of God in faithless inactivity.

“And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth…..”  Said the man, “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gathered where I have not strawed… Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him which hath ten talents… And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Replied the Lord..

Matt. 25:25-30

“Redeeming the time for the days are evil”

LIVE IN EACH MOMENT

Let us hold each precious moment
as a gift of great treasure,
with the view that each one is pregnant,
with the promise of bringing pleasure,
To our Lord and King.

Let us arise to the dawn of this Day,
for it is all that we really have in which to live,
for it is all that we really have in which to give,
unto our great Lord and King.

Brian Troxel

THE COMING FIRE OF HIS PRESENCE

THE COMING FIRE OF HIS PRESENCE

“The sinners in Zion are afraid;
fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites.
Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly…”
Isaiah 33:14 – 15

Gold and silver do not fear the fire for they are not consumed by it, only purified. It is not what we believe that matters; it is what we have become because of what we have believed. This is the DAY of the revelation of the “effect of every vision” (Ezekiel 12:23 – 25) in a man’s life. What we are right now is the culmination of our vision and our faithfulness to it. Every vision has an effect upon a man, and in this day these things are to be made bare.

Two men built a house; one on sand, the other on a rock. Both houses seemed strong, UNTIL the flood came. For the strength of a house is not in the house but in what it is built upon. One man’s house was built on hearing; the other man’s house was built on doing. In the day of ease everything seemed good for both, but it is the storm that reveals the foundation.

It is a time to gather together, a time to assemble for the trumpet is blowing; the four winds are soon to be released. This is the day of substance and reality. This is not a day to speak nice things; it is a day to edify, exhort, and admonish one another that we may be found as gold and silver. For His Presence is coming, His Glory is at Hand and woe be to those who are at ease in Zion; people who have understanding, yet do not realize the implications of this hour. We are at ease when we should be weeping between the porch and the altar seeking God to spare His People in this hour. In our daily lives we should so understand the “terror of the Lord” that we are seeking to persuade men of the time that is at hand. A people who are not content with their preparedness, BUT HAVE A HEART AND A CRY FOR HIS HOUSE, that she would be able to rise up and meet Him as a chaste virgin, pure, spotless and white.

THIS IS THE DAY OF DOING, NOT WAITING; THE DAY OF WALKING in the Love of God to reach out to those around us. It is a day for Love and compassion as we are gripped by HIS HEART for this world. Men who know their day are men who intercede, men who interact with their God to save the Lot’s of this world (Genesis 18:23 – 33); to seek out the hurting, the lost, the defiled and the broken. This is the faith that can and does rise up from its place of comfort to do of His good pleasure while it is yet Today.

Let us gather in true accountability, true desire to become; not to comfort one another in the status quo. “For he that doeth truth cometh to the light…” It is a day of doing truth, having our lives accountable that we might become pure as he is pure. It is in seeking to cover the hidden things that we will surely be consumed in the Holy Fire that will soon walk in our midst. This is the day of mercy, the day of opportunity to rise up and walk in forgiveness, in openness of heart and purity of soul. May the Lord stir us in this hour to turn from our present ways that we might be found in HIM with a righteousness that is able to “dwell with the everlasting burnings” of His presence.

Brian Troxel

The Kingdom – Part 3

OBEDIENCE

“Though He was a Son,
yet learned He obedience
 by the things which He suffered”

Hebrew 5:8

By its very nature true Obedience is not a thing into which a man can be born; it is in essence a life of growth and development.  True Obedience requires understanding and knowledge concerning the One who is to be obeyed.  It is beyond the capability of a three year old to fully know and understand either the sacrificial love of a parent or the obedience required.  A good parent knows what is right and proper for the development of the child and conducts their life accordingly, sacrificing their own comfort for the good of the child.

As the Son of God, Jesus knew from eternity, perfect union, fellowship and oneness with the Father.   But as the Son of Man He came as a little child to grow up and learn obedience clothed in human weakness and frailty!  He did not have any disobedience in His Life, but He grew into obedience unto the Father as a man, clothed in human flesh.  He grew and developed as a MAN, from the weakness of human infancy into the full expression of the MAN CHRIST JESUS.       

“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
Filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him”

Luke 2:40

He grew into manhood as any man; he suffered the same temptations as you and I, yet without sin!  And as He grew HE learned of His Father’s will as a MAN.  His responsibilities as HE grew required an ever growing obedience to the Father’s will; there was never any disobedience but there was a constant lying aside of His WILL as a man in order to do the Father’s will.  That is the cross.  That is the suffering that Jesus knew and walked in.  We see Him in the Garden crying out in agony over the hour that was upon HIM to such an extent that “His sweat was as it were great drops of Blood”…

“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, BUT THINE BE DONE”

Luke 22:42 – 44

May we see the depth of His obedience unto the Father that we may value the privilege that is ours to walk and “learn” of Him in the school of obedience!

We live in a world of information, data and knowledge, but NONE OF THESE HAVE ANY VALUE UNLESS WE COME TO REALIZE OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THESE THINGS!  We have teachers who teach “truth”, seminars where Christian “principles” and “concepts” are taught ad infinitum and yet without the yoke of responsibility there is no DEVELOPMENT IN THE APPREHENSION OF HIS LIFE.   It is certainly true concerning our day…

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of THE TRUTH”

II Timothy 3:7

For it is not A TRUTH but THE TRUTH.  The Truth is HIS LIFE in us; the TRUTH who alone can make us free.  The truth is a person and HIS NAME IS JESUS, for HE SHALL SAVE US FROM OUR SINS!
In the book of Hebrews it goes on to say…

“And being made perfect,
He became the author of eternal salvation
UNTO ALL THAT OBEY HIM ”

Hebrews 5:9

The depth of our salvation is revealed by the depth of our obedience.  For it is in being saved from the slavery to our own will that we are freed to live in HIS.

Ω

“What we think of, what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence.
The only thing of consequence is what we do”

John Ruskin (1819–1900)Ω

The Kingdom – Part 2

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot SEE the kingdom of God”

John 3:3

How easily satisfied we are with seeing the things of God; to “SEE” the things of the Kingdom is wonderful but many are content to stay in this place. Within the HEART of the Son, however, there is a CRY for the people of God to ENTER the Kingdom.  Men by nature are content with “seeing” while the Spirit of God has come to bring us to “being”.

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”

John 3:5

The Kingdom of God first and foremost must start within the heart of every believer.  The very word “Kingdom” denotes authority and rule.  It is a place or citizenship into which we must be born; a Kingdom where Faith is the essential imprint of each citizen (not an intellectual understanding).  There is an impartation of the wonder and glory of faith given graciously to all who in truth and sincerity call upon the name of the Lord.  Faith is a substance (Hebrews 11:1); not some religious concept or feeling.  By it we are enabled to manifest HIS character, glory and power in this dark and dying world.  Faith is never static or barren.  We read in Hebrews eleven the expressions of men and women who “BY FAITH…” revealed their God in their day!

The entrance into this Kingdom is quite different from the mere seeing of it.  It requires obedience and submission for that is what a Kingdom is.  The issues of our own life must become the Throne Room of God.   Lust is conquered by LOVE, bitterness displaced by grace and forgiveness, selfishness destroyed by selflessness and “our life” becomes hid with Christ in God!  It requires discipleship, not by force but by a freewill love offering unto our Redeemer, Shepherd and King.  The word “EXCEPT” signifies that certain conditions must be met.

“Except a man be born
of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God…”

“Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”

The entrance into the Kingdom is also characterized by obedience…

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven”

The way into the Kingdom runs between two great evils both of which are the result of self will and stubbornness.  On the one hand we have a “faith” that produces no expression, no works and no real impact on the world around us.  It is a “faith without works”.  It is barren and impotent because is a faith that is in word only since it lacks obedience and submission to HIS Will.  The other great error is the expression of works that are borne out of self will and rebellion.  Men may prophesy, cast out demons, preach wonderfully in His Name and do “good works” but at the heart of it all there is a working of iniquity (lawlessness and self-will).  The end is to build up their ministry, their church or organization.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”

Matt. 7:22 – 23

The Kingdom of God is relationship.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me”

John 10:27

Concerning the religious leaders of that Day Jesus said….

“Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape”

John 5:37

The WAY into the Kingdom is one of being a “hearer and a doer”; to hear without doing brings us into deception and misery (James 1:22).  To do without hearing brings us into the snare of pride and self righteousness.  We have been called to ENTER into HIS REST where we cease from our own works and come into the LIFE of DOING HIS in our everyday life.

“Seeing therefore it remaineth that SOME MUST ENTER therein,
and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of  *unbelief …”

Hebrews 4:6

* (Greek: obstinacy & disobedience)

The Kingdom – Part 1

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth,
and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”

Matthew 13:44

As we see from the many parables in the Gospels concerning the Kingdom of God, it is not a place that we go to when we die, nor is it a “deep” teaching to be known on an intellectual plane, it is a treasure beyond compare.  When a person actually discovers it’s true worth it produces a LIFE that sells itself out for the acquisition of it.  Men who have a teaching are content to talk about it, learn more about it and simply wait for it, but “when” a man finds its true meaning, there is a rising up and a “selling” of all that we have in order to purchase it. Consider….

  • “I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I was apprehended…”
  • “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire…”
  • “Know ye not that they which RUN in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So Run   that YE MAY OBTAIN”

The truth of the Kingdom is powerful.  It grips the hearts of those who see its worth and produces a quest for reality and truth that cannot leave the beholder with a passive interest in its acquisition and a faithless waiting for it to come.   It must be pursued, purchased and acquired at any cost.  Obedience is the means by which “we sell our all”. True discipleship is characterized by “if” for it is the freewill offering of the New Covenant.


“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it…
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels;
and then he shall reward every man according to his works”

Matthew 16:24 – 27

Ω

The costs associated with the “buying” of this great treasure are very real because the faith that produces it is very real.  This is the day to arise and see the value of this great treasure!  Let us no longer be satisfied with the teachings of the Kingdom, waiting for the Kingdom, but let us, by the wonder of Faith and Trust, enter the Kingdom through the LIFE and POWER of the Son at work in our lives.

“Everyone wants the kingdom of God, but few want it first. Everyone wants high achievement, but few want to pay the price. Everyone wants God, but few want to put him first.”

Charles L. Venable

When is Then?

“THEN”

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily:
and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer;
thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am”

Isaiah 58: 8 – 9

When shall this “THEN” be?  The “THEN” spoken of here is the result of a walking out of the heart of God in His people.  It is when we as the people of God turn from our ways and we begin to walk faithfully to what God has given to each one of us that we will see the wonder of HIS light breaking forth in our midst.  We shall “THEN” call upon the Lord and HE shall answer “HERE I AM”!

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness,
to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?
when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? THEN shall….”

Isaiah 58:6 – 7

The “Fast of the Lord” is a life and an expression.  It is far more costly than a simple donation to someone else that is doing something, it is the very power of HIS Life loving, speaking and doing through each one of His People. It is HIS FAITH producing HIS Works in our lives.

“I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent”

Revelations 2:4 – 5

Only a “first love” can produce the “first works”.  Love can never be static, for it is the very motivation of all God’s work in the earth.  “For God so loved… that He gave…”

Ω

“Love cannot be inactive; its life is a ceaseless effort to know, to feel, and to realize the boundless treasures hidden within its depths. This is its insatiable desire”

Jan Van Ruysbroeck (1293–1381)

Faith Works

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works.”

Titus 2:14

Somewhere in the in the murky waters of religion, “works” became one of those words that became a stigma to the teaching of faith.  Works and faith were set in opposition to one another to such an extent that faith itself lost its power in the life of the individual believer.  Faith became a noun where it is said of some they are of a particular “faith”.  In the divorce of Faith from works, faith became an esoteric concept, a teaching, a statement of belief that could be hung from a wall, printed on a church bulletin, or written in a book and sold as a commodity.  It has come to such a low point that faith really has very little to do with the life of the common believer.  Its impact is relegated to “discussions” and doctrinal statements without so much as a thought as to what it should actually PRODUCE in the life of the believer.

“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD?”

James 2

As the church descended the slippery slopes where faith occupied less and less of the minds and hearts of God’s people, false teachings came in corrupting and beguiling the people of God and bringing the GREAT DIVORCE of Faith from Works.  Faith was no longer the heart and soul of the people of God; teachings and philosophy replaced the power and illumination of the lamp of God.  No longer did the fellowship of believers “provoke one another unto Love and Good Works”, but we replaced it with programs and teachings that promoted faithless inactivity.  Jesus was having a discussion with the Pharisees of HIS day in which they had said to HIM, “Abraham is our father”.  Jesus replied….

“If ye were Abraham’s children,
ye would do the works of Abraham”

John 8:39

 

So should it be said in this day, if we are the children of God, we should be doing the works of God.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus stated…

“Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven”

Matthew 5:16

We are not saved by works; we are saved UNTO good works by the union of Love and Faith.  Far too often have the scriptures been taken out of context and used to support the horror of divorcing Faith from Works…

“For by grace are ye saved through faith: and not that of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath ordained that we
SHOULD WALK IN THEM.”

Ephesians 2:8 – 10

Where is the separation?  It is only in the abominable teaching of this hour.  Where are the works of the believer that are inspired by the living Faith of Christ within us?  How dare we separate these two; for in the separation we have compromised with a faith that is not only dead but has deceived the people of God into thinking that a faith without works is not only acceptable but pleasing to its Author.

Zealous of Good Works

A people redeemed from all iniquity, purified unto a peculiar (treasured and precious) people, are a people zealous of Good Works.  Whatever our place of development in God, whatever our standing, rest assured that our faith is being revealed by what it produces everyday in our lives.  In the Book of Revelation we see the ONE with the eyes of fire peering into the Church of Laodicea and HE SPEAKS this Word…

“I know thy WORKS,
that thou are art neither cold nor hot…”

Revelation 3:15

 

Our works reveal our faith.  The redemptive power of salvation is revealed in and through lives that are filled with the fire of a continually growing, dynamic faith that is made alive by the LOVE of God.

“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
availeth any thing, but
Faith which worketh by Love.”

Galatians 5:5

Ω

“Faith is the root of works. A root that produces nothing is dead.”

Thomas Wilson (1663–1735)

Brian Troxel

Why am I thus?

“Why am I thus?”
Genesis 25:22

“And the children struggled together within her; and she said,
If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb,
and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;
and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;
and the elder shall serve the younger.”

Genesis 25:22 – 25

Within the life of every true believer is the struggle between two natures; two ways of living, two sets of desires and two eternal consequences.  The conflict is between the first Adam and the Last Adam, the first Adam man being that nature which is earthly and sensual and the second Adam being the heavenly man, the Eternal Son of Man. We see the very portrayal of this within the womb of Rebekah as she by faith brought forth the one who would become Israel in the purposes and dealings of our great God.

Esau was the firstborn, a man of passions, wild and undisciplined.  He was of the earth, earthly and devoid of any real love of spiritual things.  He was born first, bearing the likeness of the first Adam, which in the Hebrew means “red earth”.  At his birth the scriptures take great care to describe his appearance.

“And the first came out red*(see note below), all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau”

Genesis 25:25

Jacob, though a schemer and a conniver, had one thing that set him apart.  He had respect for the things of God.  The birthright, which was rightfully Esau’s by virtue of being the first born, meant little to Esau and he surrendered it for  a mere mess of pottage in a moment of extreme hunger.  Jacob, on the other hand, coveted this blessing.  Jacob was the son of promise, a man called to become the Israel of God, not by strength, nor by might but by the mercy and strength of our God.

These two distinct “manner of people” struggled within the womb of Rebekah, yet the promise was THE ELDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER.  Jacob’s journey of faith to become Israel was one of many dealings and breakings in the hands of a determined and merciful God.  The promise of God tarries until the man Jacob is broken.  It is in our submission to His dealings that we become the people upon whom the promise falls.

“The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel”

Isaiah 9:8

The promise to Jacob was a sure thing but the severity of the dealings of God and the determination of God is what made the promise sure.  The man Jacob must become the worm that he might indeed become strong.

“Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff”

Isaiah 41:14 – 15

We must see that the inabilities in our life to do God’s will are the result of our strengths not our weaknesses. When we speak of weakness we are speaking of all that has not been brought into submission to the Son; in whatever measure we have known the fellowship of His sufferings there is a corresponding experience of His resurrection life.

“That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means
I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead”

Philippians 3:10 – 11

Let us realize that the struggle within is a struggle that is to be unto life and glory; HIS LIFE and HIS GLORY.  The struggle of Rebekah is prophetic of all that we must know within ourselves.  Jacob will remain Jacob until he is broken.  We too will remain barren unless we discover the wonder and the power of HIS faith in our lives.  A faith like gold submitted to the fire is purified and fit for the master’s use.  Teachings will not produce this life; only a broken and surrendered will in the hands of the God of Jacob!  This is not a day to tarry but it is a day for us to “press toward the mark, for the PRIZE of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”.

Let our confidence be not in ourselves, our knowledge or our associations.  Rather let our confidence be in the God of Jacob who was able to bring forth a PRINCE* (see note below) from the worm and who is able to complete that which He began in us.  The beauty of Jacob’s heart was clearly revealed at Peniel as we see Jacob clinging to the ONE who wounded him for in that place we see and hear God’s declaration…

“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed”

Genesis 32:28

* אַדְמֹנִי ʼaḏmōniy, אַדְמוֹנִי ʼaḏmôniy: An adjective meaning red, ruddy. from the Hebrew Word ADAM
*Israel – Prince with God

Brian Troxel

Luke 17:14 – As They Went

AS THEY WENT

“And it came to pass, that, as they went,
they were cleansed”
Luke 17:14

We want results.  God wants obedience.  The two are connected in the person of Jesus. Not only were the ten lepers mentioned here sick, they were outcasts.  They wanted healing, they needed healing and they cried out for healing.  The Word from Jesus was simple: “go”.  Their condition had not changed but in spite of this they obeyed; the cleansing came AS they walked, not before.

Leprosy represents the contagion of sin in a man’s life. The entire human race is infected with this loathsome condition.  We see it around us, we see it in us and, because of it, we cry out for deliverance.  People wait for changes in their circumstances and situations before they venture to step out in faith; the Son says walk and be made whole.  Faith requires no evidence to believe. It matters not what our circumstances declare. Our weaknesses are of no consequence in the realm of faith. Our failures have no legitimate claim to dampen our faith; for Faith rests in the accomplished work of the Son, not our own.  Faith is not a “feeling” inherent in some people and not in others.  Faith is a power, a ministration of the Son who looks for hearts who will allow God to show Himself strong on their behalf!

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong
in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him”
II Chronicles 16:9

We are here to learn that faith is the fruit of a relationship with its author.  It comes to us as a free unmerited gift, but its real development in our lives is the result of walking and growing in our relationship with Jesus!  It is in the walking with Him in the common course of life.   It is in the going when I feel crippled myself. It is in the realization of our emptiness we find rich provision that our brothers and sisters may be fed. In our own weariness we find His strength to encourage and refresh others!  This is the true nature of faith! Faith reaches through the clouds of discouragement and failure and lays hold of Him who is faithful and true.  Faith is the mover of men’s hearts and the impetus to do the works of God. As we go in His “go”, we are cleansed, made whole, and we find in Him the power to become an extension of His hands in the earth.

“Faith is an activity;
it is something that has to be applied”
Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983)

Brian Troxel