The Spirit of Faith and Pleasing God
“We having the same spirit of faith…”
2 Corinthians 4:13
How precious is the Word of God! Even the smallest phrases reveal powerful glimpses of Him! “The Spirit of Faith”, the true living faith, is a spiritual ministration. It is not an attempt to try and believe a certain thing. It is a faculty of His Life imparted into ours. It knows and desires to please the One from whom this unspeakable gift originates. Those who have received this ministration are continuously being changed by its power. Faith is the breath of Almighty God and the basis of our growth into Him.
“But without faith
it is impossible to please him…”
Hebrews 11:6
Those held by the power of faith seek to please Him. There are many whose view of salvation is self-serving. There is a lack of outreach into the world around them and an inability to involve themselves in the arena of faith. Those who love their own lives cannot please God. Faith on the other hand births a desire to experience His life, one that is so radically different from the logical mind of man.
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Matthew 16:25
While the religious trust in confessions, those with a living faith seek to identify with the Author who laid down His life that we might find it.
To be without faith is to not feel His heartbeat; to be without the breath of the Almighty inspiring us to spend and be spent that others might see the surpassing Glory of Him.
Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Without it, there is no substance or relationship to God. Jesus did not come to give us words and teachings; He came to impart to us His very Life. The Words that HE speaks are “spirit” and they are “life”. The faculty of faith hears and responds to HIS word. The natural man may read the scriptures but there is no inspiration or stimulus to respond. Obedience by such is considered legalistic and contrary to the “new” gospel of many in our day. The truth is obedience is impossible without the inspiration of faith.
“but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience OF faith—”
Romans 16:27
Regarding the purpose of all ministry Paul concludes his epistle to the Romans:
“to bring about the
obedience of faith”
Throughout this epistle, Paul stresses the impotence of man and the power of God. The characteristic of faith is that it alone enables those held in its power “to bring about” in fallen man the ability to live in obedience to the “command of the eternal God”. That is why we can declare the Gospel of God and the wonder of faith as the “Good News”. God’s answer to the disobedience of the natural state of man is the impartation of faith which returns us to the original purpose of God for man.
Faith is the only source of obedience. It is rightly termed “the obedience OF faith”! Where there is no obedience there can be little or no existence of faith, regardless of one’s confession. The delusion of having faith in God apart from obedience is the great lie propagated by faithless ministers and hypocritical adherents. Obedience is a learned experiential journey. Since obedience is totally dependent upon faith it naturally grows from “faith unto faith” (Romans 1:17) and the corresponding expression of obedience is fully dependent upon that development of faith. This is a critical aspect of the journey into our life in God. His love draws us, His word encourages and convicts us, and His grace empowers us to grow.
The true sheep of God hear His voice and respond in obedience because the faith of God causes obedience to be a delight, not a duty or a carnal commandment but a joy and a privilege!
Well does the Psalmist prophesy of the life of Christ…
“Then said I, Lo, I come:
in the volume of the book, it is written of me,
I delight to do thy will, O my God”
Psalm 40:7-8
The evidence of Christ within is the privilege and the delight to DO His Will!
SEE: Simplicity
(continued)
Brian Troxel
FAITH is so misused by the world, for when you say to someone you have a strong faith they will respond with Yes I am a catholic or baptist. When really a true follower of Christ will say Yes my faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ! Therein lies the difference. We are changed by His Spirit from glory to glory. This was such an encouraging post. God Bless You Always.
Julia
That is so true. I am really being stirred lately as to its power in our lives. It is the thing that sets apart the people of God from all others. His gift to us and the grace that accompanies it are unspeakable.
Thank you again!
BT
Powerful message! Faith and obedience go hand in hand! To know and believe that when you are obedient to God, everything will work out for your good. That is faith! Stay blessed…
Thank you for the comment!
May the Lord be with you.
BT
Everything you share here on your blog has merit Brian, with a side of profound truths.
My mother, not a religious woman. She had a way of wording sentences that you just couldn’t argue with, all one could do is ponder on her sentence and re evaluate the situation at hand. What ever the situation was.
You also seem to have this gift. Few people do.
May God grant you continued strength to stand in all things concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. And may our Heavenly Father continue to fill your cup overflowing.
Blessings
Thank you for the very kind words and I hope to meet you this coming year.
Blessings to you and your family.
BT