Faith is Acceptance
Pastor Jerry Wilhite,
author
Faith really is acceptance of God, that He is what He says He is and that His word is true and real and deeper than we can understand on our own with our physical nature. Do you realize whether or not you believe doesn’t make something any less real or more real? Case in point - the devil, Satan - so many do not believe there is a devil. They think Satan is a myth or just something on which the less educated people blame their problems. The truth is there is a God and a devil and the devil has only one agenda. That is to come between you and God.
So with this said let me ask you this - why has Satan worked so hard for the past 2 thousand years to keep from us certain truths like faith, spirit, hearing from God? Many believe that faith and the spirit ended in the first century church. So why is it so important for us to know that they did not end 1900 years ago? Or should I say why is it so important to Satan that we do not know they are still working to this day and will be forever?
Without faith we can not be saved and without the Spirit we can not hear and without hearing we can not have faith.
Ephesians 2
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So by keeping us from faith we can not truly be saved and if we are not saved Satan has fulfilled his agenda and God loses.
Romans 10
Faith comes by hearing; so if we do not hear we have no faith and if there is no faith we can not be saved.
Galatians 3
2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Now here is where the real loss over the past 1900 years comes into account - what the word Christ means and what is actual hearing.
"Christ" comes from a Greek word "Christos" which means anointing. In Luke 4:18 Jesus said He was anointed with the Spirit of God. If He is the anointed (Christ) and we are of Him (Christians) then we are of the anointing or the spirit.
What is the Spirit?
John 4
24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The Spirit is God and God is the Spirit so if we are of Christ (the anointing) we are of God. But if the Spirit ended in the first century how can we be of the Spirit?
First let's address faith. Why do so many believe it ended or was just for the first century?
When I was 16 I wanted to drive. If no one taught me how to drive and the only car was one with a clutch and a stick shift, and if I never had seen how it is used how would I get the car out of the drive way, much less drive it? I would not have learned mainly because even if I figured out how to start the car I would not have known how to engage the clutch and how to put it in the correct gear, to back out of the drive way. So in time I would have believed that since I could not drive the car the car could not be driven and it was just a myth that it could be driven.
Faith is the same; some try it and it does not work for them so it must not be or it no longer is. Some try it for a day, a week, even a month but it does not work. The big difference between the car and faith is that if I would see others drive I would know the car could be driven. But since I can not get it out of the drive it is not my fault so the car must be defective. That is until someone shows me how to drive and I realize I did not know as much as I thought I knew. Since today very few really live by faith, I do not mean faith in themselves or others, but faith in God, then there is no example to know it is real.
There are two types of faith, yes, there are many variations of them, but none the less there are only two types.
Since the second one has more examples and is accepted more than the first, the first then becomes less and less accepted. Essentially the second cancels out the first since the second is used more. The first is then less likely to be fully realized.
Yes worldly faith cancels out Godly faith. Remember what is wise for man is foolish to God and what is wise to God is foolish to man. To God it is foolish to have faith in one’s own ability and others over faith in Him.
Satan has done his job well and many have fallen for his lies and into his traps.
Lies and Traps of Satan
There are more but this gives you an idea of what I mean, and here are some scripture verses to back it up.
1 Corinthians 1
11. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
Read verse 12 above again but in place of Paul enter the name of your church. As you see division started in the first century.
Matthew 12
25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Hosea 4
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
(Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.)
You see Satan knows full well if we hear then faith comes and from faith comes knowledge and the Spirit grows in us and in the Spirit is power and wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1
24. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Here are some more lies that deal with today:
If anyone honestly believes that the creator of all requires them to kill others to be accepted they are not just mislead they are delusional. To believe in reincarnation is sad to think we have to keep doing it again and again I would rather never be than to think my only hope is I will come back again and again and again. The idea that we can do anything of our own ability and get it right is a joke.
That many do not believe in a next life, that this is all there is, has to be the saddest of all because that means there is no point to our existence. Work 50 years to have a few things to lose it and turn to dust that is all there is.
How about evolution, that in time mankind will evolve into something more? Talk about an elitist Mattitude! This one is one of the largest ever.
If you are busy, working, with a spouse, kids, bills, etc., then you do not have time to consider any of this; too many other things of real importance require your time. Really IMPORTANT things such as fixing the leaky toilet, changing the oil on your car, cleaning house, doing laundry, etc.
Probably the number one reason people do not believe in faith is that when things go bad (such as a child gets deathly ill, or the house is about to be foreclosed on) they turn to God to bail them out, but they are not answered as they expect or want. Sometimes they do not even believe they were answered at all. They expect after 20, 30 or more years of not counting on God or really believing and not being there for Him that He will jump through hoops for them and be there for them. When it does not happen the way they want they no longer believe. The truth is He is always there for them. It is just that they have no way of really knowing what or how to hear from Him. Plus their faith is not Godly faith but worldly faith. Since this requires Godly faith where God intervenes and they can do nothing, they doubt and shut down God. They do not understand that faith is not faith if doubt is even slightly there.
So the world and Satan has sown enough doubt to stop the faith required for this so instead of realizing it is their fault they blame God. Or they do not believe in God or faith other than their own. Just like the car, it requires some instruction, some patience, some knowledge, and hearing. Usually at the most they have gone to a church and listened to a man/woman of God tell them what is in the book and what is right and wrong and what to believe. They do not realize that they are also men and women of God and that God wants to teach them. God does not want a man to teach them that He is and He loves them.
1 John 2
27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
John 14
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
It says, "he shall teach you all things" not just some things, or things of God, but He (spirit) shall teach you all things. The Spirit, the anointing (spirit) shall teach you all things, not a man or woman.
What gets me is that a person will spend their entire life in church on Sunday mornings. If you ad it all up over 50 years it would be 14,000 hours @ 4 hours a week (getting dressed, drive time, time at church, etc). That is 583 days or one year and 218 days. If they attend Sunday night and or Wednesday night service, and other activities and do this from 18 to 80 then it is 62 years or about 5 years. In 5 years non-stop which is 873 weeks (16 years) at 50 hours a week they could become a doctor, a lawyer, and an engineer.
So why do so few actually open the Bible and really read it and find out for themselves if what they are told is true and learn more?
If the promises are real (and they are) then why not spend the time to learn about them and how to have them? Instead at the very least 95% of those who attend every Sunday sit in church, sing the songs, pray, listen to 18 minutes to one hour of a man or woman telling them what they should know. Then go home and still have the same problems, the same debts, the same lack, and all they got was a somewhat social time in the morning.
Understand many want more. They either do not realize they can have more or how to do so. Many pastors want to give more and they spend their time with their members helping them from one problem to the next never with the time they need to get more.
So the largest deception Satan has pulled off is the one where we have the Bible in our homes but we never open them. If we do read them we do not get the fullness therein.
Some say, "But I read the Bible and each time I read a verse I get more out of it."
The problem is you are interpreting not understanding. That is why so many get something new each time when they read instead of getting it all the first time. That is when it remains as true and real the next time as the first.
You see where the problem comes in is you are reading it with eyes that are limited with a brain of which you only use 13 % at best. You hear with ears that are limited but you are trying to get depth of something that is so much more than this physical world we live in.
If I told you that when you look at the sky you only see part of it would you know that is the truth? We can not see all the variations of colors and depth of the sky. When we listen we hear but not all the sounds because of our limited hearing and of course selective hearing.
Mark 4
11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
For the longest time in my youth I thought the above meant we were not given all we needed and we could not see or hear. Actually it means with the physical eyes we can not see and with the physical ears we can not hear that which is spiritual. The spiritual is from where the depth and understanding come. To fully understand, to see and to hear we must do so with Spiritual ears and eyes.
Romans 10
Faith cometh by hearing, and understanding by Jesus, in John 1:14 we are told the word became flesh. Well that was Jesus and Jesus said the Father would send the Spirit in His name to teach us all things. So how to we understand, by the Spirit, not that of man, but of God.
John 14
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
2 Corinthians 5
7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
To walk by faith and not by sight is a Spiritual way of life not a physical one, remember you are in the world but not to be of the world.
Hebrews 11
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is NOW, and faith is assurance (confidence, substance) of WHATEVER (things) EXPECTED (hoped) for, the PROOF (evidence) of things that we can not yet see.
So with faith we can:
Mark 11
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
So why do we not have this faith Jesus spoke of in Mark 11?
Because we see with our physical eyes and hear with our physical ears, and since we are limited in the physical we limit faith. Then we allow doubt to creep in, a little tiny drip of doubt is all it takes and faith is no more.
Some may think that what I am saying is hard, but it is not. That is the point; everything of God is not hard. It is the way the world shows it that makes it hard. Satan knows if he can just get a drop of doubt into us he wins. He also knows when we learn the truth he is doomed and from one little touch of the truth we will learn enough to grow and in time to remove the doubt the world has placed there.
Requirements
Remember He is our Father, even though we do not create as He does we do procreate. Why do we do this?
It would have been much easier for Him to either start over or just wipe His hands clean of us and just stick with the angels. But He is a Father and like most fathers (I agree there are some bad fathers) He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to ask Him for guidance, help. and to depend upon Him.
John 3
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.