Hebrews 11:1 “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The fourth principle is that we have to trust in God’s truth through faith (belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by God, resting on His authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what God states or testifies is the truth). Faith is much more than our intellectual beliefs. It’s the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the Scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers of the God-breathed Bible. John 17:17 ‘Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” And trusting in Jesus Christ alone as the means of being made right with God is by faith, but that is only the starting point.
James 2:18-19 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
If you have real, genuine faith in God, His Word and His purposes in life, then it is going to be witnessed in your actions, because disciples make disciples and saved people save people by living godly lives and proclaiming the Gospel; pointing others always to the foot of the Cross. Intellectual accent is not a basis for salvation because a person can know of God and Jesus, but not know God through Jesus (not repent of sin and receive Christ for forgiveness, redemption and eternal life) nor put their trust in Him as Savior and Lord of their life, or make a dwelling place in their heart for Him. if we truly receive Jesus in our heart, that means we have the saving faith that trusts that as we obey the teachings of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will accomplish what is the very best for us, for He knows the end from the beginning. In
John 14:23-26 Jesus proclaims, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. In Galatians 5:16-17, the Apostle tells us: “ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Believe that it is in your best interest, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, to walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the sinful lusts of the fallen flesh. And restates again in Romans 8:13-14, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Robert Boyd Munger: The Hall Closet of my heart story - One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the house. There is something dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet." As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. Yes, there was a small closet up there on the landing, just a few feet square—and in that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about and certainly I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. And yet I loved them, and I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there. Reluctantly, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed at the door and said, "Some dead thing is in there!" I was angry. That's the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the playroom—and now He was asking me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, "This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key." "Well," He said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I'm going to stay up here on the second floor with this odor, you are mistaken. I will take my bed out on the back porch. I'm certainly not going to put up with that." Then I saw Him start down the stairs. When you have come to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense His fellowship retreating from you. I had to surrender. "I'll give You the key," I said sadly, "but You'll have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it." "I know," He said. "I know you haven't. Just give me the key. Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will." So, with trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it from my hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release, to have that dead thing out of my life!
May the dead things in our heart be removed and cleansed so for Christ our heart is where the home is.
In Christ, Brian
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