Check Your Faith

I strongly encourage that when the Good News is missing for the day (sometimes I'm instructed to only send a prayer or nothing at all), that you reflect and meditate on past Good News from the week.  There are many mysteries in the Word, so reading it once isn't enough.  Find ways to help you retain what God has provided.

Love-LT

PRAYER: LORD we honor You today.  Guide our ways, so that we show that in our actions.  Thank You for Your Word.  Let us not treat it as a "feel good" remedy for the day; but as vital to our lives.  Show us how to learn it, understand it, retain it and use it in every part of our days.  By Your Spirit, there is mighty power in Your Word and You encourage us to activate this power in our lives.  Thank You for being so generous and loving.  In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

MATTHEW 15: 21-28

THE FAITH OF THE CANAANITE WOMAN: part 2

PLEASE READ THE VERSES DIRECTLY FROM THE BIBLE: 

These verses may be broken up to discuss each point

(Emphasis v.28) Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."  

We cannot  move on in Chapter 15 without emphasizing the Canaanite woman's faith.  Pastor A.R. Bernard spoke on faith last year, and here are some highlights.  Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God.  Without faith we have nothing.  Faith is so important that we have to guard it at all times-because the devil will do all he can to destroy it.  

The devil is after your faith and will use doubt (question God's Word and His goodness), discouragement (looking at the problem instead of God), diversion (getting into our reasoning; sin-making wrong things look attractive; desiring the wrong thing more than the right thing; offering another way-not God's way-of getting to your goal; often compromising your integrity and values), defeat (he will make you feel like a failure-in order to get you not to try) and delay (focus you on your time of suffering) to destroy it.  But the devil is a liar and you need to continuous rebuke all of his tricks.

Faith is central to all we do in life; fasting, praying, studying the Word, praying in the spirit, living life.  The opposite of faith is doubt, unbelief and fear.  So what you need to do is believe ALL of God's Word and remember and seek evidence of His goodness all around you.  Be courageous, because it takes courage to have faith.  Focus on the unseen and look at where you want to go, instead of where you don't want to go.  Learn God's way of doing things and do it God's way every time, no matter what- and you'll be on the right track.  

A right relationship with God is based on faith.  Only with faith is God's power activated in our lives.  Jesus commented so many times, that it wasn't by His power-but because of each person's faith that people were healed.  Yes, your faith with be tried and tested but you have to use this to build your faith; not remove it.  Blessed is the (person) who endures temptation.  Not the person who is always taken over by temptation.  Value and protect your faith.

PONDER THIS:

DO YOU REALLY HAVE FAITH IN GOD?

ACTION:

CHECK YOUR FAITH AND PRAY THAT YOUR FAITH NEVER FAILS.