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give me a word and I'll show you what I can do with it. give me the chance to write, to speak, and life will not be the same, for sure...

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Wednesday, 18 November 2009

One of My Very Few Personal Blog Posts

I usually only write inspirational, spiritual, or education type posts, but I decided to give you all a peak into my life.
Lately, I've been feeling different. Mostly up, with a few downs. I feel like God is still delivering me from some emotional things. As soon as I think I’m 100% delivered, I have someone to trigger something else in me that wants resolution. I realize that I am a very sensitive person, and I've decided to accept that 100%. I used to pray that I wouldn't be this way, but after finally buying this book called "The Highly Sensitive Person", I realize that it is both a curse and a blessing. It's a curse in that I overreact to many things that I perhaps shouldn't. I sometimes feel like a prisoner to my own ubersensitivity. It's a blessing in that my hypersensitivity makes me in tune to the hurts of others. Now I rejoice in my sensitivity! It's the reason why I can write so many posts that touch so many people.
Lately in my life, I've been discovering more of who I am. They say that your brain and body does not totally develop until you're 25 years old. I’ll be 25 on July 15th (if the Lord say the same and the Rapture does not occur by then), so I’m excited to see how much more ripening I have to do before then. I notice myself having a struggle with being a confident adult and between being an immature young lady with childish ways. I only have about 7 months until my “Ripening Date”. I notice that I’m having more common sense about things. I define common sense as seeing things as they are and doing things as they ought to be done. I’m using common sense when it comes to people because I see them how they really are and for how they are really treating me (whether that be unintentionally hurtful or intentionally hurtful ones). And I also do things as they ought to be done. No more room or time for procrastination.
I’m eager to speak again. I’ve only “preached” twice at my church and I know that I have so much more to share with the people. I need to turn in some more applications at restaurants so that when I move into a new apartment by the end of this year, I’ll still have money left over! I’ve never really worked two jobs before, but this should be fun. I look forward to working with people my age. I worked at a restaurant in college and it was SO MUCH FUN! I love the restaurant atmosphere. My hope is that I have a male manager. For some reason, I don’t get along so well with female authority figures. And for some reason, guy managers and me get along so well! They end up being father figure types to me.
I’m most excited of all about starting volunteer work at the VA tomorrow!!! I was supposed to be volunteering starting July, but things didn’t work out as planned. But now I’m finally going to be volunteering. I’m excited because I’ll be working in the wards. I get to sit in the rooms of veterans who I’m guessing are bedridden. I hope I don’t annoy them because I am QUITE talkative. I had plans of working with the chaplain there, but he seemed a little fishy to me. Guess I’ll have to play the chaplain. I hope they are receptive to what I have to say because I have every intention of making sure they hear about my Jesus. I feel kind of sorry for the vets because some of them have no family or visitors. After all they’ve been through, they end up alone. Because of Heidi Baker, I decided to volunteer there. I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for vets because in college, my Abnormal Psychology teacher interned for a long time at a VA, so when she gave us examples of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) most of her examples came from her experience there. VERY intriguing. Even though I’m not working in my field at this time, at least I’ll be volunteering in it.
I have some writings I want to get out on paper about eschatology (End Times), the Hebrew feasts and holy days, and the difference between the Old and New Testament when it comes to the animal sacrifices and high priests of the old testament and Jesus’ bodily sacrifice and high priesthood in the new. That’s one thing I’ve noticed that confuse many people about the bible. They wonder if the New Testament makes the Old Testament to no effect. Well I want to make it plain!
Tonight is the second and last night of our revival. I hope God shows up in a big way there. I need something fresh from the Lord. I wonder if I should invite two long-time friends of mine. They still need salvation. Is it selfish of me not to want to invite them so that they won't "cramp" my worship style? They might be freaked out if they hear me speaking in unknown tongues and jumping like I've lost my mind. Yesterday, we heard that – like David – we shall recover all! And I believe that with 100% faith! I hope people get physical, mental, and emotional healing tonight.

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Holy Ghost Manifestation in Different Races!

Monday, 16 November 2009

Currently
The Praise & Worship Songs of Richard Smallwood With Vision
By Richard Smallwood & Vision
see related
Do You Determine Right From Wrong the Right or Wrong Way?
****BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!!****
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE RIGHT FROM WRONG?
- Some people determine right from wrong based upon the laws of the land.
- Christians determine from what the Bible says and WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?).
- Some other Christians believe in only doing things from the point of view of LOVE and GRACE.
- Others obey the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."/"Treat other as you'd like to be treated."
- Some base right from wrong on what they feel. "Let your conscience be your guide."
- Some people believe in karma, so they watch what they do to others because they feel that it will come back to them sometimes to a much worse degree than how they did whatever to the other person.
- Some people who believe in the big bang theory -Darwinism/evolution/survival of the fittest - believe that there is no right or wrong, good or evil. They believe that everything is natural selection or that life is merely a random occurrence so that there is no evil because there is no scientific explanation for it.
Which of the above ways is the right way? Is there more than one right way to know right from wrong or to make moral/ethical decisions?
- In my opinion, if we believed only in the Darwinistic way, then there is no right or wrong. Rape, murder, theft, and lying would not exist the way most people view it. It's just life. If a woman or child get killed, it's because they are weak, and natural selection just weeded them out. If someone committed suicide, they were just to weak to handle the pressures of life and deserved to die.
- In Karma, it would all be relative. In some countries they say, "Love your neighbor." In others, you eat your neighbor. So what you deem wrong in America, might be right in Africa. Then how do we determine right from wrong and good from evil based on THAT standpoint?
- The Golden Rule only applies to people who give a care in life. To some people with no self-respect, they might hit you in the face and could care less about you hitting them back. Masochists like being in pain. Believe it or not, there are some people who fantasize about being brutally raped and sometimes they do role-play where they are acting it out. So it would seem unethical to me to base right from wrong from their opinion because I do believe most people would agree that rape and abuse are evil.
- To base right from wrong on feelings is also scary. Adolf Hitler FELT that Jews and others were supposed to be tortured and killed. Some White slavemasters FELT that people should be kept against their will for no reason and forced to work from sun up to sun down without pay and separated from their children and raped by their slavemasters. Some serial killers FELT that certain people deserved to die for whatever reason. And as far as letting "your conscience be your guide" is concerned, some people don't have consciences. Sociopaths/psychopaths sometimes have to force themselves to cry when someone is hurt because they honestly feel no pity, empathy, or sympathy for some reason. I heard about a sociopath who was going past some car accident where someone was either seriously injured or dead. He said he had to think of something to try to make himself cry because he honestly did not care, but he also didn't want to seem evil. So we can't rely on everyone's consciences we see.
- Some people determine right from wrong based upon laws. If the law says no speeding, then to speed would mean you are wrong. If the law said not to have sex with minors, then to have sex with an underaged person would make you wrong or bad. If the law says you should not kill, then if you murdered someone, you would be evil.
BUT I think I like my way of determining right from wrong and good from bad. I do it WWJD style. I don't always do like I should, but I almost ALWAYS know what I should do. And, of course, Jesus does everything in love. But keep in mind that people have different definitions of love. I would never again have sex with someone I'm not married to because I feel that it would not be the loving thing to do to disrespect a man's body without regard for his future wife and painful soul ties that come from sex. I respect what God has asked me to do towards them too much for me to cause them to sin. As much as I would like to curse people out sometimes, I will never again do it because I love them with God-type love which is agape love. Agape love is sacrificial and unconditional. It means that even though MYSELF would like to do a certain thing, the agape love in me says, "Put their welfare above your own, Mistye." Even though Self might want to please her flesh at the sake of someone else's well-being, agape love says, "Mistye, I know your flesh wants to do this, that, and the other, but God's love does not do stuff like that because it would hurt so and so."
Also, I base it on what God would do and what Jesus would do because they are not selfish like humans who make up things because of selfish, private agendas and motives. Yes, the world is made to glorify God, but it's also made for our good in the end. Humans usually make up certain things to help them be famous, rich, and happy. For example, if a big brother tells his little brother to clean up his room for 5 cents, it's not so that little bro can earn money. It's so that big bro can spend more time doing fun things for a very cheap price (5 cents) because he doesn't like cleaning his room. But when God tells you to do things, it's for YOUR good. For example, if God tells you not to do drugs, it's because He knows they are addictive and destroy families and your health and rob you of your joy and full life. He knows that drugs open the gateway to demonic manifestations in your life. He knows it will mess up your career and many other things.
So the person making the rules used to distinguish right from wrong has to be someone who is not selfish or evil. People put Saddam Hussein in charge, and because he was selfish and evil, he made many suffer. But if people like Mother Teresa were in charge, things would go well because she was neither selfish nor evil. But even Mother Teresa could fail at every once and awhile because she's human. And if she hadn't based her morals on Jesus' way, she would not have been considered selfless or good. She let a higher power determine her morals, and it worked out well for her and the many others she helped.
So how do you determine right from wrong? And what do you think should be the chief way of determining right from wrong?

Friday, 13 November 2009

COEXIST My Big Toe: If You Stand For Nothing, You Fall For Anything
Who are you? How would your friends, family, classmates, coworkers, and significant other define you?
When people identify you, they will usually say statements like, "she is nice/rude, smart/slow, funny/dull." They also might say what you like by saying things like, "he likes sports, she loves to read, she enjoys being in the water." They also might say what you believe in. They might say, "she's pro-choice, she's Democratic, she's a Buddhist."
But what defines you just as much as statements as, "she IS, she LIKES, and she BELIEVES in," are statements like, "he IS NOT, he HATES, and he's AGAINST."
Do the people who know you know what you don't like and what you stand against?
I've been reading much on the topic of boundaries for ourselves from a licensed psychologist and author named Dr. Henry Cloud, I have learned of the importance of a "yes" and a "no" when it comes to us setting personal boundaries. I have learned that if you say yes to EVERYTHING, then your yesses have lost their signicance and meaning. If you tell EVERY Tom, Dick, and Harry that you love them more than anyone else in the world, then all three of those "I love you more than anyone else in the world" mean absolutely nothing. They are mutually exclusive (they cancel one another out). For example, you cannot be both pregnant and unpregnant. So you cannot equally love three men more than anyone else in the world at the same time. In this case, all those yesses mean absolutely nothing because for Tom, Dick, and Harry there are two other men you love more than anyone else in the world. If I say, "Yes, I am pro-choice," and "Yes, I am pro-life," then both of those yesses are worth a hill of beans. In other words, they are worthless.
People who claim to like everything have a lack of identity. People who know what they like and what they don't like have a set identity. People who don't stand against or and who don't stand for anything have a lack of identity. People who stand for some things and who stand against other things have a set identity. Any topic you throw my way, I will more than likely be for or against it. Here are four examples of people with or without boundaries to themselves, and decide who you would rather be friends with.
- Shara likes EVERYTHING. There is nothing she does not like. She'll try anything twice. When her sister asks her what her favorite color is so that she can buy her a cute dress in her favorite color, Shara says, "It doesn't matter. I love all colors equally." When her boyfriend is trying to decide what cut of diamond to get her for their engagement, Shara says, "I don't really care. I like all the cuts. It can be cushion, emerald, princess, round, etc." When her mother is trying to see which movie they should watch together at the theater on Mother's Day, Shara says, "I have no preference. We can watch the new Jason movie, we can watch Watchmen, we can watch whatever. It can be horror, love, suspense, comedy, whatever you want, Mom." When Shara's best friend wants to have dinner with her, Shara has no preference for which restaurant. She doesn't even care what type of food - fast food, seafood, barbeque, whatever. SHARA LIKES ANY AND EVERY THING.
- Mark however knows what he likes. He has preferences. When his friend asks him what he wants to watch on tv, he will say, "I want to watch the game on ESPN." His dad asks him what he wants to do on the weekend. Mark says, "I want to go fishing at Bass Lake." His girlfriend asks him what his favorite color is so she can buy him a tie in his favorite color, and Mark says, "I like blue the best." Mark's boss asks him what hours he wants on the new schedule, and Mark says, "I go to church on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, so don't schedule me at those times."
- Harry is like Shara. He also stands for NOTHING. He's a Christian, but he is against nothing. There is no thing that he fights against. He DOESN'T stand against abortion, gay marriage, the raising of taxes, the war in Iraq, murder, adultery, fornication, drug usage, lying, stealing, racism, rape, molestation, incest, or anything. He DOES NOT stand against anything, but he calls himself a Christian. He doesn't like confrontation or arguments, so he just chills and his motto is "be easy."
- Michelle is unlike Harry. She knows what she stands for and stands against. She is not against the war in Iraq, and she is against abortion. She participates in marches against domestic violence, and she is not against the raising of taxes. She donates money to help limit starvation in Africa, and she fine with fornication if the couple is monogamous. She thinks fighting and profanity is gross and will tell you not to do it in her presence. She is fine with people gambling.
Which two of the four people seem to have a secure and stable identity?
"We must be able to say what is 'not me' in order to have a 'me.' What we like has no meaning unless we know what we don't like. Our yes has no meaning if we never say no. My chosen profession has no passion if 'just any one would do.' Our opinions and thoughts mean very little if there is nothing we disagree with." - Dr. Henry Cloud
Personally, Shara would annoy the mess out of me. She's the kind of person who always says, "I don't care. I don't know. I don't have a preference. Whatever you want to do. You decide." I'm sure all the men readers who have asked a girl out on a date hate it when a woman says, "I don't care," when he asks her what restaurant she wants to go to. You know you care, you're just afraid it may be something he won't like. But then as soon as he decides which restaurant, you think, "I don't want to go there!" People might say, "Wouldn't Shara be considered fun being that she doesn't NOT like to do anything?" She would appear down to earth to some, but she'd actually be dull to me because she has no likes - because she likes everything! It's like an atheist saying, "I like and believe in godlessness, I like and believe in evolution, I like and believe in Darwinism, I like and believe in natural selection, I like and believe in Creationism, I like and believe in God, I like and believe in Buddhism, I like and believe in Krishna. I like and believe in Jesus." His likes and beliefs mean absolutely nothing because he believes in everything. So Shara is not just a fun-loving person. She is someone with no standards, no beliefs, no likes, and no interests. If she stands for nothing, she falls for anything.
Harry is also annoying to me. He calls himself a Christian, but there is nothing he fights against. He is afraid of people not liking him or arguing with him because he just wants to skate through life without any opposition. No one believes he's a Christian because he doesn't try to put boundaries against anything God is against. He's a pushover with no backbone. He is not a real Christian because every Christian stands against evil and stands up for the things of God. I'm not saying Christians should go around telling everyone that they are a sinner and should stop the sin or burn in hell, but I am saying that people who know a Christian should have an idea where that Christian stands on certain issues. God has no problem letting us know where He stands on certain issues in the Bible, so we should be like Him in that regard.
I like Mark and Michelle though. Those are the people I wouldn't mind being friends with. Mark knows what he wants. With him, you don't feel like a mother or father taking their child to and fro. A little child just goes wherever, eats whatever, does whatever, wears whatever with no opinion. I might not agree with all that Michelle agrees with, but at least I know where she stands. She doesn't shrug her shoulders about everything. She knows her identity. Shara and Harry have no set identity. They are who they are around at the time. If Harry's at church, he can be against abortion, rape, fornication, and drug using. But when Harry's around his cousins who aren't saved, he doesn't say anything to them about smoking weed, having abortions, or fornicating. Of course, he can't make them do something they don't want to do, but they should at least KNOW EXACTLY where he stands on those topics IF he's a Christian who is supposed to be against those things.
"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered.
Matthew 21:28-31 (New Internation Version)
I like the first son better. He had a backbone. His nos meant no, and his yesses meant yes. He didn't just say what his dad wanted to hear because he was afraid of upsetting him. He was honest about what he wanted to do. He did get it right though and changed his mind and did work in the vineyard later on.
The second son however was probably afraid to say no to his dad. He was a punk and/or a liar. He wanted to tell his dad whatever his dad wanted to hear. But at the end of the day, he didn't do it because he probably never wanted to in the first place! The dad's will was done in the honest, first son, and it was not done in the lying, people-pleasing second son.
But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:34-38 (New International Version)
I don't like it when people stand for nothing. They aren't pro-choice, they aren't against stealing, they aren't against cheating, they aren't against fighting. They're just there. They have NO identity. They just blend in with the crowd. No one respects them because they have nothing to respect. I have more respect for an unbeliever who knows what he is for and against than for a Christian who doesn't stand up for or stand up against anything. At least I can trust the unbeliever to do what he says he will do.
God lets it be known throughout the Bible who He is. Most people have never met God, but they can tell who He is by what he stands against and stands for. In Isaiah 61:8 he lets it be known that he loves justice. In Ezekiel 6:9 he lets it be known that he is against adultery. In Jeremiah 3:12, he lets it be known that he is merciful. In Leviticus 11:44, he lets us all know that he is holy. In Exodus 6:6, he lets us know that he is compassionate. He lets us know that he is almighty in Genesis 17:1. In Numbers 23: 19, God lets us know that he is not a man that he should lie or repent. God lets us know what he is by what he stands against and stands for.
Don't you feel safe around people who let you know their identity? The scariest person to live with or hang out with are the people of whom you never know what they will do next. You live in fear wondering if your dad will snap and punch you in the face today. You live in fear wondering if your best friend will sleep with your boyfriend when you leave them alone. You want people around you who let you know what they will and will not do. If you know your dad will beat you everytime he gets drunk on Saturday nights, then you can know not to come home until Sunday morning. But if he beats you at random times, it's more horrible and unavoidable because of how unpredictable and unpreventable it is. If you have a friend who is trustworthy and says she is against premarital sex, then you can feel comfortable having your boyfriend give her a ride home. But if you have a friend who says, "I just don't know who I'll sleep with next; I have no limits or standards when it comes to sex. If I feel like it one day, I'll just do it with whomever," you'll be afraid to leave your new boyfriend around her.
So do YOU have a set identity? Does everyone who knows you know what you stand for or against? Especially if you are a Christian. Every person you know should know you live a holy life. Everyone who gets to know me (and people who don't) knows that I only listen to gospel music, that I like reading and writing, and that I am smart. Everyone who knows me well knows that I am against the war in Iraq, that I am against abortion, and that I am against drug use. People feel safe around me because they know I won't change on them sporadically. Even, people who are unbelievers like that they can be sure that I will not change. They think I'm stable and safe. They don't worry about me sleeping with their boyfriend, stealing money out of their purse, or drinking and driving their child home from daycare.
God is trustworthy too. I know that He will never hurt me. I know that when I die, He won't say, "Change my mind! You're going to hell. Go directly to hell. Do not pass "GO". Do not collect $200." I know that He will make sure that all my needs are met. That's why I don't get why people serve Satan. They know he's unstable and will lie about anything. But yet they trust him to give them a kingdom in hell when they die. They trust him never to attack them even while they are putting curses on and torturing others. Some people are religion-hoppers or people who combine religions. They have no boundaries to what they will and will not believe. That's why I'm 100% against the COEXIST crap. How can you be for Christianity AND Wicca when Satan and Jesus don't like each other? (Yes, Wicca is Satanic. Do your research.) These "COEXISTers" will be a Kabbalachristibuddhislamajewiccan depending on the weather or what's cool in the media at that time. They are sell-outs on EVERY religion. One day, Jesus is their Homeboy and the next, he was just a wise prophet with a little power. One day you bow to a Buddha statue and the next you pray at the wailing wall. One week, you love Krishna, and the next you worship God. I know a guy like that. He believes in the Old Testament, he does ecstasy, fornicates, is fine with having evil spirits in his apartment, but he hates when people eat or show violence to animals. WHAT?!?!?! Make up your mind, buddo!
Know who and what you are. Know what you stand for and what you stand against. Know what you believe in. Know what you like and dislike. Don't change your identity to please other people because they'll only change their mind in a year or so, and you'll have to change again then. This year, short hair might be in. Then in 2010, long hair might be in. This season everyone will want IPODS, but in two months, there might be another cool music machine that makes all Ipoders into dorks. You should not base your identity on a changing, confused world. Some of the times I've felt the worst was when I compromised on myself. I am for natural hair for Black women, but I got a relaxer to make people happy. I felt like a self sell-out. In college when I said I was not going to drink anymore, I felt SO bad when I betrayed my word and drank again. I hate being a self sell-out. But even worse than that a God sell-out. Stay true to you!

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

For We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight

What is faith really? So many Christians go about using this word "faith", but how many really know what it means? I'd say the most perfect chapter in the entire Holy Bible is Hebrews chapter 11. It explains PERFECTLY what faith truly is.
Faith was only used TWICE in the Old Testament. It was used in Deuteronomy 32:20 and Habukkuk 2:4. In Deut., it was the Hebrew word "emuwn". It meant "established, trusty, trustworthiness, faith, faithful, truth". In Hab. it was the Hebrew word "emuwnah/emunah". That means "firmess, security, fidelity, faithful, set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily."
It was used many, many times in the New Testament. When people were said to have "little faith", it was from the Greek word "oligopistos" which means "incredulous (i.e. lacking confidence (in Christ)". When it wasn't being to referred of "little faith" but just plain faith, it was the Greek word "pistis" which means "persuasion, credence, conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself, assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity."
One definition of faith is: noun: complete confidence in a person or plan, etc.
So basically faith means 100% certainty of a thing. If you're fully persuaded that you're going to get your paycheck after working two weeks, you have faith in your job even though it has not happened yet. You have 100% conviction in the ability of your job to come through for you just as they have many times before.
I think it's important to get the original meaning of a term from the Bible. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek except for when it quotes some of Jesus' words which were in Aramaic and also some Hebrew words or phrases. So since the word "faith" was not used in the Bible at that time, we may lose a lot of the meaning and significance if we toss all that stuff I wrote about "pistis" into the word "faith" of which some people have no idea of the meaning. I love my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Bible concordances list every word in the Bible in alphabetical and chronological order and tells you where you can find it. And in the back of the concordance it tells you the Hebrew word and meaning of the words in the Old Testament and the Greek word and meaning of the words in the New Testament. You get to see how many times a word and names are used in the Bible.
So like I was saying earlier, Hebrew 11 is the BEST chapter in the bible about faith. It's quite clear. It's not even hard to read. Here are a few verses that explain what faith really is.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is the thing that you're hoping for. Faith is the proof of the things you're hoping for but have not yet seen. Romans 8:24 asks a rhetorical question (a question to make you think with no answer expected). It asks something to effect of, "If you could already see what you have the faith for, then why in the world would there be the need to hope for it? You'd already have it and therefore wouldn't need to hope! And since you're hoping, you do what all hopeful people do. They wait for what they're hoping for!"
Romans 8:24 - For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
If you are hoping to graduate in December '09, don't you wait until that date? Do you just drop out of college or high school because it hasn't happened yet? What is that to do? What sense is that making? When you're hoping for something (ex. wedding date, graduation date, a fun event), you wait for it. It makes no sense to me that people don't believe that the things they are hoping for are going to happen just because they haven't seen it come to pass yet. That's where the concept of HOPE comes in. Hope is what makes you wait. It's probably the ONLY thing keeping you waiting if you really think about it.
And one quick question - what sense does it make to have 100% faith that when you die that you're going to heaven or hell if you don't believe anything else the bible says about healing, miracles, people being raised from the dead, supernatural provision, supernatural protection, etc.?
Hebrews 11 lists a number of people from the Old Testament who lived by faith even though the concept of faith wasn't even used much then. It lists Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, and Samuel. And in general, it lists women who received their dead raised to life again and martyrs who had faith. That chapter is packed with people with true faith when the word faith was only listed twice in the OT. And you already know of the many people who had faith in the New Testament that Paul did not list. He didn't even mention the NT peeps - lady with the issue of blood for 12 years, the people's who children were sick, those who were blind, maimed, lame, dumb, deaf, diseased, virgin Mary, old Elizabeth and Zachariah, the man who was crucified beside Jesus, and MANY more.
But there is a bad thing that some Christians teach about faith. It's these word-of-faith teachings. They have a lot of truth to them, but they can be very misleading.
The bible says that faith comes by hearing. So the ONLY people who can get faith are those who get it by hearing. Makes sense enough. And verse 17 of Romans 10 says that faith comes by hearing the WORD OF GOD. So you can't just go around having faith for things that are not God's words. I can't have faith to fly by flapping my arms rapidly and jumping off a building because that faith did not come from God's words. Understand? Verse 14 says you can't call of the Lord to be saved if you have first not believed. And then it mentions the thing about HEARING just like verse 17 does. It says that you can't be saved if you don't hear (which means you can't believe/have faith because the order to get to faith is HEARING then BELIEVING/FAITH). Later comes the ACTION (in this case, it's calling on the name of the Lord to get saved).
An example is this: Suppose that Wal-Mart is giving out free groceries for an hour. I'll never get to experience those free groceries unless I HEAR from a friend or an advertisement. And even after I hear it, I have to BELIEVE that what my friend or the ad is telling me is the truth and not a lie or a misunderstanding. THEN I have to act accordingly by getting down to Wal-Mart. I can't have faith for things if I never hear or see of their existence. My belief or faith in what my friend is saying to me starts with me hearing her words.
Likewise, I can't have faith for the many wonderful and exceedingly precious promises of the Bible if I never HEAR about them. And verse 14 continues on to say something to the effect of, "How in the world can you believe in someone you've never heard say anything? And how can you hear without the speaker of God's word?" And verse 15 carries on to say, "And how in the world can someone be God's speaker of God's very own words if God did not send them?" Makes good enough sense.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
I see a lot of people who are "preachers" but who were never "sent of God". They are wolves in sheep's clothing that we have been warned about in the New Testament epistles. We already saw that we can only "legally" (biblically) have faith for things that we hear about from a preacher that is sent of God with God's word. Again, the requirements for biblical faith are:
1) A preacher
2) A preacher that is SENT OF GOD
3) A preacher that speaks the words of God
4) A preacher that you HEAR
5) You believing the preacher sent of God who speaks the word of God that you hear
And I have yet to meet a true preacher that has not told people to read the bible for themselves to hear for themselves truths and promises for them to have faith for. So I don't think that we can ONLY get words for faith from the mouth of a preacher because true preachers themselves will tell you to read the scriptures for yourself. Also, God gives some people direct revelation without going through a preacher. But all these people are bible readers and all these people listen to preachers!
And then after you have the faith (or the belief, assurance, confidence, persuasion that the Greek word "pistis" speaks of), THEN you have the RIGHT to respond or act accordingly. So an example would be Noah. Only after he heard the word of God and believed Him, THEN he started building the ark. Keep in mind, this was before rain was ever seen! Another popular example is Abraham. Abraham believed 100% in God giving him a child by his wife Sarah. Keep in mind, Sarah had reproductive problems even when she WAS of childbearing age, so of course when she's very old, it's going to be even harder to have faith for that!
So that shows me that faith or "pistis" means 100% surety and security and confidence in what God has said even when it makes absolutely NO sense in the natural world. It means 100% total belief in what God has said for you to do or feel or believe even when it looks ludicrous and absurd! Even if the WHOLE WORLD deems you psycho. When I tell unbelievers that I believe 100% that I'm going to a paradise when I die for all eternity to live with angels, that I believe that 2,000 years ago a man died for my sins and rose from the dead three days later and is in heaven now interceding for me, that I believe that same man was conceived in his virgin mother's womb without a male's sperm, that I believe that one day that same man is coming back real soon to take me and all the other Christians dead and alive from the earth to give us new bodies and shining white robes, THAT SOUNDS CRAZY TO THEM! And I can see why. But that's only because they don't have faith. I have faith for that. And not just cause Mama and Papa said so. It's because it is the literal word of God. And the bible says that not one jot or tittle of God's word will not be fulfilled. It will ALL come to pass. If it was between either God's words not coming to pass OR the entire earth and heaven passing away, God's words would be chilling and being fulfilled while the earth and heavens passed away!
Luke 16:17 - And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Matthew 5:18 - For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Luke 21:32 - Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
The verse below tells us that people without faith cannot please God in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Simply stated, it's impossible. So if it's hard for you to believe that I can believe everything the bible says about a supernatural world (even though it's been confirmed by many, many people in addition to the words of the Bible), then you're not pleasing God. I'm not saying you're not pleasing God because you don't believe the same things I believe in; I'm saying that you're not pleasing God if you don't believe in the words of the preachers that He has sent with His words. And many of these preachers have made the books of the Bible.
Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Another VERY important thing about faith is this. Hear me and hear me good! FAITH IS ONLY APPLICABLE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN GOD'S COVENANT BECAUSE WE ARE FELLOWHEIRS OR CHILDREN OF GOD. Romans 8:14-17 says that we Christians are sons of God. And since we are sons, we are heirs (meaning we get an inheritance from God our Father). And since we are heirs who are receiving our inheritance from God, then we must also be joint-heirs along with Jesus who is the only begotten son of God.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
So with this in mind, we now know that ONLY CHRISTIANS have access to the promises by faith in Christ and God (100% full, total assurance of what the Bible and true, God-sent preachers say about God and Jesus). Here's an example:
If a man promises that after church he is going to take all his 3 children to Baskin Robbins for ice cream, those 3 kids can rejoice! Not his nephews and nieces, not his second cousins, not all the kids in their Sunday school class. JUST THOSE THREE KIDS OF HIS regardless of if they are biological, foster, adopted, or stepchildren. This promise ONLY applies to his children. And if this dad is a man of his word and nothing comes up to spoil his plans, those three kids are going to get the ice cream he promised them!
So I don't like it when I hear that preachers make EVERYONE think that they can get the promises of God when the truth is that ONLY GOD'S CHILDREN CAN! It's because we're in a covenant relationship with God. Just like in a marriage, the body of Christ is the bride of Christ. In a human, earthly marriage, if a husband says, "Tonight, I'm going home to have sex with my wife," there is no reason for every wife to rejoice! Only his wife is of the covenant.
Two definitions of covenant are these:
noun: (Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return
noun: an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.
It trips me out when some atheists say things like, "If God's so good, how come He's letting all those people die of starvation and AIDS in other countries?" God is not even in covenant with them! Christians have many fundraisers, charities, donations, and non-profit organizations to help feed and doctor these hurting and suffering people, so they can't say that God is doing NOTHING for them. But the truth is that He has no true obligation to people that are not in His covenant. I think we can all agree that in the Old Testament, God OFTEN AND UTTERLY destroyed MANY of the enemies of His covenant people - the Jewish people. No one back then said, "If your God is so good, how come He lets us go through all this destruction?!" It's because each and every one of them know the answer which was, "It's because you're over their worshipping idols/false gods/demons. So why don't you ask them to help you?"
My future husband - if that's God's will for my life - will not be under any obligation to every other wife on the globe. He'll only be allowed to have sex with me, to buy me nice and expensive things, to live with me, to have children by me, to be committed to me, etc. That's because he'll be under covenant with me!!!
So I believe that word-of-faith preachers should make it crystal clear that only God's children have access to these promises. You have to have faith in Jesus. You have to believe 100% what the Bible says about Him. He was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. He was crucified on the cross to take away the sins of those that would believe in Him. He was buried in a tomb. He rose three days later - resurrected from the dead. He's now seated on the right hand of God. He makes intercession for those who believe in Him for salvation. He's coming again soon. That is the truth. That's the Bible. Believe that.
It makes no sense. But that's where your faith comes in.