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Faith to Prosper

April Pic6

//Charles Cowan

 

Campmeeting Speaker Highlight

When We Choose to live by faith, we are choosing more than a title. We’re choosing more than someone being able to call us faith people. It’s more than a faith necklace, wristband, or hat we wear. There’s nothing wrong with those external things, but faith goes far beyond them.

Faith reaches into the innermost part of our being. It reaches into our words and actions. It reaches into how we walk in life—how we humble ourselves to God. Faith Should Reach Into Every Aspect Of Our Lives.

Sometimes when people accept Jesus as Savior—especially if they’ve not been taught—they think there’s nothing involved in the Christian life but saying, “Thank You, Lord.” But there’s more to walking in faith and victory than that.

There are duties that a husband and wife must perform in a marriage for it to be healthy. And those in the military have duties, or responsibilities, assigned to them. In the same way, there are duties to faith. Micah 6:8 says, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord REQUIRE of thee?” There are things that God requires of us— things He expects us to do.

The Bible is full of instruction— full of responsibilities—where our faith is concerned. Let’s look at a few of faith’s duties in Joshua chapter 1. 

In this passage God is talking to Joshua after Moses died. Joshua was left to lead more than three million people to the Promised Land, and they were unhappy and complaining. He had quite a problem on his hands!

But God gave Joshua instructions—duties pertaining to his faith—to get him across the Jordan, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land with the children of israel. He told him to be strong and courageous and promised that He would be with him as He was with Moses (Joshua 1:5–7).

In Joshua 1:8, we find our first duty of faith. God told Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.”

I think we’ve probably all missed this faith duty somewhere along the way! What does it mean? It means that God Wants Us To Talk And Confess His Word All The Time!

“Well, what will people think?” someone may say. What difference does it make? If they don’t think you’re squirrely or fanatical about the Bible, they’ll think you’re squirrely about something else!

Verse 8 continues with our second and third duties: “But thou shalt meditate therein [in God’s Word] day and night, that thou mayest obser ve to do according to all that is written therein.” We are to meditate in what we have heard—meditate in the Word day and night! In other words, God doesn’t want our attention on the circumstances. He wants His Word on our minds all the time. More than that, He wants us to do everything that is written in it. This is talking about our faith behavior—how we act.

Why are these duties so important? God Is Endeavoring To Get Us To A Place Where We Have The Ultimate, Highest Level Of Faith In What He Has Already Done For Us. Then, as the end of this verse says, “thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Prosperity and success are the byproducts of our carrying out our duties of faith! Do you see that? God never mentions our adversary. He never mentions hard times or trouble. He never mentions despair, discouragement, or dismay. He says to speak His Word, meditate in it, and act on it, and then we’ll be successful.

Our Heavenly Father doesn’t drop everything into our laps without any effort on our part. But His blessings will come to those who assume the duties of faith.

Just look at Joshua. When he was in the very worst natural circumstance he could face, the Lord told him to be successful. And that’s what He’s saying to us.

So many times in difficult circumstances, we find ourselves asking God to see things the way we see them. But God Is Asking Us To See Things The Way He Sees Them. No matter what life brings our way, He wants us to stand and perform the duties of faith. When we do, He will make us successful.

 


>> Want More?

To listen to Rev. Cowan’s entire message, go to www.vlifetech.com/rhema/videos, scroll down to Campmeeting 2012, and scroll over to Tues. 7-24-12 10AM.