SUNDAY EDITORIAL

WORD OF WISDOM

FAITH - The object of saving faith is the whole revealed Word of God. Faith accepts and believes it as the very truth most sure. But the special act of faith which unites to Christ has as its object the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 7:38; Acts 16:31). This is the specific act of faith by which a sinner is justified before God (Romans 3:22, 25; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9; John 3:16-36; Acts 10:43; 16:31). In this act of faith the believer appropriates and rests on Christ alone as Mediator in all his offices.

This assent to or belief in the truth received upon the divine testimony has always associated with it a deep sense of sin, a distinct view of Christ, a consenting will, and a loving heart, together with a reliance on, a trusting in, or resting in Christ. It is that state of mind in which a poor sinner, conscious of his sin, flees from his guilty self to Christ his Saviour, and rolls over the burden of all his sins on Him. It consists chiefly, not in the assent given to the testimony of God in His Word, but in embracing with fiducial reliance and trust the one and only Saviour whom God reveals. This trust and reliance is of the essence of faith. By faith the believer directly and immediately appropriates Christ as his own. Faith in its direct act makes Christ ours. It is not a work which God graciously accepts instead of perfect obedience, but is only the hand by which we take hold of the person and work of our Redeemer as the only ground of our salvation.

Saving faith is a moral act, as it proceeds from a renewed will, and a renewed will is necessary to believing assent to the truth of God (1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Faith, therefore, has its seat in the moral part of our nature fully as much as in the intellectual. The mind must first be enlightened by divine teaching (John 6:44; Acts 13:48; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 1:17, 18) before it can discern the things of the Spirit.

Faith is necessary to our salvation (Mark 16:16), not because there is any merit in it, but simply because it is the sinner's taking the place assigned him by God, his falling in with what God is doing.

The warrant or ground of faith is the divine testimony, not the reasonableness of what God says, but the simple fact that He says it. Faith rests immediately on, "Thus saith the Lord." But in order to this faith the veracity, sincerity, and truth of God must be owned and appreciated, together with His unchangeableness. God's word encourages and emboldens the sinner personally to transact with Christ as God's gift, to be close with Him, embrace Him, give himself to Christ, and take Christ as his. That word comes with power, for it is the word of God who has revealed Himself in His works, and especially in the cross. God is to be believed for His word's sake, but also for His name's sake.

Faith in Christ secures for the believer freedom from condemnation, or justification before God; a participation in the life that is in Christ, the divine life (John 14:19; Romans 6:4-10; Ephesians 4:15, 16, etc.); "peace with God" (Romans 5:1); and sanctification (Acts 26:18; Galatians 5:6; Acts 15:9).

SOURCE: Easton's Bible Dictionary

BOLD AS A LION

Now, I am going to tell yall something. If you don't want what you are asking me to pray for you about then don't ask me to pray for you. Know why? My prayers are answered. So many people pray, "Oh Lord, I know I am a sinner and I don't deserve You and Your Love...I know I deserve to go to the pit, God does protects your right to go there if that is where you know you want to go but that isn't where He wants you to go or be, but if you could give me just a few minutes to listen to this poor sinner..." oh please give me a break. What do you know? You are a sinner, you don't deserve and you are in the state of false humility. Real humility is knowing, believing and having FAITH in the Word of God.

If you are born again in the love of God, then you aren't a sinner anymore. God has forgiven you of those sins. He forgives us immediately when we go to Him for forgiveness of the things we do that don't line up with His Word. So why in His precious Name are you asking Him to forgive what He don't even remember any more? You need to know that satan wants you to remember all about the sipping, dipping, wineing and dining, being cool and acting the fool that you have done in your past. With these means he keeps you from approaching the Throne of God with BOLDNESS so that your prayers won't be answered. In that way you lose your CONFIDENCE in the Almighty God.

When I pray I go to God with boldness. I tell Him what I want. I tell Him just as I would tell you. Let me tell you what I know: I have fearless boldness, fearless confidence in God's Word, the freedom to step out, faith in what the Blood of Jesus did for me, approach the Throne just like God is the only source I have, which of course He is, that effective prayer has to have boldness, have the true humility, know and believe in all that Jesus did for me, (He lived, taught, healed, died and arose), know the real faith is believing God loves me, don't think or believe God holds anything against me that would mean that I don't believe God loves me and I know He does, He loved me when I was a sinner, God can't lie or hate, the more faith I have the more boldness I have. I know that I know that I know all these things and so much more of the powers I have, thanks to Jesus being the word, taking on flesh and being the true source of love.

I know what yall are saying, "would you just listen how arrogant that silly women is." Don't yall even think such a thing of me. According to the Bible "arrogant" is prideful and "bold" is brave. Oh yes, I am brave but arrogant no, not any more. God and me have worked hard to get "pride" out of my life. But that is another story for later.

I know yall are wondering where are the scriptures that back up what I know I believe in. So I will give them to yall now.

Prov 28:1
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Romans 10:17
So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Eph 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Thank you C. Dollar for your sermon today (August 22, 2007) confirming what I knew that I knew but just didn't know how to explain it. Thank you God for answering that prayer, now on to another one.

God's Blessings to each of you,
LJG/rECj