January 9th, 2024
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Not one of us were saved, except through faith. The word itself is mentioned hundreds of times throughout the Old and New Testaments. While some relegate it to Sunday school, as an elementary doctrine of Christianity, it’s so much more than that. However, our walk with God can’t stop at salvation and we can’t grow without faith. Our faith is what keeps us moving forward in Him!
We can see this clearly in the power of our prayer lives. This week, the Lord has been speaking to me about the power of asking. Do you know how many times the Lord tells us in His Word to ask? Here are just a few examples:
Psalms 2:8 - “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
John 15:7 - “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 16:23 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
James 4:2-3 - “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
Now, Christianity is not about us just asking God for the things we want but asking Him for the things that align with His heart. However, when we’re walking with Him, the things we want will align with His heart. Why then, do many believers live with less than what the Word of God says they can have? Matthew 21:22 says,
“Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
If we’re asking God for things that line up with His Word, then we know we’ll receive them, if we have faith. John affirms this truth in 1 John 5:14-15, which says,
“This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
I believe that one of the reasons for this is found in the verse above. It says, “This is the confidence that we have toward Him…” Do you have confidence toward Him? I think most of us would say an adamant yes. If we’re believers, we know He’s the creator of the universe, our Savior, and a Good Father. We can affirm all of the things we believe about Him and that’s right. However, can you put that confidence toward Him? I may be splitting hairs a bit here but stay with me, because there’s a point I want to make.
Confidence in who God is and confidence toward Him are two different things. My confidence in the existence and personality of a King, for example, wouldn’t translate to my confidence to wander into His throne room. I can be confident in who someone is, without being confident toward them. So many believers are confident about God, but they aren’t confident toward Him. The enemy is the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) and will always try to make you believe a lie that diminishes your confidence toward God. That’s condemnation!
Condemnation is the opposite of confidence, and it strangles your faith. See, condemnation is only something you can struggle with if you desire to please God. Think about it. A sinner is under just condemnation, as we all were before we accepted forgiveness by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:18). However, when a believer who has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus and is walking in righteousness struggles with condemnation for past sins, that’s a snare of the enemy. Romans 8:1-2 says,
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Condemnation can only come into the life of a believer when we put the weight of our salvation on our shoulders. It actually comes from a right place, which is a desire to please God, but it’s a wrong expression. You can’t feel condemned if you don’t want to please God, but you have to understand that your works aren’t pleasing to God. That may sound harsh, but the Bible says our works are as filthy rags to Him (Isaiah 64:6).
Do you know what does please God?
Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
We bear condemnation when we compare ourselves to a Holy God and find ourselves lacking. We lose our confidence to come before Him when we believe a lie of the enemy about who we are and what God thinks about us. Confidence and condemnation cannot coexist. The truth is that there is no condemnation in Him because Jesus bore every ounce of our inadequacy. Isaiah 53:3-6 says,
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Now, this shouldn’t change our desire to live holy lives, but it should shift our perspective. Faith, put simply, is confidence in God, and it’s pleasing to Him! It’s confidence in Him and toward Him. If you aren’t living in condemnation and believe what the Word of God says about your relationship with God, you can come boldly to Him. Hebrews 4:15-16 says,
“For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
We don’t come boldly in faith because we’re perfect. We come boldly in faith because He’s perfect and He’s working out His plan in us.
This week, I encourage you to ask and ask boldly. There’s one thing that pleases Him, and it’s faith. Believe Him. He is bigger than we’ve ever dared to hope and He’s better than we’ve ever dared to dream. He loves us more than we’ll ever comprehend. This week, let your faith grow in the truth of His Word. As it says in Matthew 21:21-22,
“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
We can see this clearly in the power of our prayer lives. This week, the Lord has been speaking to me about the power of asking. Do you know how many times the Lord tells us in His Word to ask? Here are just a few examples:
Psalms 2:8 - “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
John 15:7 - “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 16:23 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
James 4:2-3 - “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
Now, Christianity is not about us just asking God for the things we want but asking Him for the things that align with His heart. However, when we’re walking with Him, the things we want will align with His heart. Why then, do many believers live with less than what the Word of God says they can have? Matthew 21:22 says,
“Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
If we’re asking God for things that line up with His Word, then we know we’ll receive them, if we have faith. John affirms this truth in 1 John 5:14-15, which says,
“This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
I believe that one of the reasons for this is found in the verse above. It says, “This is the confidence that we have toward Him…” Do you have confidence toward Him? I think most of us would say an adamant yes. If we’re believers, we know He’s the creator of the universe, our Savior, and a Good Father. We can affirm all of the things we believe about Him and that’s right. However, can you put that confidence toward Him? I may be splitting hairs a bit here but stay with me, because there’s a point I want to make.
Confidence in who God is and confidence toward Him are two different things. My confidence in the existence and personality of a King, for example, wouldn’t translate to my confidence to wander into His throne room. I can be confident in who someone is, without being confident toward them. So many believers are confident about God, but they aren’t confident toward Him. The enemy is the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) and will always try to make you believe a lie that diminishes your confidence toward God. That’s condemnation!
Condemnation is the opposite of confidence, and it strangles your faith. See, condemnation is only something you can struggle with if you desire to please God. Think about it. A sinner is under just condemnation, as we all were before we accepted forgiveness by the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:18). However, when a believer who has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus and is walking in righteousness struggles with condemnation for past sins, that’s a snare of the enemy. Romans 8:1-2 says,
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Condemnation can only come into the life of a believer when we put the weight of our salvation on our shoulders. It actually comes from a right place, which is a desire to please God, but it’s a wrong expression. You can’t feel condemned if you don’t want to please God, but you have to understand that your works aren’t pleasing to God. That may sound harsh, but the Bible says our works are as filthy rags to Him (Isaiah 64:6).
Do you know what does please God?
Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
We bear condemnation when we compare ourselves to a Holy God and find ourselves lacking. We lose our confidence to come before Him when we believe a lie of the enemy about who we are and what God thinks about us. Confidence and condemnation cannot coexist. The truth is that there is no condemnation in Him because Jesus bore every ounce of our inadequacy. Isaiah 53:3-6 says,
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Now, this shouldn’t change our desire to live holy lives, but it should shift our perspective. Faith, put simply, is confidence in God, and it’s pleasing to Him! It’s confidence in Him and toward Him. If you aren’t living in condemnation and believe what the Word of God says about your relationship with God, you can come boldly to Him. Hebrews 4:15-16 says,
“For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
We don’t come boldly in faith because we’re perfect. We come boldly in faith because He’s perfect and He’s working out His plan in us.
This week, I encourage you to ask and ask boldly. There’s one thing that pleases Him, and it’s faith. Believe Him. He is bigger than we’ve ever dared to hope and He’s better than we’ve ever dared to dream. He loves us more than we’ll ever comprehend. This week, let your faith grow in the truth of His Word. As it says in Matthew 21:21-22,
“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
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