Faith Comes Through the Promises

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17.
The truths of the Word of God meet man’s great practical necessity—the conversion of the soul through faith. These grand principles are not to be thought too pure and holy to be brought into the daily life. They are truths which reach to heaven and compass eternity, yet their vital influence is to be woven into human experience. They are to permeate all the great things and all the little things of life.
How far we come from representing the character of Christ! But we must lay hold of His merits by living faith, and claim Him as our Saviour. He died on Calvary to save us. Each should make it a personal work between God and his own soul, as though there were no one in the world but himself. When we exercise personal faith, our hearts will not be as cold as an iron wedge; we shall be able to realize what is meant by the psalmist when he says, “Blessed is he … whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1.
God invites us to prove for ourselves the reality of His Word, the truth of His promises. He bids us “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8…. He declares, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” John 16:24. His promises will be fulfilled. They have never failed; they never can fail.
Our Saviour wants you to keep in close relation to Himself, that He may make you happy. When Christ lets His blessing rest upon us, we should offer thanksgiving and praise to His dear name. But, you say, if I could only know that He is my Saviour! Well, what kind of evidence do you want? Do you want a special feeling or emotion to prove that Christ is yours? Is this more reliable than pure faith in God’s promises? Would it not be better to take the blessed promises of God and apply them to yourself, bearing your whole weight upon them? This is faith.
The Faith I Live By p. 123
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Prayer Requests
—-Dean & I will be going to the mission field in May for one month. He will be doing 2 crusades, 2 different islands and one jail crusade. Please pray for our safe travel there and back….But foremost pray for the many souls that maybe won to Christ. Blanca
—-Please pray for Danny and family as they work out long-standing problems. A
—- I ask for your prayers for God’s continued strength and protection, His blessings over my daughter Kashene who has made up her mind to re-commit her life to God, Arlene
—-Pray for my family! My cousin Doune has taken a turn for the worst…She has cancer and now she has a fever and doesn’t recognize anyone…YH
—-Please keep our family in prayer. My mother-in-law just passed away. LaVonta
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Dear Friends,
During the fifty years of our marriage, we have lived in seven states. With each move to a different part of the country, we found a different culture, a different accent, new types of food, new things to see and do. For about ten years, we lived in a part of the USA where many of the local inhabitants had a great distrust of people from other parts of the country. Ron soon realized this and tried to blend in. He had started a little house painting business, so this was quite necessary. He had copied the accent so well, that one day as he and his dad were painting, the owner asked, “Where are you from?” Ron started to answer, but the man said, “Oh, I know that you are from around here, I want to know where the other man is from.” Ron felt quite pleased.
How often this is true in our spiritual life. We do not want to be different from those around us and try to “blend in.” How many times we are like the Children of Israel, who were told to conquer the nations of Canaan; but who desired to be like them. What a lot of sorrow that “blending in” caused their nation.
Their Great Deliverer had such wonderful plans for His people. He was especially near to them, walking with them every step of the way. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Ex 13:21,22 He delivered them from Egyptian bondage that they would be an example to other nations, that all the world would have the opportunity to choose Him as their Saviour.
Had the children of Israel lived up to His plans for them, what a different world we would have today. Sadly, they wanted to be like all the other nations around them. They rejected God and served idols, because they did not want to be different. He had poured out His blessings upon them, but they spurned His love. He tried to reason with them over and over again, but they would not hear. With tears, He pled, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” Jer 2:5 “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Eze 33:11
So it is today. We, too, have a Great Deliverer, Who is leading us out of the world. He has planned for us to be a witness to those in our sphere of influence. Are we following His plan? Are we allowing His Light to shine brightly or do we dim that light because we want to be those around us? Can others see that we are Christians, or do we try to live so closely to the world that there is little difference? Do our lives reflect the love, the kindness, the goodness of God to our family, to our friends, to those we meet? Since we have accepted Christ’s sacrifice, His love, His changing power, has there been a change in us?
Our Great Creator has promised, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Eze 36:26,27 He has promised to put His laws into our mind, and write them in our heart. (Heb 8:10) His Great Heart of Love yearns over us with tender compassion greatly desiring a close and loving fellowship with us that spills over to all we meet just as the face of Moses shined when he came down from the mountain. (Ex 34:29) We are not to keep our experience hidden. Our Dear Saviour admonishes, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mat 5:16
May we allow our Great Redeemer to take complete control of our life. May we choose His plan for us no matter where He leads. May His life shine through us to those around us; that they, too, may turn from “the way, that leadeth to destruction”
and travel the narrow “way which leadeth unto life.” (Matt 7:13,14)
Rose