Faith That Will Work Part 2 by Ed Pruitt

Hebrews 4:2-2

Faith that will work
Part 2
Sunday December 02, 2001
Pastor Ed Pruitt
Amarillo Church of God

We started talking last Sunday about faith and faith that will work.

This morning I would like to talk about the way fear is faith in the reverse and the way that fear effects our daily lives.

There are a few things that we need to know right form the start.

Knowledge + Action = Faith
For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did;
but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those
who heard did not combine it with faith.
- (Hebrews 4:2)

The people of Israel were called out of the bondage of Egyptian
slavery.

God said they would be brought out of 400 years of slavery so that they might worship Him.

God desired to bring them into a place of milk and honey-the Promised Land.

Yet that generation never entered into the Promised Land.

Why?

They never took what they knew in their head and transferred it to their heart.

Finally, it never resulted in actions that were based on
what they believed.

Let me give you this illustration of what belief
and faith looked like when combined.

If you were a trapeze artist and were skilled at walking across tightropes over high places, you might even be willing to walk across Niagara Falls.

In fact,
I would have confidence that you could because I had seen your
abilities as a trapeze artist.

However, if you asked me if you could push me in a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, you would be challenging me to put my beliefs into action.

This requires faith, participation, and risk, which, until now, was based only on mental assent.

The writer of Hebrews is telling us that if we believe God but do
not enter in to those promises, we are like the man who chooses
not to get into the wheelbarrow.

If we don’t act on our beliefs, then we remain in the desert like the people of Israel who never received God’s promises.

They did not combine what they knew in their head with a faith that was put into action.

Has God spoken to you about an area in your life that requires a
step of faith?

Let God provide the courage, as He does the knowledge, to act in faith on what you believe.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

There is power in faith. There is power in believing!

Jesus told the centurion in, Matthew 8:13
13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Believing is not something that you always like to do or always feel like doing.

It’s a decision that you and you alone make!

There is no one that can make you make that decision!

Just as faith is a powerful force there is also a force opposed to faith called fear.

Fear is the reverse gear of faith.

It is actually faith in the devil!

If faith is the substance of things desired, then fear is the substance of things not desired.

The reason that you fear a thing is because you believe in it’s manifestation!

That is why you worry!

You believe in the manifestation of the thing that you worry about; otherwise, you wouldn’t worry.

And when you start to worry that is all the devil needs to get started and let me tell you this, he is always looking for a way to get you down.

Fear will always draw in trouble, if you don’t control fear or stop it, it will bring the very thing that you don’t desire!

Read back in the Old Testament about Job and you will see that he is a classic example of this.

Let’s read it, Job 3:25-26
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Job practiced his fear and greatly feared.

Though he was in safety, he didn’t know it.

The very accusation that satan brought against God was, “You’ve hedged him about on every side, and I can’t get to him.”

Can’t you just see God standing there with a big smile on His face, saying, yes, I did.

God said to satan, have you observed My servant Job?
Or have you set your eye on My servant Job?

Satan had set his eye on Job, but God didn’t say I am going to turn him over to you!

God, said he is in your hands.

God didn’t put Job there he was already in the power of the devil because of fear!

Job had allowed his fears to come to surface and that was all that the devil needed.

Fear will also tear down our hedges if we will allow it to.

It is a fact, the more you fear, the more your fear will work against your faith, and the weaker your faith will become!

Job said, the thing, which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is, come unto me.

There is not a doubt in my mind that Job had faith, but he lost faith in his faith and that is the same thing that happens to you and I when we allow fear to take over in out lives.

We need to know how to have faith in our faith.

When you speak your fears, they will grow and when your fears grow your faith will shrink!

Now I know that you can’t keep the devil from bringing thought’s of doubt and fear to your mind, but those kind of thoughts will die if you don’t speak them.

Stay away from every form of evil.

Don’t be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

Your words give the enemy the license to operate if they are words of fear or words of the negative way.

Negative words will give satan the power to operate in your life.

Positive words and faith will give God the ability to work in your life!

Since faith is the substance of things desired, it seems that fear is the substance of things not desired.

So when you talk fear doubt and unbelief, you are speaking into existence things that you don’t desire.

When you first say them you may not realize the power of your words.

But the more you speak the words the more they grip you and then the more that force multiplies in you.

And let me tell you I think that the words of fear and doubt grow faster that anything else does.

Just as FAITH comes by hearing the word of God FEAR comes by hearing your words of FEAR and DOUBT!

The words of Jesus were in, Matthew 12:33-37
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Let me read that last verse again, For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Positive words will bring us good things and negative words will bring us things that are not so good.

God calls an evil report anything that doesn’t agree with His word.

You can read it in the book of Numbers chapter 13.

The ten spies brought back an evil report.

The report that they brought back was what they saw and what they felt and what they heard.

That’s not always an evil report; it depends what God said about it.

The only reason that that was considered an evil report was because God said the exact opposite.

Anytime that you speak contrary to the Word of God, you speak or give an evil report to yourself as well as others.

Whatever is deposited in your heart will produce!

Whether it is good or evil when it comes out of your mouth it will produce after it’s own kind!

You may start saying it and not even believe it.

But if you continue to say it, you will eventually believe it, because faith comes by hearing.

In Romans 10:17 Paul is speaking specifically of faith in God and in His Word.

Faith in God and His word comes by hearing the Word of God.

The opposite of that would be; Faith in the devil comes by hearing the words of the devil or like we just said fear doubt and unbelief.

Faith in the devil is perverted faith, which we call fear!

We need to be taking on the shield of faith and not the shield of doubt!

The Apostle Paul said, Ephesians 6:16
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

We are able to do it, we can do it, we need to put our faith in God and keep it there!

You must remember that the opposite of faith in God, is faith in the devil.

And that is what we get if we take upon ourselves the shield of doubt.

And then when we do that we quench all of the blessings of God!

So it is a fact from God’s Word that the shield of faith can quench all that the enemy brings against you.

It must be true, then, that if you take the shield of doubt then you will quench all of the blessings from God!

People are doing that everyday of the week!

What they are saying is producing fear.

Their own words are producing the very thing, which they are speaking.

The words that you speak produce the shield around you, whether it is faith or fear!

You build and strengthen that shield or weaken it by the words you speak!

If you speak fear it insulates you and stops the blessings.

Fear filled words or thoughts will produce more fear.

Which in turn, invites the devil and quenches the blessings of God!

See you have to watch very close what you say.
Sometimes people say,” I don’t understand these people going around saying their needs are met according to His riches in glory.

Saying they have abundance and no lack, when I know for a fact that the rent’s due and they don’t have any money.

I believe they’re lying!”

No they are not lying, they are speaking their faith.

2 Corinthians 4:13
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

If you have been obedient to the Word of God, and you’ve given, the bible says it is given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

By speaking the promise out of your mouth, you implant that promise within your spirit.

It becomes a part of you.

There are so many Christians that know the word, but don’t have any faith in their faith!

They always want someone to pray the prayer of faith for them.

I believe one of the keys to having faith in your faith is confessing God’s Word until it becomes a part of you.

The words that come out of your mouth have more effect on your spirit than the words of others!

Think about that statement for just a minute.

The words that you hear with your ears that come out of your mouth have more of a bearing on you than anything else!

What ever you do don’t take sides against God!

That’s what so many Christians are doing.

They’re really taking sides against God, against the bible and against themselves without recognizing what they are doing!

They wouldn’t do it if they knew for sure just what they were doing.

But they keep talking about they don’t have any faith.

That’s taking sides against God, because every time you say that you don’t have faith, you are unconsciously saying, “God, You lied to me.

You told me a lie.”

God’s Word is God speaking!

God and His Word are one, just like you and your word are one.

You know if your word is no good then you are no good.

And if God’s word is no good then He’s no good.

But God’s word is good! And God and His Word are one!

And God’s word says that you already have faith!

Read it, Romans 12:3
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

You have a measure of the God kind of faith!

God’s word says that you do!

You already have a measure of the kind of faith that created the world in the beginning!

You and I have a measure of that mountain moving faith!

Let’s look at Ephesians 2:8
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

So that scripture tells us if a person doesn’t have faith, then they are not saved!

Because the bible tells us, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.

Why?

It is the gift of God:

Notice that Paul tells us, that the faith that you are saved by is not of yourself; it’s not a natural human faith.
God gave you and I faith to be saved.

That agrees with what He said in Romans 12:3
God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

And how again do we get it?

Romans 10:17 tells us that,
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If you will read Romans chapter 10, you will see that Paul is talking here about salvation and about getting faith to be saved.

Romans 10:8
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Notice God’s word is called the word of faith, because God’s word builds faith.

God’s word causes faith to come to the heart of those who are open to it.

Romans 10:9,10,13,14
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

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?

You cant believe without hearing, because faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

That’s the way faith comes! By hearing!

Hearing what? The Word of God!

I say this morning that if what you hear preached doesn’t cause faith to come, it either isn’t God’s Word or else you aren’t hearing it!

Faith is important as we have read in. Hebrews 11:6
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.

And again in, 2 Corinthians 5:7
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

The Christian walk is a faith walk!

You can’t fight spiritual battles without faith, because the bible tells us that the only fight that we are supposed to fight is the fight of faith.

It says in 1 Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

You see that is why I use a lot of scripture when I preach, faith cometh by hearing, hearing what?

The Word of God!

Faith is the Victory, faith in God’s word comes by hearing yourself speak what God said!

Faith in the devil comes by hearing, yourself speak, what the devil said!

We read in, 1 John 5:1-5
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

If faith is the victory that overcomes the world, then victory comes through faith in the word of God which abides in you.
When the word of God abides in you, you have faith!

I am not talking about head faith I am talking about heart faith!

When the word becomes a part of you, every time lack rears it’s ugly head, the first thing out of your mouth should be,

There is abundance, and My God has met My need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus!

Philippians 4:19
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

You should resist pain in your body when it first starts.

Resist it the way you resist the devil.

That is with the word of God!

Don’t let it get a head start on you!

Remember, faith is the victory, but just because you have faith does not necessarily mean that you are going to operate in that faith.

It could be in you and be dormant or passive.

You must have enough faith in your faith to act upon it!

There are too many people out there that have faith in someone else’s
Faith.

They always want others to pray the prayer of faith for them, and they never develop faith in their own prayers.

You had to have faith to be born again!

The Word of God was the source of that faith.

God gave you and I the Word!

We have received it as truth and have acted accordingly.

Salvation was the result of our faith in action!

Faith won’t do anything with out our action!

A person can go into the grocery store with $1000.00 in his wallet.

The money is the substance of the things he hopes for.

But if he is not willing to release some of it, he won’t be taking any groceries home.

He must leave part of his money if he is going to take the goods!

Faith is the ability to get the goods, but the substance must be released!

Through faith in God’s Word and acting on what we believe, we overcome.

Faith in God causes the Greater One, Jesus to live big in us!

We can read it in, 1 John 4:4
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

This is saying we have overcome the Antichrist, the world, the flesh, and the devil because the Greater One lives in us!

Speaking God’s Word after Him will cause you to have faith in His Word.

Speaking the promise as though it were already yours will cause you to have faith in the faith you received form the Word!

In, 2 Corinthians 4:13
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Paul tells us here, We HAVING the same spirit of faith, listen closely now, Paul says HAVING, not trying to get, not praying for it, not hoping for it, not struggling to get it!

We have it!

What spirit of faith is it that we have?

According as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

That’s the same spirit of faith or the same kind of faith that Jesus is talking about in Mark 11:23



23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

And again in, 2 Corinthians 4:13
14 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Isn’t this verse talking about the same spirit of faith?

Sure it is!

And Paul said we have it!

Every believer has it!

Every believer already has a measure of this God-kind of faith!

I want you to concentrate on this truth, because it’s scriptural, it’s in the Bible.

And I want you to say out loud to yourself everyday:

“I am a believer!
I am not a doubter!

I have a measure of the God-kind of faith!

I have a measure of the kind of faith that created the worlds in the beginning.

I have a measure of the mountain moving faith!”

Listen to yourself say that over and over again until it registers on your spirit!

Once God’s Word gets down there in your spirit, into your heart, it will control your life!

Let us stand.
 

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