FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
“But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
The seventh attribute is:
7. Faith
What is Faith? Hebrews
11:1 states, “Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith is a belief or confident attitude in Jesus Christ who is the “author and finisher of our faith“.
(Hebrews 12:2) Faith begins and ends with Christ. It is through our Faith
that we receive salvation. Even though we didn’t see Jesus crucified, we believe the historical evidence
and the Word of God that Jesus died to reconcile us back to the Father.
Faith is not just simple trust nor
is our Faith blind because we know personally what Christ has done for us. We have a testimony about
the goodness of the Lord. Our life is a living testament that there is a Savior and His name is Jesus.
Therefore, our Faith in Jesus is not based on some emotional experience, it is based on the surrendering of
our life (pride, self-reliance, will, etc.) through obedience to His will. Having Faith is not self-confidence,
it’s Christ-Confidence! (The “I”
is a broken “C”)
We will have Faith in God, when we can wholeheartedly
trust Him in every aspect of our life. We cannot hold back any area. Our mind, will
and emotions must be yielded to God, if He is going to be able to use us effectively. Many “so-called”
Christians who go to church, are not living a submitted Faithful life to Christ. Their Faith
is based on the fact that they go to church on “most” Sundays and not based on living an obedient life unto Him.
They are the “pretenders” who “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away.“ (2 Timothy 3:5) The Bible says to get away from them!!!
Have you noticed them at
your church? They stick out like a sore thumb! They are jealous and envious of others.
They complain and are just unhappy with their life. They focus on their circumstances instead of
God. They look defeated, like a victim instead of a victor. They do not live by Faith
(Romans 1:17), do not walk by Faith (Romans 4:12), do not pray by Faith (Matthew 21:22), do not resist evil
by Faith (Ephesians 6:16), do not stand fast in Faith (1 Corinthians 16:13), are not strong in Faith
(Romans 4:20,21), do not abound in Faith (2 Corinthians 8:7), are not grounded in Faith (Colossians 1:23), do
not hold fast in Faith (1 Timothy 1:19), they don’t even pray for an increase of Faith (Luke 17:5).
Okay, okay, I think you get my picture. Hopefully, this is not you. But if it
is, I have good news for you. It’s not to late to have more Faith!
Faith is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8) All you have to do is
accept His gift of Faith in your heart and watch God work in your life. Genuine saving Faith
is a personal relationship with Him. It is reliance on Him and commitment to Him. Genuine
saving Faith is knowing for a fact that the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross is the only basis for forgiveness,
reconciliation, restoration and entrance into heaven. Having Faith in Christ will enable you to
make decisions and to stick to those decisions no matter what people may say or how you may feel. It involves
putting Him first in your life and allowing Him to direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) If
we begin to walk by Faith and not by sight, He promises that He will bless us. Read Deuteronomy
28, to see all that He promises for obedience. Also, in that chapter, He lets you know how your life will
be if you don’t submit.
Faith and obedience go hand in hand.
It’s like pancakes and syrup. Having Faith in the risen Savior, is having an abundant
and fruitful life. People will be attracted to the Spirit of God living inside of you. They
will want to know who this Jesus is because of your Faithfulness. Do you want others to know the
God you sing about? Then, allow your Faith to pour out from your heart and touch others.
Don’t continue to be a stick in the mud and frustrated with where your life is. Stop looking
at others and your circumstances. Increase your Faith by being obedient, and watch God work!
God is calling us to a deeper level of Faith and obedience! Are you going to heed the call
or be left behind on the sidelines? The choice is yours!!!
FAITH + OBEDIENCE = BLESSINGS
(pancakes + syrup = satisfaction)
The next attribute we’ll discuss is Meekness.
