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Monday, September 7, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
ABCs of Faith - "The Power of Hearing"
THE ABCs of FAITH 20
HOW FAITH COMES - The Power of Hearing!
So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Romans 10: 17
We are laying a foundation in the Word upon which you can build a solid life of faith. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that it is hard to obtain faith. They say, Oh brother Smalls, if I could only get enough faith everything would be all right in my finances. I know that God demands faith, but I just can't seem to get a hold of Him or faith. I have been up all night trying to get a hold of him. I have been fasting and praying that He would give me faith. Can you help me? I tell them, yes I can if you will listen.
HEARING
I have noticed over the years that most believers have a hearing problem. They don't listen well. They tend to think they know what God or the Word is saying and run off half prepared. Stop and listen to what the Word is saying and not what you think it is saying! Folks, I have been guilty of this lack of really listening myself. Most of us have to go through some chastisement or suffering before we really start to listen. Amen!
For example; Did you know that a lack of listening or having what I call "a hearing ear" is one of the biggest hindrances to faith? The Bible calls it hardness of heart. You must become "tenderhearted" before the Word for faith to come to you.
FAITH ALWAYS COMES
Faith always comes when you really hear. Faith cometh by hearing...
When you hear it , you make changes in your life, spirit, soul (mind) and body. We need to slow down and HEAR. In faith repetition is important. We say in the world of motivational speaking; "repetition is the seed of learning and the mother of skill." Sometimes I will take one message and listen to it to and from work all week long to really hear what an anointed person is saying. For example; all this week I have been listening to a cd on The Believer's Authority based on 2Timothy 1: 7 "for God has not given us the spirit of fear..." You may say, come on brother everyone knows that. Yes, but have they really heard it? Most Christians are afraid of their shadows!
JESUS & HEARING
Let's look at and ponder something Jesus said about hearing:
Mark 4: 24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given."
If you are not receiving from God, you have a hearing problem, one way or another. It is either neglect of the Word due to the cares of this world or simply due to half-heart-ed hearing. What ever happened to sitting reverently in the presence of truth to really hear it? Well...
Check out what the Amplified Bible has to say about this verse:
24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [h][of thought and study] you give [to [i]the truth you hear] will be the measure [j][of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. 25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [[k]by force]
Mark 4: 24-25 Amplified Bible
WHY PEOPLE FAIL
If you don't take heed and really hear, Satan comes in and takes what you got by force. Let me illustrate, you hear a teaching on prosperity and supernatural debt reduction at a meeting. But you are an emotional hearer, shouting - YES, AMEN, THAT'S RIGHT!!! But you are not letting it (the revelation) sink in. You are not "sitting at His feet." You emotionally take your last $1,000.00 and throw it into the offering and dance back to your seat. The next morning you wake up and Satan is standing at the foot of your bed saying; "what are you gonna do now you fool, you threw your rent money into that stupid offering last night." You break out in a cold sweat (like James Brown use to sing...) and start to confess; "Oh my God, I am going to get evicted!" Fear takes over and you are in trouble. Personally, I think preachers get people into trouble by moving them emotionally instead of by real Bible faith. Do you know why Satan can take your goods? Because you never really heard the Word in your heart. You were an emotional hearer. One thing you can count on is this; Satan will come to see if he can take what you got. He cannot take it if you properly applied yourself to the Word by hearing. Let's look at the concept in the lives of Martha and Mary.
Luke 10: 39-42
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha in the kitchen is a type of the cares of this world. Jesus is saying that if you hear the Word like Mary did (reverently sitting at His feet), it shall not be taken away from you. Satan comes first to take away your bold confession of faith and get you to cast away your confidence; then and then alone can he steal your stuff. WOW! Thank God for the revelation of His Word!
Finally brethren and sister-en; Faith accompanies knowledge. If you are going to be strong in faith you must be strong in the knowledge of the Word. Romans 10: 17 tells us how we get faith. Well, we never got to what I intended to teach today but it's all good. We will get back to the 6 things we must understand tomorrow. Thank God for the Holy Ghost!
So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10: 17
Live Well, Live Blessed!
Bernard
Author's note:
These lessons are written "daily" like as the fresh manna fell daily in Israel. No left-overs for God's people! What an honor to be able to share with God's people. PLEASE, excuse me if there is an occasional typo. The fresh nature of the newsletter does not allow time for me to have them proof-read. The time is short!
Bernard
HOW FAITH COMES - The Power of Hearing!
So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Romans 10: 17
We are laying a foundation in the Word upon which you can build a solid life of faith. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that it is hard to obtain faith. They say, Oh brother Smalls, if I could only get enough faith everything would be all right in my finances. I know that God demands faith, but I just can't seem to get a hold of Him or faith. I have been up all night trying to get a hold of him. I have been fasting and praying that He would give me faith. Can you help me? I tell them, yes I can if you will listen.
HEARING
I have noticed over the years that most believers have a hearing problem. They don't listen well. They tend to think they know what God or the Word is saying and run off half prepared. Stop and listen to what the Word is saying and not what you think it is saying! Folks, I have been guilty of this lack of really listening myself. Most of us have to go through some chastisement or suffering before we really start to listen. Amen!
For example; Did you know that a lack of listening or having what I call "a hearing ear" is one of the biggest hindrances to faith? The Bible calls it hardness of heart. You must become "tenderhearted" before the Word for faith to come to you.
FAITH ALWAYS COMES
Faith always comes when you really hear. Faith cometh by hearing...
When you hear it , you make changes in your life, spirit, soul (mind) and body. We need to slow down and HEAR. In faith repetition is important. We say in the world of motivational speaking; "repetition is the seed of learning and the mother of skill." Sometimes I will take one message and listen to it to and from work all week long to really hear what an anointed person is saying. For example; all this week I have been listening to a cd on The Believer's Authority based on 2Timothy 1: 7 "for God has not given us the spirit of fear..." You may say, come on brother everyone knows that. Yes, but have they really heard it? Most Christians are afraid of their shadows!
JESUS & HEARING
Let's look at and ponder something Jesus said about hearing:
Mark 4: 24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given."
If you are not receiving from God, you have a hearing problem, one way or another. It is either neglect of the Word due to the cares of this world or simply due to half-heart-ed hearing. What ever happened to sitting reverently in the presence of truth to really hear it? Well...
Check out what the Amplified Bible has to say about this verse:
24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [h][of thought and study] you give [to [i]the truth you hear] will be the measure [j][of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. 25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [[k]by force]
Mark 4: 24-25 Amplified Bible
WHY PEOPLE FAIL
If you don't take heed and really hear, Satan comes in and takes what you got by force. Let me illustrate, you hear a teaching on prosperity and supernatural debt reduction at a meeting. But you are an emotional hearer, shouting - YES, AMEN, THAT'S RIGHT!!! But you are not letting it (the revelation) sink in. You are not "sitting at His feet." You emotionally take your last $1,000.00 and throw it into the offering and dance back to your seat. The next morning you wake up and Satan is standing at the foot of your bed saying; "what are you gonna do now you fool, you threw your rent money into that stupid offering last night." You break out in a cold sweat (like James Brown use to sing...) and start to confess; "Oh my God, I am going to get evicted!" Fear takes over and you are in trouble. Personally, I think preachers get people into trouble by moving them emotionally instead of by real Bible faith. Do you know why Satan can take your goods? Because you never really heard the Word in your heart. You were an emotional hearer. One thing you can count on is this; Satan will come to see if he can take what you got. He cannot take it if you properly applied yourself to the Word by hearing. Let's look at the concept in the lives of Martha and Mary.
Luke 10: 39-42
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha in the kitchen is a type of the cares of this world. Jesus is saying that if you hear the Word like Mary did (reverently sitting at His feet), it shall not be taken away from you. Satan comes first to take away your bold confession of faith and get you to cast away your confidence; then and then alone can he steal your stuff. WOW! Thank God for the revelation of His Word!
Finally brethren and sister-en; Faith accompanies knowledge. If you are going to be strong in faith you must be strong in the knowledge of the Word. Romans 10: 17 tells us how we get faith. Well, we never got to what I intended to teach today but it's all good. We will get back to the 6 things we must understand tomorrow. Thank God for the Holy Ghost!
So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10: 17
Live Well, Live Blessed!
Bernard
Author's note:
These lessons are written "daily" like as the fresh manna fell daily in Israel. No left-overs for God's people! What an honor to be able to share with God's people. PLEASE, excuse me if there is an occasional typo. The fresh nature of the newsletter does not allow time for me to have them proof-read. The time is short!
Bernard
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