God Directed Faith 3
- Is our faith directed towards God’s ends or our own? Kingdom first . . .
- “Pray about what you pray about before you pray.”
- Am I in any way limiting what God would do for me for fear of what someone else will think of me being so blessed? (With persecutions, blessed are you . . .)
- Who or what is directing your faith? Circumstances? Lack?
- There is a difference between faith and fantasy.
- When is enough, enough? At what point does saving become hoarding? (Where your treasure is . . .) Faith works by love. Love is opposite of selfishness.
One under Authority
Mat 8:8-10 KJV The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. (9) For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. (10) When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
- We tend to think that we can operate as we desire . . . (unanswered prayers!)
- Sometimes it appears that Jesus operated at will, but remember He said that He didn’t do anything He didn’t see the Father do. He did not speak on His own initiative.
- Faith is meant to operate under authority.
- A revelation of authority caused the Centurion’s faith to operate at a high level.
- “Speak the word only” was what the centurion said to Jesus not vice versa!
Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit speaks on their own initiative.
If anyone could, you would figure it would be them.
Joh 16:13 KJV Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Understanding Authority
Lordship: I understand the authority of the believer, but it is delegated authority. It operates under the direction of God.
You may raise one from the dead but you won’t raise everyone from the dead. We need to stay under authority and not presume that we can continue to do something just because we did it before.
- At times people of faith move by presumption rather than faith.
- IF nothing else, the actions that faith takes need to be directed.
Mat 8:13 KJV 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.
1Co 2:12-13 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
- We speak the wisdom of God (rev. of what we’ve been freely given – grace)
- God revealed this wisdom to us by His Spirit (can’t remove the Presence . . .)
- The Spirit we have received gives knowledge of what God has freely given to us.
- Php 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Unauthorized activity is not looked upon kindly in Scripture . . .
Mat 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Lev 10:2 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
There are things that are obviously God’s will in Scripture: salvation, healing, prosperity, and the like, but we should let Him lead us in how to minister to others and pursue Him.
Gill: . . . (strange fire)
without any instruction and direction they rushed into the holy place with their censers, and offered incense, both of them, when only one priest was to offer at a time,
when a man performs religious duties, prays to God, or praises him without being engaged, or obeys commands not from love, but selfish views;
Mat 6:8 – Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Joh 15:7 – If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Mat 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Joh 14:13-14 – And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Joh 15:16 – Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 16:23-24 – And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. (24) Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
1Jn 3:22 – And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
1Jn 5:14-15 – And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Eph 3:20 KJV Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
