From Faith To Faith
To believe in the goodness of God no matter what, is what I learned to be the only way to get through life and come out sane. The things that haunt us are too many, all the things the fallen mind produces, all that is emotional, all that is strange and demonic...
Our conscience can be a good thing, but also a very fatal weapon within us that can destroy us. So many suffer and are handicapped because of guilt, feelings of condemnation, rejection, doubt and fear.
The goodness of God is the only thing that I can rely on. You may express it in different terms, but we all refer to how good God is at heart, and how that goodness always drives Him to work out what's best for us. Without quoting all the Bible verses, let us just say that our origin/genesis is in His goodness. We ARE because He IS good.
Our conscience can be a good thing, but also a very fatal weapon within us that can destroy us. So many suffer and are handicapped because of guilt, feelings of condemnation, rejection, doubt and fear.
The goodness of God is the only thing that I can rely on. You may express it in different terms, but we all refer to how good God is at heart, and how that goodness always drives Him to work out what's best for us. Without quoting all the Bible verses, let us just say that our origin/genesis is in His goodness. We ARE because He IS good.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus reminded His followers to ask, seek, knock, and it will be given. He gave the example of children approaching Him and the example of even the evil earthly father giving good gifts to his children.
Now it is very easy to 'believe' in God's goodness in good times. However in bad times, it is not that easy and that is when our faith is put to the test and the facts are made obvious to us; whether we are living by our own faith or the faith of Christ: the eternal Son of God.
While living by our own faith, we will always strive to believe that God is somehow not as our harsh or contradicting experiences have taught us, but He is as the Bible says He is. But on the other hand by living by the faith of Christ, we just know that He is good and His mercy endures forever and ever and ever...
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
God being a good God has been made known to us in the fullest form in the person of Jesus Christ. God's real face has been unveiled in the fullness of God in the person of Jesus (Colossians 2:9).
Many struggle with real life circumstances. Many fall victim to depression, anxiety, addictions, fear and so on. Although many things like motivation and support do help, nothing compares to the power of Christ manifested in the resurrection (Ephesians 1:19-20). We have power over death in every circumstance of life. We have authority and can walk on water through the faith of Christ, who as our elder brother, the second Adam, our high priest, was exposed to all kinds of difficulties and temptations but came out victorious and brought us into the holiest place, having included us in Him, walking through His faith. Now, we have an inheritance. It is called the faith OF Christ. A faith that the Son manifested on earth as all humanity based on His trust in the faith the Father had in Him from before the foundation of the world.
And that trust, that faith, my friends, is the very same faith given to us as a gift. When the Bible talks about being transformed to His likeness or renewing our mind, it is all based on THAT faith and no effort of human believing from our own part. Paul says the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith (Romans 1:17). I pray that you be captured in that very relationship and experience true growth, true transformation, true life-giving, hope-giving, victorious walk in life. Blessings!
Now it is very easy to 'believe' in God's goodness in good times. However in bad times, it is not that easy and that is when our faith is put to the test and the facts are made obvious to us; whether we are living by our own faith or the faith of Christ: the eternal Son of God.
While living by our own faith, we will always strive to believe that God is somehow not as our harsh or contradicting experiences have taught us, but He is as the Bible says He is. But on the other hand by living by the faith of Christ, we just know that He is good and His mercy endures forever and ever and ever...
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
God being a good God has been made known to us in the fullest form in the person of Jesus Christ. God's real face has been unveiled in the fullness of God in the person of Jesus (Colossians 2:9).
In addition to the above, our inclusion in the life of God, through the Son's incarnation, life, Crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension is what grants us the faith of Christ as a gift.
Now, we have all been given a gift called faith. This faith is not our own work or the result of any effort or believing, but is the gift of God to all those who receive by trusting Him.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The apostle Paul says that this gift or grace of God works in us and transforms us into the very handiwork of God, in order that we do the very good works of the Father as we see them reflected in His Image: the Son!
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The apostle Paul says that this gift or grace of God works in us and transforms us into the very handiwork of God, in order that we do the very good works of the Father as we see them reflected in His Image: the Son!
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)
And that trust, that faith, my friends, is the very same faith given to us as a gift. When the Bible talks about being transformed to His likeness or renewing our mind, it is all based on THAT faith and no effort of human believing from our own part. Paul says the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith (Romans 1:17). I pray that you be captured in that very relationship and experience true growth, true transformation, true life-giving, hope-giving, victorious walk in life. Blessings!
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