Hebrews 11:1
FAITH IS THE EVIDENCE OF THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN.
Hebrews 11:1
What is faith?
Some concepts are easier to exemplify than to define. Faith is one such concept so I will try to exemplify.
Faith is NOT:
I am thinking of how people seeking for a change try to act as if they had faith. They choose somebody that really has faith and study their ways.
He wears a red tie, so they go and buy a red tie.
He walks straight, so they walk straight
He has an italian accent, so they begin to take an italian class.
He lifts his hands when he prays, so they begin to raise their hands in prayer.
Then they say the "magic" words to everyone they meet: "I am healed!"
People that do not know the SMELL of faith, will probably shout "Glory to God!"
but others, the ones that know the SMELL of faith will only smile, more out of compasion than joy. Faith is missing...those words are hollow. Unless things change, nothing is really going to happen.
You see, faith does not produce THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN. These things ARE, whether we see them or not in the natural. THEY ARE.
Let me talk about Norway to exemplify faith.
Faith is:
When I went to Norway I inmediatly sensed something different in the atmosphere, even while on the plane. I started to sense the change so I sat up straight..."What is it, God?"
My whole being became alert. Something was going on. I had never felt ANYTHING of this sort.
What was going on?
My first morning in Vestby. I got up early and borrowed a bike. Inside the question grew strong. "What is it, Lord? What makes this nation SO different? I feel as if I were in another world."
I got to a small shopping center. The Norwegian flag was up. And God decided to answer me right there in the street. HE SPOKE such words of love, and with such excitement that at times He hadn't finished a sentence and He was already starting another. Hundreds of ideas. "Bea, I love this nation!"
I got off my bike and started to cry. It was overwhelming. Had never experienced such a thing.
"Bea, God loves all the nations of the world..."
"I know, I know" I whisper back "but of how many nations can God actually say: They loved me so much that they have given their sons, just like I gave my son- out of love for the lost."
Once we were at church. And while they were singing a Hymn God whispered very solemly "Bea, I will show you what that Hymn reminds me of, open your eyes and see"
Do you know what I saw?
I saw people gathered in a very solemn way. It was a ceremony to say good-bye to some young handsome men. They sang that hymn, and they prayed. Nobody knew what would become of them, as they moved away into a foreign land: to serve the God who had first loved them.
What struck me was the fact that everyone agreed with the idea. The church was going to support them, and their parents were giving them up to the Lord. The smell, the fragance of such a meeting was similar to a burnt offering sacrifice.
Have you ever been next to a fire? The smell sticks to you. Your clothes, your hair, your skin... same happens with faith.
"Oh, Bea, isn't it good to be here? I love to be here!"
"Bea, my church in Norway...the smell of it is one of the best smells on earth, can you smell it? Stop, smell it...isn't it just out of this world?"
Norway. I saw Jesus dancing in Norway. He was dancing in the midst of a fountain. The sun was hitting the water in such a way that a rainbow was formed. And the wind blew, so the water moved and the rainbow moved, and Jesus danced in between the water and the colors... one song in his heart: "We have a covenant with this nation, they did their part, we shall do ours"
Norway.
"Norway, I miss your smell."
How lucky God is - He can be in more than two places at once.
Middle of the night. The moon shining, even though there are clouds it manages to shine through, but it was not its light that woke me up. It was a party that was going on in late hours of the night. God was celebrating. God singing out loud!!
I was tired, I turn my back and pull up my blanket. "Daddy, Lord...please! I need to sleep!" He sang on. I finally woke up and sat up. And I watched Him in silence. "I hope one day my own life can make you sing that way" I thought- but did not say anything outloud.
Leaving Norway was hard. It is the land where God is happy.
If we talk about Norway I will always sound like this. THE EVEDINCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. I do not hope for Norway to someday be a land where God can smile. God is smiling in this very moment over Norway.
BUT if you ask people, that haven't heard God, they will tell you "THAT IS A LIE!" People with no faith will tell you a very different story. They will tell you of how empty churches are, they will tell you of all the inmoral things young people are moving in, they will tell you of how modern education has stolen faith from the young ones. People from Norway and people from outside. They will tell you Norway is cold as ice. Nothing happening there!
What is the difference? FAITH.
The Norway I describe is not a product of my imagination.
The Norway I describe is not a man made fantasy to encourage others.
The Norway I describe IS.
GOD SPOKE IT TO BE SO.
If you ask me, no more prayer is needed. IT IS DONE. In due season it will bloom. God said the tulips are growing, and tulips will bloom. "Winter is over, now there is slush, but in due season the tulips will bloom"
"Tell the church in Norway to prepare! the wheat is green and young, but the time for harvest will come! They should not waste their time, they should prepare for the harvest!"
"Bea, give me some EVIDENCE that such things are true."
My FAITH is the evidence of this.
My FAITH is the evidence of things that are not seen.
If God allows me to go to Norway. I will not pray "God smile over this nation and bring a revival"...it sounds so ridiculous!!! God is not only smiling, He dances and sings love songs over Norway!
If God allows me to go to Norway. I will obey God. I will prepare, and prepare others for the harvest.
FAITH makes one walk different.
but if you do not have faith, if you only hear my words and copy them...well you will be a fake.
You will sound void. Empty.
Your smell unto the Lord will not be acceptable.
How do we get faith?
By hearing God.
How can we hear God?
By drawing near to Him, by sitting by His side and closing our own mouth,
by reading the Bible,
by becoming His friend.
Hebrews 11:1
What is faith?
Some concepts are easier to exemplify than to define. Faith is one such concept so I will try to exemplify.
Faith is NOT:
I am thinking of how people seeking for a change try to act as if they had faith. They choose somebody that really has faith and study their ways.
He wears a red tie, so they go and buy a red tie.
He walks straight, so they walk straight
He has an italian accent, so they begin to take an italian class.
He lifts his hands when he prays, so they begin to raise their hands in prayer.
Then they say the "magic" words to everyone they meet: "I am healed!"
People that do not know the SMELL of faith, will probably shout "Glory to God!"
but others, the ones that know the SMELL of faith will only smile, more out of compasion than joy. Faith is missing...those words are hollow. Unless things change, nothing is really going to happen.
You see, faith does not produce THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN. These things ARE, whether we see them or not in the natural. THEY ARE.
Let me talk about Norway to exemplify faith.
Faith is:
When I went to Norway I inmediatly sensed something different in the atmosphere, even while on the plane. I started to sense the change so I sat up straight..."What is it, God?"
My whole being became alert. Something was going on. I had never felt ANYTHING of this sort.
What was going on?
My first morning in Vestby. I got up early and borrowed a bike. Inside the question grew strong. "What is it, Lord? What makes this nation SO different? I feel as if I were in another world."
I got to a small shopping center. The Norwegian flag was up. And God decided to answer me right there in the street. HE SPOKE such words of love, and with such excitement that at times He hadn't finished a sentence and He was already starting another. Hundreds of ideas. "Bea, I love this nation!"
I got off my bike and started to cry. It was overwhelming. Had never experienced such a thing.
"Bea, God loves all the nations of the world..."
"I know, I know" I whisper back "but of how many nations can God actually say: They loved me so much that they have given their sons, just like I gave my son- out of love for the lost."
Once we were at church. And while they were singing a Hymn God whispered very solemly "Bea, I will show you what that Hymn reminds me of, open your eyes and see"
Do you know what I saw?
I saw people gathered in a very solemn way. It was a ceremony to say good-bye to some young handsome men. They sang that hymn, and they prayed. Nobody knew what would become of them, as they moved away into a foreign land: to serve the God who had first loved them.
What struck me was the fact that everyone agreed with the idea. The church was going to support them, and their parents were giving them up to the Lord. The smell, the fragance of such a meeting was similar to a burnt offering sacrifice.
Have you ever been next to a fire? The smell sticks to you. Your clothes, your hair, your skin... same happens with faith.
"Oh, Bea, isn't it good to be here? I love to be here!"
"Bea, my church in Norway...the smell of it is one of the best smells on earth, can you smell it? Stop, smell it...isn't it just out of this world?"
Norway. I saw Jesus dancing in Norway. He was dancing in the midst of a fountain. The sun was hitting the water in such a way that a rainbow was formed. And the wind blew, so the water moved and the rainbow moved, and Jesus danced in between the water and the colors... one song in his heart: "We have a covenant with this nation, they did their part, we shall do ours"
Norway.
"Norway, I miss your smell."
How lucky God is - He can be in more than two places at once.
Middle of the night. The moon shining, even though there are clouds it manages to shine through, but it was not its light that woke me up. It was a party that was going on in late hours of the night. God was celebrating. God singing out loud!!
I was tired, I turn my back and pull up my blanket. "Daddy, Lord...please! I need to sleep!" He sang on. I finally woke up and sat up. And I watched Him in silence. "I hope one day my own life can make you sing that way" I thought- but did not say anything outloud.
Leaving Norway was hard. It is the land where God is happy.
If we talk about Norway I will always sound like this. THE EVEDINCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. I do not hope for Norway to someday be a land where God can smile. God is smiling in this very moment over Norway.
BUT if you ask people, that haven't heard God, they will tell you "THAT IS A LIE!" People with no faith will tell you a very different story. They will tell you of how empty churches are, they will tell you of all the inmoral things young people are moving in, they will tell you of how modern education has stolen faith from the young ones. People from Norway and people from outside. They will tell you Norway is cold as ice. Nothing happening there!
What is the difference? FAITH.
The Norway I describe is not a product of my imagination.
The Norway I describe is not a man made fantasy to encourage others.
The Norway I describe IS.
GOD SPOKE IT TO BE SO.
If you ask me, no more prayer is needed. IT IS DONE. In due season it will bloom. God said the tulips are growing, and tulips will bloom. "Winter is over, now there is slush, but in due season the tulips will bloom"
"Tell the church in Norway to prepare! the wheat is green and young, but the time for harvest will come! They should not waste their time, they should prepare for the harvest!"
"Bea, give me some EVIDENCE that such things are true."
My FAITH is the evidence of this.
My FAITH is the evidence of things that are not seen.
If God allows me to go to Norway. I will not pray "God smile over this nation and bring a revival"...it sounds so ridiculous!!! God is not only smiling, He dances and sings love songs over Norway!
If God allows me to go to Norway. I will obey God. I will prepare, and prepare others for the harvest.
FAITH makes one walk different.
but if you do not have faith, if you only hear my words and copy them...well you will be a fake.
You will sound void. Empty.
Your smell unto the Lord will not be acceptable.
How do we get faith?
By hearing God.
How can we hear God?
By drawing near to Him, by sitting by His side and closing our own mouth,
by reading the Bible,
by becoming His friend.
posted by thisfool @ 1:54 AM
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