FAITH AND UNBELIEF

It was in the early stages of the ministry that God gave us the revelation on Faith. We were in a shut-in at the Fort Lauderdale Worship Center when the Holy Spirit summoned me into the back office and gave me the teaching on Faith. This was the start of our journey into a revelation of the Kingdom of God.

I. FAITH

Periodically, the Father requires us to make what we, at Bible Teachers International, call a “pivotal turn.” Those of us who make the turn with Him are the ones who continue in Him. The lesson on Faith was one such turn. It is moments like these that the Father changes our whole perspective of how we see Him and what He expects of us. Faith sets the boundaries of all we are to know about God and man. The Lord opened our eyes to dispensational faith that took us beyond trust and belief. It unfolded the entirety of our salvation and revealed the mystery of God’s heart and mind towards us.

2 Corinthians 5:5

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

God has given us the Holy Ghost. He has given us the essential part or substance of the new body. Beloved, this is so powerful. God has placed the witness on the inside of us and His very Spirit now testifies of His power. Therefore, as Paul said, we are confident, not only to believe but we have the evidence of His faithfulness. Furthermore, we do not walk as others, but we walk by the hope given to us by the Spirit of God. These are the basics of faith, but faith has been forever increasing. It has paved a highway into holiness. Now we know that, “ . . . without faith it is impossible to please him: . . .” And there are many other lessons that have impacted our lives on faith, such as Faith Is The Holy Ghost, Faith Is The Operation of God, Faith and Belief, Faith Is The Nature of God, Justified By Faith, Divine Faith Demands Suffering, The Trying Of Your Faith, The Old & New Covenant I & II and Faith: The Righteousness of God.

THE POWER OF BELIEF

As sons of God, it is imperative that we deal with every area that separates us from God. Our belief in God, or the lack thereof is what will determine our fate as Sons. God desires for us to fully understand His heart and mind as it relates to belief and unbelief of His Word.

St, John 7:38

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

The Word admonishes us to believe on Him the way the scriptures have said. Oftentimes we fail to do this. We would rather try and convince ourselves that God understands us instead of taking the Word at face value. So many believe that God is merciful and kind and that He is going to allow us all to waltz into Heaven. We refuse to believe that in Him there is no darkness at all and that we are required to live holy as He is holy. We do not believe that anything short of that will not enter into the Kingdom. We want to believe what God has said about Heaven, but refuse to believe that Hell is a reality. If we truly had a reverencing fear of our Father there would be no struggle in our existence in this world. We would await His triumphant return with great anticipation and joyful expectation. Just look at the reward we receive for believing on Him . . . out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water! The Father is fascinated when someone believes Him. He is the power of all that exists, there is nothing made without Him. The Father is not searching for power, but looking for someone to believe in Him.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

As the apostle, I dare make this statement; “No one is going to heaven who does not believe in God.” We must believe if we are going to know Him and serve Him; walking in the power of belief places us inside of the maintenance of our faith.

Colossians 1:21-23

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

When we continue to walk in the truth, agreeing with God, we maintain the faith we offered to the Father at salvation. The Body of Christ struggles with unbelief. Why and how is this possible, seeing as how we have already been persuaded in our heart that Jesus is the Lord of all? Without this persuasion, it would have been impossible to be born again. What happened? Did we suddenly not believe in the one who saved us? I think not. Consider these facts beloved. Belief for the sons of God is defined as continual agreement with God. It is never a situation where we have to wonder or second- guess what God’s response to us will be. Those who are truly the sons of God are those who are led by the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit leaves no room for indecision, dilemma or controversy.

The life of a son of God is supposed to be hid in Christ. We are instructed to make no provisions for the flesh, to be content with whatever state we are in and to submit to the will of God. We are turned away from the world and the lusts thereof. Our life is no longer our own and our members are to be yielded only to righteousness. Now these instructions are commandments for the sons of God. They set the boundaries for our life. But what happens when we move out of these boundaries? Or rather, what is it that can move us out of these boundaries? I submit to you that it is not unbelief that moves us, it is wantonness and lusts for the things of the world.

Unbelief is simply a by-product that is produced by a turning away from the truth. It is not that we do not believe the truth, for the truth has evidenced itself in us. It is the lust for the things of this world that pulls us away. It is not unbelief that leads us into temptation. It is the lust from within. It is the consideration we give to that which is outside of the boundaries of faith that draws us away from the truth. Therefore, a better definition of unbelief for the sons of God is disobedience. We know the truth. We must walk in the power of what we have already believed.

Hebrews 3:12-14

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

We should be able to walk in the power of the Holy Ghost. To do so, we must maintain our agreement with God. There must be no desire in us for the things of the world. There can be no wantonness or shadow of turning. The anointing of the Holy Ghost is the same today as it was two thousand years ago. Jesus Christ is our example. Jesus agreed with the anointing. He never considered operating in anything that was not within His purpose. He trusted that which He believed. We must do the same. After the Lord brought us face to face with the above truths, we understood that Christ’s life was our measuring stick.

A FAITHFUL STEWARD

The Father desires faithfulness. He demands that all the sons have the same testimony as the first, who is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

St.Matthew 3:17

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

We, too, must be found pleasing in His sight.

St. Matthew 25:21

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

This parable revealed the mind and heart of God. At the end of the day; we, too, must stand before the Lord to be judged for faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 4:2

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

We are the ministers of Christ and the keepers of the mysteries of God. No man takes this honor unto himself. We are chosen by God to reveal Christ in us. A ministry is the gift given by God to whom He chooses, but a steward’s requirement is to be faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:3

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

Paul did not regard the judgment of others. He knew they were of little significance, as they did not exemplify the will of God. Our lives are the only things that are important to God. Anything we do for God is by the gift He has given to us. Any type of ministering, preaching, teaching, counseling, healing, prophecy, etc., is strictly produced by the gift. Our ability to minister the Word of God does not guarantee our entrance into the Kingdom of God. Only those who endure to the end in righteousness and holiness, have that assurance. In order for us to travel deeper into the Spirit we had to destroy the fantasies of tradition and deal with the truths pertaining to the life of a son, a life that would bear a cross. Like Jesus, this is also our inheritance.