Faith means, "persuasion, trust, commitment."

Picture yourself as a child asking your mother/father for a piece of candy. Your parent says yes, but you have to sit and wait while your parent gets up and brings back the candy dish. You know you are going to have a piece of candy, but it's not in your hand or mouth yet. You must sit and wait patiently for your parent to return with the candy dish. You are persuaded that your parent will give you a piece of candy because you were told you could have it. You trust your parent's word, and you are committed to your parent's word. This trust is the substance of what you hope for, the candy; and your parent's promise, her/his word, is the evidence of the candy that you do not see.

Faith/Trust is not logic. Logic depends upon the science of reasoning through formal thought. A child would not sit and reason the situation out in his/her thinking process, the mind. The child trusts the parent. From your spirit realm God teaches your mind, then your mind teaches your emotions, then your emotions teach your body. This is the divine order, spirit first, then mind, then emotions, then the body.

Faith/Trust heals your devotion to God, just as a child is devoted to the loving and trustworthy parent. Being persuaded in a revelation (seeing the parent get up for the candy dish) makes you trust God, then you are devoted. Faith (trust) is your currency, what you make purchases with in God’s Kingdom. In Rev. 3:18, God is saying, "Come to my storehouse (market place) and buy (purchase) gold (divine nature) tried in the fire (the judgment of God). You must believe in your faith. Faith is a spirit, a substance in a different realm. We are given a measure to cultivate and we can eventually manifest God’s fullness of faith/trust. Not all have faith/trust.

1. Forgiveness - opens the believing channel (Matt 6:14)

2. Service - God first (Matt 6:33)

3. Obedience - no arguing (Eccl. 12:13)

4. Praise - the glory to God (Jn. 9:24)

The opposite of trusting God (faith) is fear. Fear is dread, terror, horror, cold feet, and alarm. Fear is the devils #1 secret weapon. The fear that holds a "Christian" back is the fear to get close to God. Why? Because of the fear of what it may cost. A "Believer" does not fear the closeness, a "Believer" wants to be closer, at any cost.

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Darlene Luke

PO Box 1883

Bethany, OK 73008-1883