Hello! A blessed and refreshing day to you my dearly beloved! I welcome you to ARISE devotional for today, Thursday the 21st of November 2024 on the platform of the Builders Forum.
I am Abraham Olufemi Ojeme
Today is the fourth day on our devotional series for this week with the topic,
UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SCRIPTURES FOR RUNNING THE RACE OF DESTINY
Let me recapitulate on our deliberations since the beginning of the week as follows;
- We defined the fundamentals of scriptures as what can be considered as foundational both in content and context but also essentially sequential.
- It is important and inevitable.
- It is important in principle and therefore demanded in spite of age, gender, race, location or situation.
- It is not just about the results but the means towards obtaining the results.
- Because it is based on principles, it must have a law guiding it and this is where the word of God comes in.
- We have looked at the seed principles and repentance as fundamentals of scriptures.
- Yesterday, we deliberated extensively on faith in God as another fundamental of scriptures.
Faith is inevitable for the believer. It is mandatory for the race of destiny.
Take a listen to Heb. 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.
From this verse of scripture, faith reposes two responsibilities on the believer as follows;
- You must believe in the tangible existence of God as a personality and not just a perspective.
- You must believe that He proves Himself in the lives of those that sincerely seek Him.
The above two provisos are mandatory in the school of faith.
Not acceding to them will make your faith to fail.
Fundamentally, you must know that faith is a process and it is sequential.
What do I mean by this? Faith is not an empty belief. The faith we are talking about is a tangible belief in a personality called God.
Take a listen to Mk. 11:22.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
If it is Bible faith, then it must be in God. Bible faith understands God as absolute and self existing. This is fundamental.
Bible faith doesn’t question the existence of God.
Bible faith recognizes that God is both real and factual.
He doesn’t need anything to prove His existence. He is God all by Himself.
Whatever queries the existence of God to you will make your faith to fail.
This understanding is the foundation of Christianity.
As a matter of fact because of this, Christianity is called The Faith.
Take a listen to Act 6:7.
And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
That was what the early Christians were called. They were people of the faith.
Faith in God was the identity of the early Christians and I dare say that it still remains the identity of the believer up to this day.
Whatever makes you not to believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour has eroded your Christianity and there is nothing left for you.
This is why we say faith is the fundamental of scriptures.
Please listen again and again to all the earlier editions of the week. Hallelujah!
In closing yesterday’s edition, we were reminded that faith is a mystery.
Take a listen to 1 Tim. 3:9.
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
What makes faith mysterious is not in the content but in context and application.
What do I mean by this? Faith is not a magic switch that you turn on to to put God into action in your situation.
No sir! Faith is a function of of time, dispensation and situation.
The faith that works for a person in a particular situation may not work for another person in a different situation.
If it is Bible faith it must be personal and residential with the practitioner.
Take a listen to Hab. 2:4.
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
In application, this faith is not transferable. It must have become your own.
Listen to me! Other people’s faith and testimonies can only provoke and motivate you, it cannot replace your faith.
Until you generate your own faith, you cannot produce your own testimony in your situation. This is where the mystery of faith is.
Take a listen to Rom. 3:3.
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
There is something the Bible calls the faith of God.
It evolves from the faith in God. The faith of God is not possible without the faith in God.
It is the faith in God that provokes the faith of God.
The faith in God is about who God is but the faith of God is about what God does. The two go together. They are inevitable but sequential.
The faith in God first, followed by the faith of God.
It is your faith in God that will help you to apply the faith of God. You must know whom God is before you can engage Him in your situation.
The seven sons of Sceva didn’t have faith in God but wanted to apply the faith of God.
Take a listen to that narration in Acts. 19:13-16 and please permit me to read the CEV translation.
13 Some Jewish men started going around trying to force out evil spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about!”
14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this,
15 when an evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?”
16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them up. They ran out of the house, naked and bruised.
When it comes to faith, you can’t do cut and paste.
If you don’t have the faith in God you cannot engage the faith of God.
The two of them are mandatory in life but they are sequential.
That is why it is fundamental in the race of destiny.
You must have the faith in God before you can engage the faith of God.
It is not just about confessions and declarations.
It is first who you are, before what you do. It is who you are in Christ that will enable you to do what you do for Christ.
Let’s get it right. Hallelujah!
Please let me pray for you.
- I pray for you today that your faith will no longer fail.
- I pray for an insatiable hunger for you to know God more and more.
- You will no longer allow the greed for what God can do for you to overtake your need to know Him.
- Receive the help of the Holy Spirit to open your understanding today.
- The provisions of God will no longer cloud you from knowing the Provider Himself.
- You will not run after the gifts at the expense of the Giver.
- Be imparted today with the spirit of faith by the Holy Spirit.
- By this fresh impartation, circumstances and situations will obey you.
- No more faith failure for you.
Welcome to your season of exceeding faith for greater works. Congratulations. Amen and amen.
Peace!