True Faith!

(Hebrews 11:1) “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.”

The word of God, the Bible is available for most to enjoy, even in communist countries like China and the like, bibles are obtainable if sincerely sought out. For us living in South Africa they are freely available. It is the greatest seller of all times and it is full of wonderful truths. It helps us find answers to the pressing questions of life. Did you know that everything you need for life can be found in the Bible? Faith is found in the bible! Faith is not something we apply to ourselves as we learn to repeatedly tell ourselves we must believe and convince ourselves that we believe in something that is false. Faith gets us to believe in that which is unseen. I was told that I have HIV, which is true and then I am told not to believe the diagnosis as it is a lie, yet the virus is evidently in my blood, I have the virus! I am then told that there is sin in my life because I am HIV positive. The problem with this theory is the bible clearly teaches that God uses our bodies to get our attention and ultimately walk in obedience to Him. He often uses it to help us look to Him as we examine our walk with Him. Our bodies are a tool He uses to get us to sit up and pay attention. “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1Corinthians 11:29-31)

So sin is forgiven through the Lord Jesus and His completed work on Calvary’s hill, the reason I am HIV positive is because of my own sin and God’s judgment, but I have now been forgiven as I have found forgiveness in and through Him, the Lord Jesus. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1John 1:9)

I found forgiveness and I was also restored to active fellowship (membership) within the body of Christ that I was then in fellowship with. Although I was once committed to Satan for the destruction of the flesh my discipline had now been lifted, I had to serve my sentence with one purpose in mind, I needed to sit up and pay attention to my lifestyle, it was there to teach me to fear God and walk circumspectly before Him. No different to someone who was found guilty for stealing and going before a judge and the after pleading guilty for that crime, a sentence was served to that individual and then carried out. The slate was now clean as the sentence for that crime had now been paid. I found forgiveness, nevertheless I still live with the HIV virus in my body, and it still has one intention and that is to destroy my white blood cells. It wants to take me out! This has nothing to do with faith! We must not confuse forgiveness with consequences. If we confess we will be forgiven, but the reaction to our action will and must still run its course. If I get cancer faith teaches me not to use all my energy to be healed as I am obsessesed with the illness but rather learn through my illness to glorify God. I may well seek healing for my body but if it is required that I live with the cancer/HIV then so be it, my hope shifts from me being obsessed with having my body healed but rather finding excitement that I may even sooner be in heaven with my Lord if he wants me home. That is true faith and the bible is our instructor, the Holy Spirit takes what is written and then inscribes it on our hearts, only then can we say we believe, it is a lasting work of God and not a man-centred futile effort to conjure up false faith. “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

If we have hope as Christians in this life only then we will be miserable! “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1Corinthians 15:19)

Heaven must captivate us in its entirety! We must always be looking beyond the now and we must look to the hope we have for then, it must be what drives us on a daily basis. Let no one tell you that you are sickly because you have sin in your life, it may well be true and it is a good place to start with self examination but if you have sincerely repented and found forgiveness and illness remains then find grace from the throne room of grace to look heavenward and that in turn this will ignite our hope for heaven. Let no one lie to you and leave you living in a condemn state, that as a bruised reed you feel there is no longer any hope for you, there is hope and His name is Jesus, only do not hope for healing in this life only but rather be captivated by the hope to come - heaven. If you are frail and your body is weak remember that one day you will receive a body, a glorified body that will not know pain, it will never age and it will be similar in makeup to the Lords glorified body, what a hope we have! This is the correct understanding of faith and this is what the bible teaches. I have not done this topic any great justice with any accurate expository unpacking of extended consideration to the subject, but it is the principle that I want us to understand and with that understanding I trust we can live in faith and apply our minds to God and find His will for our lives. Be aware of the decoys that are sent to trip us up. If He has begun a good work in us, he will complete it! I have been told that a true Christian cannot have illness in his life, which is a liar. I will prove that to you, Elisha the prophet who receives a double portion of the Spirit than that of Elijah died of a sickness. “Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die...” (2Kings 13:14)

Remember it is the Word of God, the Bible where we find all the answers for our lives, feast upon it and find everlasting life.

Signing off

Tyrone