The Gift of Faith

Until last night I always thought my faith was too small. My mistake was in thinking it was "My" faith. But I discovered last night what I have been calling "My" Faith is really "His" faith.

Heb 12:2 "Look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

Do you see it? Jesus is the author of what we call Faith. The author of something owns it. I can write a book and give it to you as a gift, but you did not write it. The words are always mine. I own the copyright.

Jesus produced my faith and gave it to me as a gift. He never takes back a gift. It is everlasting and perfect. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives this everlasting gift.

What's more amazing is the nature of the gift. Not only does he give it to us, but it is an extension of his own faith. We receive Jesus's faith.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ.

Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Gal 2:20 … and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.

Now when Satan shoots his flaming arrows of doubt at me. I do not quench them with my timid faith, for I have no faith of my own. I extinguish them with the Faith that Jesus gave me, a portion of his own faith, an all powerful invincible faith, the very faith that defeated and defeats Satan every time. My shield is the same shield of faith that Jesus carried, no different, ever powerful.

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

This is so exciting, Jesus’s Faith also becomes an additional coating on the breastplate of God’s Righteousness. My heart is protected. My mind is protected by the Everlasting Gift of the Hope of Salvation, my lower body is protected by the everlasting Truth of the Scriptures, My feet are protected by the Gospel of Peace, I have Jesus’s own faith as a shield. My strength comes from the everlasting gift of Joy, and my courage comes from the promises and oaths of God that give me confidence and a guarantee, it is the certain evidence of faith. My sword is the all powerful Word of God which I use to counter the lies of the devil.

I marvel when I realize that everything I need has been given to me. I brought nothing to the table. I was given all the gifts, and the faithful shepherd Jesus teaches me how to use them. Now that I know I have the faith of Jesus, I wonder what he will have me do to magnify the Father? I must decrease and he must increase.

I no longer see my faith as too small, it is much bigger than I realized, and Jesus is still putting the finishing touches on it. Allelu-Yah. Praise Yah. Oh Happy day!

The Unbelievable Gift

1. 2Co 5:21 For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made “the righteousness of God” in him (Jesus).

This is so wonderful. When we become believers in Jesus we receive this everlasting “gift” that no humans could ever dream of. The father’s righteousness is given to us.

By faith, our unrighteousness is replaced with Abba’s own righteousness. Put it on as an invincible armor breastplate which Satan can never break through.

I Promise to Love You

I have lyric looking for a tune/co-writer.

I Promise to Love You

Verse 1

Are you down in the valley alone and quite scared

Even if you cannot feel him God is still there

Are you worried you’ve drifted too far this time

Listen to the Father he will ease your troubled mind

Chorus :

I promise to love you and keep you I swear it

When the dark night is so long you just cannot bear it

Let go of your worries let go of your doubts

I promise to love you, I won’t cast you out

Verse 2

You were made blameless when you reached for Jesus hand

There’s nothing you did , or can do, to change my plan

If your heart says you’re guilty then listen to me

you’ve been forgiven for all eternity

Bridge

This promise was granted by Christ, Jesus’ love

It’s more than a promise it’s an oath signed in blood

It’s a permanent contract nothing can tear it

I promise to love you and keep you I swear it

Verse 3

I swear I won’t rebuke you or show you my wrath

If you’re weeping now my child, later you will laugh

For I have forgotten and cancelled all your sins

So Trust in the word of God again and again Chorus …I promise to love you…

The Comfort of the Scriptures Leads to Everlasting Hope

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through the comfort of the scriptures we might have hope”. (Roman’s 15:4)

When we place our faith in Jesus, God sends a new Spirit, a Holy Spirit to birth us into his Kingdom and to protect us with an Everlasting New Covenant.

A Covenant is an agreement with God. Every Covenant was sealed with blood.

“Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and drink it. For this is my blood of the new covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins”. (Mt 26:27-27)

These are the Permanent Gifts We Receive When We Enter the New Covenant

EVERLASTING GRACE, meaning we are loved and saved by faith in Jesus and not by anything we do or don’t do

EVERLASTING RIGHTEOSNESS because we receive the righteousness of Jesus and not our own.

EVERLASTING JOY UNSPEAKABLE unspeakable knowing our destination is final and God has established us.

EVERLASTING PEACE that is beyond all understanding knowing all things work together for good for us.

EVERLASTING COURAGE and CONFIDENCE based on “The Two Immutables”

1.God’s EVERLASTING PROMISE and

2 God’s EVERLASTING OATH

God swore to never punish us but to give us salvation. ( Heb. 6:13-19) and (Isaiah 54:9)

EVERLASTING HOPE of SALVATION when we firmly realize this, it become an impregnable helmet to protect our mind from Satan’s attack of doubts.

EVERLASTING COMFORT is gained as we read the scriptures and realize these truths.

God (Yah) never withdraws a gift. His gifts are permanent. May he fill you with grace and his joy unspeakable and full of glory.

January 23, 2010 a Turning Point in my Life.

January 23, 2010 a Major Turning Point in my Life

Being raised as a Catholic had its pluses and minuses. On the plus side I heard about Jesus early and attended church 6 days a week. I went to Catholic schools for 16 years. On the minus side my religious training was about the need to never sin and obey all the rules set forth by the church. We learned very little about God’s love , forgiveness and mercy. We were taught to confess our sins to a priest or if we died before confessing we would probably go to a fiery hell full of demons, or if we were lucky we might only have to spend 15,000 years in a fiery place called purgatory.

Once it was ingrained into my head that my salvation depended upon me behaving perfectly it was hard to see it any other way.

I first heard that we are saved by faith and grace when I was about 30 and heard many preachers throughout the next ten years saying there is nothing we can do to gain or lose our salvation, it has all been done by Jesus. Somehow I thought they were off the mark and never could believe it. I then spent the next ten years among Mennonites who also worried that we might lose our salvation by bad behavior.

Here I am 66 years old and today January 23^rd after about a 12 day illness during which I poured over the scriptures the page opened wide and there was the thing I had unknowingly hungered and searched for since I first started to seriously follow Jesus in 1977. I’m sure I had read over it many times but today there was Romans 4:8 illuminated before my eyes.

“Romans 4:8 Happy, How blessed is the person whose sins the Lord will never charge against him.”

I wept when the full import of it hit me. God made a promise and swore an oath that he would greet me and my memory of my sins without wrath or rebuking, but with mercy and deliberated forgetfulness of my evil deeds. Praise God almighty, free at last. My unrighteousness or righteousness played no role in this, it was because of God’s love mercy and grace and Yahshuah’s faithfulness that this exists; it is for everyone and those who believe it are the most blessed for they can live in joy and not fear. Thank you father for healing this blind man’s eyes. I once was blind but now I see.

I wish I could be a Baptist

I like it when I hear Baptists preach about Being Born Again, and I love it when they talk about

eternal life which once born into can never be lost no matter what we do.

I really need assurance especially when I am sick, or feeling low.

I am about 95% convinced that they are right and once you become "born again"

you can never lose your salvation and there is no condemnation

unless you allow the devil to condemn you, but God and Jesus do not condemn you.

I am guilty of condemning myself. I hate sin and when I sin, I beat myself up,

or spend time rationalizing what I did. I feel very uncomfortable and fearful. I always have.

The Baptists say that is just your sinful flesh and it will act up until you die.

Well it certainly has been acting up my whole life and I am closer to 70 than 20.

I wonder if Baptists really feel no condemnation???

But there is a major stumbling block for me with the Baptists and that is their extreme patriotism

and willingness to fight in their country's wars. To me that is so incongruous with

the call by Jesus to be as harmless as doves.

I say I am 95% in agreement with their salvation stand, but there are the nagging scriptures about

building your house on the sand by not doing what Jesus taught. I hear Jesus saying

" why do you call me Lord Lord and do not do what I said to do?"

The Baptists say you can deny Jesus and still be saved. Jesus said if you deny him,

he will deny you before the angels. I can't quite close that 5% gap. But I would like to. Sometimes that 5%

like a door left open a crack on a cold winter night, can send a chill through me.

I want to believe that no one including myself can pluck me out of the Father's hands. Jesus did say:

John 10:29 "My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. "

2012 Hoax

For those of you expecting the world to end in 2012 come back here on 2013 and listen to me say I told you so.

It is so preposterous to think that if God would not reveal the date to Jesus or the angels, he would reeal it to a tribe of blood -thirsty Cannibals living in the jungles of Mexico.

The world will not end in 2012. Mark my word.