Men & Faith (Wayne Brooks)
Our lives are directed by God, IF we are following after His ways.
Men have unique talents & responsibilities. Leadership is a part of that responsibility.
Satan has figured out that undermining men & their authority in the family is the best way to corrupt a society.
How many have built anything? We find the foundation is the most important.
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)
1) Substance
2) Evidence
3) Conviction
Things hoped for but unseen.
Hope is faith relating to the future. Conviction is faith regarding the present.
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Hebrews 11:3 NLT)
Anecdote of Wayne's background - youthful marriage, drafted into the Army, served 14 months in Vietnam. Bonded with a friend in 'Nam, an atheist. They were separated in the war, years later friend told Wayne that this experience prepared him later to receive Christ.
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:7 NLT)
Has God ever asked you to build an ark? Our ark is obedience.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8 NLT)
Has God ever asked you to go somewhere you haven't been? He will, & He will provide.
And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. (Hebrews 11:9, 10 NLT)
His home was a tent.
It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. (Hebrews 11:11, 12 NLT)
What would Martha's response be if she, @ __, was told she would have a child? Sarah laughed, but obeyed.
What is our response to adversity? We can despair, giving up. Or, we can look to God in faith, accept His provision, & proceed.
Each of us has been given a "measure of faith."
It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. (Hebrews 11:24, 25 NLT)
"Without faith, it is impossible to please God."
How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.
But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. (Hebrews 11:32-35 NLT)
You may feel put upon, but God is with you. Anecdote of healing of tumor behind ear., & God's healing. We pray, lacking faith, but He answers based on the measure of faith we have been given. "My miracles are for my purposes," God spoke to Wayne.
We have choices. Say, "Yes," by faith, or in doubt, say, "I'm not sure."
Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. (Hebrews 11:37-40 NLT)
They didn't have Christ yet, but we have even more reason for hope. Whatever God requires of us, let's say, "Yes." God will enable.
Created 8 months ago
