Faith A Gift Of God
I am in the Ohio School of Ministry for the Assemblies of God and I have my next weekend class coming up 18th-19th. The class I am taking is on the "Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Phillippians, Colossians, & Philemon."
I was doing part of my homework the other night focusing on the book of Ephesians, and I got really caught up in one part of it and wanted to share it ya'll.
The textbook for the class is "The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Volune II". The book of Ephesians is done by A. Skevington Wood.
The verse in Ephesians I was focusing on was 2:8 and I will list a couple of translations of that verse here:
"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (NIV)
"Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish!" (The Message)
The following is a quote from A. Skevington Wood on that verse:
"Faith however is not a quality, a virtue or a faculty. It is not something man can produce. It is simply a trustful response that is itself evoked by the Holy Spirit. Lest faith should be in any misinterpreted as man's contribution to his own salvation, Paul immediately adds a rider to explain that nothing is our own doing but everything is in the gift of God."
The part I have bolded is what has really hit me. Faith is not something I can produce.
Being physically disabled, I have always struggled with why God hasn't healed me. Some well meaning religious people throughout the years have told me, "Suzanne, you just don't have enough faith" or "you just don't want it bad enough". Boy, if those people only knew how much they were wrong and how much they wounded me.
Their comments have left me constantly trying to "have enough" faith and it has been frustrating because I don't know how to get any more faith. Thus, how to get healed? What is the formula to get more faith???? What do I have to do to get more faith??? Cuz I'll do it.
So...if faith is not something I can produce or manufacture- it takes the pressure off of me! I don't have to do it.....God does!
Wood also says, "It is simply a trustful response that is itself evoked by the Holy Spirit. " So, I just have to put my trust into the Holy Spirit and let Him do the work in me.
Throughout the years of 'trying to have enough faith', it has left me feeling like a total failure in the "faith arena"....like I have totolly failed God and that is why I haven't been healed. But in light of my new found revelation, I AM NOT A FAILURE - I AM JUST IN PROCESS! God is doing a deeper work and it is not about me or what I am or am not doing. It is all about God his His plan and His purposes in my life.
"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't they way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don't go back until they've watered the earth.
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
they'll complete the assignment I gave them."
Isaiah 55:8-11 (The Message)
posted by Suz @ 11:23 AM
8 Comments:
Here is another scripture to prove that it is not within us to be the "perfect" (or mature) believer.
Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Ask Him to make up the difference.
And Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." 6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
Webster's define faith as"1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions" SO - either you have or you don't. He gives it to you and He increases. Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Wow, I love the above response!... ask the Lord to make up the difference, that's good. "help my unbelief, increase my faith"
Suzanne:
I am so happy for you that you were able to glean such a powerful revelation from that book! I hope the Lord continues to speak to you about your situation, your life and your ministry.
God Bless, hon, and keep the blogs coming - they're good.
♥ Alissa
Hi Suzanne,
The truths that are becoming real to you are resonating within me. More later.
Dad
good post! our pastor has spoken alot on this subject. i am currently attending an Assembly of God.
last week in bible study, i had this thought. remember how abraham was esteemed by God as being a man of faith? well, how long did it take him to see God's promises? was it because he didn't have enough faith??? some promises he never saw! and God was pleased with him... so i have thinkgs i have been praying for a loooong time too long it seems... i sometimes feel that it is because something is wrong with me... maybe not...maybe so... but God is sovereign... and he was pleased with Abraham who had to wait a loooong time,too. What do you think?
natalie
natalie,
this seems to be the question of my life...suffering vs. God's sovereignty. i don't get it and i don't know that i ever will. i mean...abraham is a great example....maybe he never got it either.
you are right God was very pleased with abraham and he too waited a long time and sometimes maybe his prayers were answered either. we don't know every prayer he prayed....ya know???
i spoke one time at a women's meeting on 'suffering & the sovereignty of God'. if you would be interested in listening to the cd of it or reading the notes let me know.
i don't even begin to think that i know it all....as a matter of a fact i am only beginning my journey on the issue, but since i have known suffering since i was 11 years old, i have been on the journey and in process for quite some time.
i have had over 40 surgeries since i was 12 the last being an above the knee amputation. so suffering i have known and known quite well. i have probably known more suffering than 10 people combined have known in their lifetimes.
all of this to say, this is a topic very dear to my heart and one i am on a quest to understand. if you would like to join this journey with me and work it out together....i'd love to have you join me. please email me at imtuff1969@yahoo.com.
suz
suzanne,
i am sorry that i am not able to email you or call you. i am in vermont. in the mountains of vermont there are only little spots of cell coverage that seem to shift randomly.
like i said...to send a text message means i have to walk around all over the place hitting send and resend.
the ministry phone has had NO COVERAGE allweek.
i cannot send emails out....somethingabout my relaying server rejecting the messages.
i am having a BLAST!!
if you remember what you had prophesied happening to me here...it is.
its overwhelming to see how God is moving here among the desperate. this whole region is desperate for breakthrough...they have been waiting and pushing and crying out for 15 to 20 or MORE years...it is TIME.
personally...things are overwhelming. u had said there would be some specific things happen and be confirmed by someone giving me a key. i was waiting for it to happen.
sitting in the one session yesterday i realized that i had been given a key and had it tied around my wrist all week. i had somehow thought that i was waiting for someone to hand me a key....not that i would be given charge over a key to a meeting room....and just to make sure i got the clue, God made sure that i got the message...i got another key handed to me...a room key for a special person...
so there i sat yesterday with one key wrapped in red on my wrist and one key in my back pockets.
then it hit me.
all those things you said are happening.
changes...shifts...boundaries are being stretched. new life. new giftings.
prophecies are flowing....have had 3 people prophecy the same thing for me. makes me feel so small to have people say things like that about me and ask for me to lay hands on them...and see the Spirit move as I do...wow.
amazing.
like you...there are many things about your visit to my house that you are still workin on and pondering and holding...i will be too. there is just too much to share.
dont feel like i am shutting you out. i have only talked to my HUSBAND one time since being here...i have to sit in the middle of the parking lot and call...and even then the signal got dropped like 3 times.
please...understand...its nothing personal....and i really dont want to spend my time here on the phone anyway...God is here....
in a few days i will be elsewhere and perhaps i can call then...if there is signal.
if not..i will be home after Monday.
all i can say to end this is: things are different with me....and i hope they stay that way. :-)
blog shy?
Hi Suzie!
I have gotten so much out of your blog today. With Glenn in the hospital and now nursing center I find that the Lord is feeding me at the most unexpected moments. I clicked on your link in the CIR Message boards and found this wonderful discussion of faith. I find the comment also about Abraham having to wait good too. My favorite verse:
"So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them." Hallelula! I'm also a fan of The Message and glad to see you use it also. ClaraT
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