Strengthening your faith.

 

           Strengthening your faith.

 

Yesterday we talked about the parable of the mustard seed and how if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could move mountains. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 – What after all, is Appolos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you can believe as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Appolos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are all God's fellow workers, you are God's field, God's building. Some of us are called to plant the seed or word of God, some of us are called to water the seed or provide nourishment for the growth, but only God can make it grow (our faith).

 

We need to be continually planting and watering, our good Father in Heaven will see to its growth in its own due time. Some seeds are planted, watered and begin growing very quickly, others are planted, watered and take an extremely long tome to germinate. With plants it is easy to monitor their growth, with a person’s spiritual growth and development, nearly impossible. No two plants grow identical, are identical in size, shape or color, they may seem to be but there are always subtle differences. The same can be said for people, no two people are identically alike.

 

Faith is developed by obedience to God, his word and his commands

 

We strengthen our faith by observance to his word. What does he call us to do? It is very simple.

 

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

 

2. And love your neighbor as yourself.

 

3. Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

 

4. Pray continuously

 

5. Find joy in everything.

 

6. Obey his word and his commands.

 

7. Be baptized for the redemption of sins.

 

8. Forgive those who have sinned against you.

 

9. Meet often with others to fellowship, pray, sing, worship, teach and instruct, do this in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

10. Read the bible, study it, and put what it says into action.

 

We need to pray, read, obey, love, be joyful, serve, and forgive, fellowship, every day without fail. When we do this the Lord through the gift of the Holy Spirit will strengthen our faith.

 

In order to know the Lord and our savior Jesus, we need to spend time with him.

 

We also need to be truthful, honest, men/women of personal integrity, trusting, hoping, believing, charitable, slow to anger.

 

Our faith will be strengthened by the degree to which we spend time with our Heavenly Father.

 

It is also important to listen to his voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit which speaks to us about good versus evil. Not only should we listen, but we must obey. When you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit telling you what course or direction you should take, obey! Do not be swayed by the desires of men, by temptation. You will know it is the voice of the spirit because he will instruct you, teach you only good things, honest, truthful and things that build up the kingdom of God. Only good things come from the Lord, only evil or bad things come from Satan.

 

If you are faced with a thought, word or deed where there is a choice of good versus evil, choose good over evil every time.

 

Be very, very, very careful what you say so that you don’t hurt or cause injury to another. See the following sections on what we say verbally. Matthew 7:12 – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

 

Remember Jesus knows our thoughts.

 

Matthew 12:25. Matthew 12:34-37 – For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks … For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned. Matthew 15:11 – What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of a man’s mouth, that is what makes him unclean. Matthew 15:18-20 – But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and these make a man unclean… Remember Matthew 26:41 – The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

 

Don’t use your tongue as a sword to cut and slash people because as it is said in…

 

 Matthew 26:52 – For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Jesus knows what we are thinking. Mark 2:8 – Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts. Luke 6:43-45 – The good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in his heart. James 3:3-12 – Watch your tongue. He cautions us in Luke 8:18 – Therefore consider carefully how you listen.

 

Even Paul had difficulty obeying the Lord, his sinful nature took over time after time; see

 

Romans 7:14-25

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[b] a slave to the law of sin.

Key verses 15 – I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate, I do. 17 – It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is the sin living inside me. 18 – I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out. 19 – For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.

Love is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs

1 Corinthians 13:5 – Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining or arguing. Galatians 6:4 – Without comparing himself to somebody else. Titus 3:2 – To slander no one to be peaceable and considerate. James 1:19-27 – key verse – 19 – Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak, and slow to become angry. 26 – If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 3:8-12 – But no man can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 10 – Out of the same mouth came praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be. 1 Peter 3:10 – Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. Proverbs 11:13 – A gossip betrays confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. Proverbs 16:28 – A gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 18:6-8 – A fools lips bring him strife and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his undoing and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to a man’s innermost parts. Proverbs 26:20 – Without gossip a quarrel dies down. 1 Timothy 5:13, 14 – and naturally do they (younger widows) become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies saying things they ought not to… give the enemy no opportunity to slander.

I know this seems a bit exhaustive, when it comes to the use of our tongue but I think the point is made perfectly clear. Our faith will not grow if we are using our tongue to speak evil of others. Be extra careful to say only nice things about people. As our mothers have taught us. If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. It is better to listen and not join in on a conversation than to join in and sin. Paul wrote how difficult it was for him not to sin and he was one of the greatest disciples of all, he even wrote ½ of the New Testament. I commit to listening and obeying Lord, as for me and my house, we will love and serve the Lord. Thank you for this bit of inspiration. Today is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I will serve you by serving others whom you live in. I will love you by loving others whom you live in. I am committed to following the gospel. Amen.