FIRST THING FIRST
“Faith is first”
This is one important thing you must understand. Faith must be first and must be first in your mouth, then in your heart (spirit).
Example: When I was in school, in order to remember the important things for a test, I was taught to say it out-loud over and over. This action caused me to remember so I would get a good grade on my test. By speaking those things out loud caused my memory bank to keep the information for the test.
In this case, we are not confessing (speaking over and over for a test or a good grade, but to put or plant the word of God into our spirits. This is what I call a double whammy. Not only does your mind remember, but so does your spirit.
Your mind and your spirit are two different things but work together.
Mind: Fleshly
Spirit: spiritual
This is another reason to get the word in your spirit. For carnal things are kept in your mind, but spiritual things need to be in your spirit as well.
Now think about salvation: Even though Jesus died on the cross for your salvation and it was completed as far as he was concerned, but before it is actually in our spirits, we must speak it out of our mouths that Jesus is Lord:
When you say this out of your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you are confessing this and your heart (spirit) agrees with it and you are born again.
King James version: Romans 10:9&10 --- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and (notice – second) believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Verse 10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Now let’s look at the same verses in the passion translation: V:9 And what is God’s “living message”? It is the revelation of faith for salvation, which is the message that we preach. For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will experience salvation.
V: 10 The heart that believes in him receives the gift of righteousness of God and then the mouth confesses resulting in salvation:
V: 11 For with the scriptures encourage us with these words; “Everyone who believes in him will never be disappointed.”
Let me explain what I said at the start.
1) You must hear that Jesus provided salvation.
2) You must believe in your heart that he provided salvation.
3) The only way to get anything in your heart is by hearing.
Look at Romans 10:17 in the KJV Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
You see you must hear the word before you can believe:
You either got to hear about it through someone else or read it for yourself, then speak it.
I personally like to read the word out loud. This way I get it through seeing and hearing.
Speaking the word with your mouth will assist in your getting his word in your heart (spirit).
This is true for all scripture, speaking the word of God is what creates good soil, it plants the seed and waters it so it will grow.
Speaking the word let’s the light of God in so it will produce abundantly.
So again, speaking God’s word plants his word in our heart (spirit), waters the word and causes it to grow and produce a harvest.
We need to do this with the reading of the whole bible. It is better than just hearing a preacher on Sunday or Wednesday or throughout the week is good, but in order to fully understand and grow, we must speak it out of our mouths.
Now, let’s get back to my original thought. “Faith first” Faith must be first before any manifestation of the word of God to be activated in our lives.
Faith is everything in the life of God.
Hebrews 11:6 KJV – But without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Romans 1:17 --- For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, The Just shall live by faith.
There is an extremely important word in Hebrews 11:6 --- The word is = A now word not a was word (past tense) but a now (present tense) word.
Before we can believe God, we must first believe he is or he exists. If you don’t believe he is or exists, nothing will work for you.
Settle this in your heart now that he is. Not was (past tense) but he is (present tense). God is a now thing. He is always present, always listening, as long as we are speaking faith filled words.
God will only answer you, when you are asking in faith. If you talk to him outside of faith, he does not hear you. You must be in faith believing he hear you and has already (past tense) heard and answered you.
· Know he cares
· Know he listens
· Know he will answer
All of the above is done in and by faith. God loves you, so put him first place in all you do and see what happens.
Thanks for reading
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