By Mike Taylor

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrew 11:1

We are fast approaching a time of great trials on the earth. We keep hearing about how the government is ever more becoming more and more intrusive into our lives. We see messages, even on this site of how the New World Order is being shaped to monitor every action that a citizen, even of this great nation we live in, will be monitored by an all seeing eye of “Big Brother”. The system is being set up right now, even as you read this. The infrastructure that will make it impossible to live and work without becoming subservient to a national identification system is being laid. Is it the start of the beast power system? Many think so.

Prophetically speaking, Jesus saw our generation when He said the words “When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith upon the earth?” Luke 18:8b. People are worried and fear is starting to grip the hearts and minds of the people who are living today. They send me messages to pray for them. They exclaim, “I don’t know if I have faith to endure”, “ I worry about keeping the faith”. “My faith is not very strong.” Maybe people don’t know what faith is, or how to possess it, because without faith, people can’t even come to know the Lord as their Savior. So what is faith? That’s what we’re going to look at by searching God’s Word and seeing if, per chance, we can develop a lasting faith to “endure to the end”.

If you wish to find what faith is, we need to go to the words of Jesus to find the answer of what faith is. Turn to the gospel of Matthew chapter 6:

6:25, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

So if God can take care of the needs such as these, can He not take care of your needs? Of course, He can. Are we only looking at how strong we are, and not considering the mighty power of an infinite, Almighty God? God has made many promises to His children dwelling upon this earth, especially in these last days we see approaching. Jesus said:

Matthew 17:20, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

We as mortal beings see what is happening all around us, and to an unsaved person, it is indeed fearful. But with the eye of faith, we know that there is a spiritual warfare going on all around us, so that if we saw it, we would be standing with our mouth open in awe.

There is a story of this warfare that is told in II Kings chapter 6. It illustrates what is going on all around us and the spiritual warfare that is being waged. It the story of Elisha and a Syrian army surrounding

Israel

in battle:

And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

This story illustrates what was possible, even with the Holy Spirit not given in its fullness, as Jesus had not died yet to send the “Comforter” to us. Now that the Holy Spirit is among us and in us, we have the power to remove mountains if we have faith.

Even now we have a warfare going on all around us, as it was in the time of the prophets, it is going on right now and more so, as we come closer and closer to the end of this age.
Who is in control of this warfare? Our mighty God and Savior, Jesus Christ is. The Father hath put everything under His feet to His glory. Hebrews chapter 2:

2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

The affirmation of Jehovah to my Lord: `Sit at My right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.'

110:2 The rod of thy strength doth Jehovah send from Zion, Rule in the midst of thine enemies.

If you want to get a good handle on “what is faith?” then you can go to the faith chapter of the Bible found in Hebrews the 11^th chapter. It’s called the faith chapter, as it identifies men of God who put their faith in the One who never fails, who has the power to meet their every need. Stop for a moment, and read this lovely chapter.

11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Their faith was looking forward to one event that they had not seen except by FAITH. What was that event? What was that Promise?

It was the coming of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. When Jesus came as a man, just like you and me, He was fulfilling His promise to come into the world to save a lost creation. He promised it in the Garden of Eden, and He promised to all the Old Testament saints who saw it in the future.

Abraham was faithful in that He believed God that He would make Abraham a father of many nations, and through him, the Savior would come.

4: 21And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

So what is Faith? Faith is believing and asking Jesus Christ into your life and making Him Lord over it. If you have done that powerful act of faith and acceptance, what have you to fear?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrew 11:1. We don’t yet see it, but it’s just over the horizon just out of sight, and we embrace it with the faith and trust in Him who has power over death, hell, and the grave. Him, who will grant us eternal life and to spend eternity in His glorious presence. I Corinthians 2:9,

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Nothing in this world can rob you of your eternal home, if you be found in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. He made those promises and He will complete their fulfillment when He speaks to you upon entering your heavenly reward, “Well, done thou good and faithful servant.”

That is our destination, that is His promise, but what about the present hour, you may ask? Are you prepared what is coming on the face of the earth? Jesus has made precise promises to us, in this hour.

15:50 And this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood the reign of God is not able to inherit, nor doth the corruption inherit the incorruption;

15:51 lo, I tell you a secret; we indeed shall not all sleep, and we all shall be changed;

15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we -- we shall be changed:

15:53 for it behoveth this corruptible to put on incorruption, and this mortal to put on immortality;

15:54 and when this corruptible may have put on incorruption, and this mortal may have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the word that hath been written, `The Death was swallowed up -- to victory;

Jesus made another promise when giving the parable of the sheep and goat judgment in Matthew chapter 25:

25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,

Why? Because we kept faith in Him and did unto our brothers on earth, as we had done it to Him. We have given of ourselves to others in need and proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will believe. We have visited the homeless, the poor, and fed the hungry, in His name. He will reward us for our faith, our belief, and our resolve to trust in His Holy Name.

I turn now to a message, a promise in your bible for that will be applied to this day and age, and has always been with us even into the New Testament age, the Age of Grace.

91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. ( enduring faith)

91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

91:6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

91:9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

Do you not see, that we have nothing to fear from man in this hour? God is in control, and I firmly believe He will not allow anything to come against His elect in this time before the Tribulation breaks out on a unrepentant mankind that is not for our growth spiritually and forming us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. And what of the coming fear of God’s retribution, His judgment on this earth? I Thessalonians 5:9-10:

5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

5:10 who died for us in order that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

So have you now understood what “Faith” is? Faith is uncompromising belief and unwavering resolve to put your trust and confidence in the One who can deliver you from the evil that is coming upon the earth, to meet your every need in this hour, and bring you to sit at His right hand in Glory. As Jesus said, “When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith upon the earth?” Do you have faith? Do you trust Him?

You who are reading this, and you wonder. You do not know that Jesus Christ is in your life and heart, so what about you? These promises are not for you. If you have not accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then you cannot claim these promises of faith. Only those washed in the blood of the Lamb, Hebrews chapter 9:

9:14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

I am reminded of an old hymn that many sing without understanding its deep meaning of faith:

Only those washed in this fount of blood shed by our Savior and Lord, can claim, in faith, the promise of eternal life and belief in God meeting your needs in this hour and throughout eternity. All others have a foreboding fear of what is coming upon the earth. We, who have faith, a belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior in this life and the life to come, should not fear. As a saved Christian we should be looking with anxious expectation of His soon return, as the signs are all around us. Is it too late? It’s never too late, this side of His coming, but time is growing ever shorter and the opportunity could abruptly be cut off in life, or in death.

3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Have you put your trust and faith in the only One who can deliver you without spot or blemish before a Holy God, our Father in heaven? If you can’t say a wholehearted “yes, I can” then reader, do it now…do it today for we are not promised tomorrow, only the present. Hebrews chapter 9:

9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

If there is anything I can pray with you about, counsel you on with biblical direction, or just listen to your concerns, drop me a line to realteam1999@sbcglobal.net, or visit me online at www.churchofgod-usa.org. This is Mike Taylor, wishing you well, till we meet at Jesus feet.