Faith for Tough Times - Lesson 2 - How to Wake Up Your Faith in God (WITH MANUSCRIPT)

I am excited about this series of messages. I love to talk about and encourage people to exercise faith in God. It’s because learning to exercise faith in God has changed my life! Faith in God has changed Kathy’s life. It has changed the lives of our three girls and their husbands. We choose to live our lives believing God’s WORD! But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 Why is it impossible to please God without faith? Because God is not pleased when he cannot manifest Himself in your life. God wants to have a relationship with you, meet your needs, and work though you to bless others. Faith is the CONNECTION by which salvation is transferred from heaven to you! Faith is the CONNECTION by which healing, financial help and everything God has, is transferred from heaven to you. A key verse when studying the topic of faith is Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NKJV Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 Moffatt’s Translation Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Hebrews 11:1 AMP Classic Edition There are several different dimensions of faith: #1. A Natural Human Faith. Everyone, Those Who Follow Christ and Those Who Don’t, Have A Natural Human Faith. By faith you are trusting that the chair you are sitting in will support you and not fall apart and spill you on the floor. You have faith that you're the engine of your car will start when you turn the ignition key. Most have faith the sun is going to rise tomorrow morning. #2. “Saving Faith” or “Faith To Follow Jesus Christ” – This faith comes from believing in your heart that God raised Christ from the dead and confessing with your mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord. Romans 10:9-10 #3. Supernatural Mountain Moving Faith Jesus said: “…whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:23-24 NKJV Faith is the CONNECTOR between God and man. For example: you hope for finances to meet your obligations, but faith in God gives the assurance that you will have the money when you need it. You hope for physical strength, to do the work that you have to do. Faith in God says: “The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalms 27:1 Sometimes we hope for God’s help in life, but Romans 8:31 says: “What shall we say to these things, if God be for us…” Faith says about itself everything that the Word of God says, for faith in God is simply faith in God’s Word! I learned an important lesson as an 18-year-old when I moved from Tallahassee to North Georgia to attend Emmanuel College. My first couple of weeks in College I had roommate problems. My first roommate was a basketball player who introduced himself to me as the Marco Polo of College basketball – told me that Emmanuel was the 7th college he had attended. He only lasted a week. I returned from a class and he and all of his belongings were gone. Along with a few of my things. My second roommate was a “Rockin-Roller” who wanted to play guitar all night long. I would wake up at 2 a.m. and he would have two or three other guys in our small dorm room “jam-‘in away.” And I was terribly homesick. I would call home and tell my parents I didn’t like North Georgia, I was coming home… and mom would say: “Son, come on home!” And dad would say: “Don’t you dare come home. Losers never win and winners never quit! You better not come home and you better make good grades!” Now, I didn’t know a lot about faith in God, but the one verse I knew was Phil. 4:13… I began to exercise my faith: “Lord, you see I am not happy, but Phil. 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So by faith I receive a good roommate, and my dad says I can’t come home and I have to make good grades, so I thank you for helping me to like it here!” My 3rd week in school, I met a guy named Greg from Roanoke, VA and Greg told me he wasn’t getting along with his roommate. So I asked Greg if he was a party animal or if he liked to sleep at night (he said sleep), and Greg and I talked our roommates into moving in with each other, and Greg and I became roommates and good friends. I continued to pray: Phil 4:13… “Thank you Lord that today I am meeting new friends. By faith. I am going to enjoy Emmanuel College and the community here.” I quit sitting in my dorm room feeling sorry for myself, and griping abo