Quote from Forum Archives on June 4, 2003, 10:22 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Today's message is about he Appropriate Positive Focus - Faith.
and Trust in Jesus Christ. We have faith in all kinds of things,
so faith alone is not the issue. We believe that when we get up
in the morning, the ground will be beneath our feet. We believe
that a new day will happen, and that when we go to sleep, we will
awaken again. Those who do not believe such things truly live
lives of deep fear and live in a constant state of panic.

We're talking about much more than that kind of faith, however.
We not only believe in the physical things of nature that we
believe through actual experiences, we also believe in the things
that we cannot see, yet, by the power of God's Spirit, alive and
at work within us and in the hearts of many people, are
experienced every day. We believe in the promises of God for the
things we have not seen.

The writer of Hebrews, which Neil Anderson quotes in his message,
writes about the faith of those biblical heros of the past. Many
of them did not even get to see the realization of the things
they believed. Did that make what they believed untrue? Not at
all. Every promise came true.

I don't know about you, but I'd love to become a "giant of the
faith", not so that I could puff myself up (though in my
humanness, that would certainly be tempting) but so that the
things I really believe in could be the things that totally and
completely control the choices I make.

You know, we really do act on what we believe. So what I really
mean in what I've said is that I want my faith in the God I
profess to match the beliefs, the responses, all the choices that
I make.

I believe that my life is on that course. I don't know about
you, but I'm not always satisfied that I keep that course
faithfully at all times. I know I fall short. What I do know is
that when I fall short, I will also confess it before my God, ask
Him to help guide me back on His path, forgive me for wandering,
and lead me to a solid, immovable position of faith that is
completely grounded in what's good, right, and true (naturally
based entirely on His Word).

Are you with me on this? Perhaps you see it a bit differently.
Hopefully actions and faith in your life fit, match, and for the
most part represent both what you say and what your actions show
to others.

Dear Lord,

Please help us to read Your Word, think about it, pray about it,
apply it and act on it in our daily lives - throughout the day,
each and every day. I ask these things with great humility,
helpless on my own. In Jesus' Name and for His sake, I come. I
know that there is room for change. I open my life, even the
hidden closets, to You, Lord, that You may accomplish Your good
and perfect will in my life. Please hear my prayers and work
out Your way in all of our lives in a way we can clearly see, so
that we may know Your ways among us and continue to praise You
every day. Amen.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

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NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

June 4

POSITIVE BELIEVING

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

If You Believe You Can, You Can

If you think you are beaten--you are.

If you think you dare not--you don't.

If you want to win but think you can't,

It is almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose--you've lost.

For out in the world we find

That success begins with a fellow's will;

It's all in the state of mind.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man;

But sooner or later the man who wins

Is the one who thinks he can.

This poem, whose author is unknown to me, reflects the popular
view of life known as the power of positive thinking. The
Christian community has been somewhat reluctant to buy into this
view and for good reason. Thinking is a function of the mind
which cannot exceed its input and attributes. Attempting to push
the mind beyond its limitations will only result in moving from
the world of reality to fantasy.

The Christian, however, has far greater potential for success in
life in the power of positive believing. Belief incorporates the
mind but is not limited by it. Faith actually transcends the
limitations of the mind and incorporates the real but unseen
world. The believer's faith is as valid as its object, which is
the living (Christ) and written (Bible) Word of God. With the
infinite God of the universe as the object of Christian faith,
there is virtually no limit to the spiritual heights that
positive believing can take you.

Lord, You have said that I can accomplish great things with
faith the size of a tiny mustard seed. May my life today be
marked by the power of positive believing.

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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