B E L I E F – F A I T H

The Jewish people believed in God and the message of God; they believed in the truths spoken by the prophets, God’s messengers.  Their faith was whole in these matters.   Thus, witnessing the acts of Jesus and hearing his Word, many converted to Jesus as Messiah, and it seemed many more might follow.  For the Pharisee priests, however, especially the Herodians who supported Herod’s court, as well as the Sadducees who entertained similar connections, they refused Jesus.  They did not assume the greater faith.  They became the enemies of Jesus.

In the ancient world, various spells, incantations, and man-made figures became the means by which people sought to control the gods.  Other practices included building magnificent structures for the gods, such as the ziggurat of Babylon, and engaging in sorceries (pharmakia).  For all of man’s earthly knowledge, a man may remain misdirected, unenlightened, remain asleep.  His misplaced faith will keep him there.

Saul & the medium

  Jesus spoke to faith by his actions and teachings.  Faith is the most basic and available conduit to God. 

Belief and faith are never truly separate.  If someone believes, they will develop some measure of faith.  If they demonstrate faith, then the foundation of belief is also revealed.  In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus explains that a person should start with faith and certain confidence as a foundation before starting his day, expressed in v. 32-34:
“For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own” (niv).

In the above scripture, Jesus provides us with basic steps for walking in the Way.  God observes the pagans and knows how they pursue their lives.  Jesus separates the pagan life from a righteous life.  “Seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness,” Jesus asserts the supremacy of God.  Jesus establishes an order to man’s events: God first, followed by, ‘Do not worry about tomorrow.’  Even though this scripture does not directly mention faith, the underlying message propels the person toward faith and trust, building (‘Seek ye’) an active faith foundation.

One can pray for more faith, or sow seed for more faith, or speak the Word of faith into or for oneself.  However, people often do not pray spirit to spirit (Jn. 4.24) and their faith is left powerless.  The use of the Word also becomes elusive.*  We know Jesus used the Word in his healing and teaching ministry (Mt. 8.5-13), and that the Holy Spirit moved with power and grace.  Focusing to God and His kingdom within brings about a desired state of poise and quietude so that praying spirit to spirit and speaking the Word into your life become more familier.

*The Law of Unconscious Growth, video.

Prayer supplicates by the word of God, and speaking proclaims by the word of God.  Jesus prays in faith but also pronounces faith.

As to how we speak, speech or naming rises and falls with every emotional reaction; that is, the person allows themselves to be controlled by their emotional responses, and their speech follows after.  Interestingly, this rollercoaster ride of speech is often directed at themselves, first expressing positivity about themselves, but soon they pronounce doubt or division.  This uneven thinking and speech is also directed at the world, leading into an unpleasant worldliness, perhaps chaotic.  We have all experienced this teetering effect.  By bouncing back and forth, however, the after-effect is that the faith walk is diminished.

It is also true that belief in what you do and faith in its completion is a standard requirement of all serious endeavors.  Belief may motivate, but static faith often keeps the person rooted in one place.  They complete the steps of a faith message but direct themselves to the same faith place on the path, as opposed to an active faith that embraces growth.  They exhibit half-faith.  Their faith no longer exhibits works within themselves, and thus cannot manifest without.  This static faith is why Brother James emphasizes the importance of faith accompanied by actions.  Many people within orthodoxy espouse great faith but refuse to put it into action.  Complaints about this static condition of faith are preached in hundreds of churches each week.

Sowing the seed of wholeness and speaking faith can form a firm foundation.

*

With faith as small as the mustard seed, a person may move mountains into the sea (Matt. 17:20) and accomplish remarkable feats.  This scripture depicts how a person removes spiritual obstructions (mountains) from his pathway.  These obstructions may be worry, guilt, or may include people who are unrighteously coming against you or those who hold you back.  Jesus teaches that if you have faith and do not doubt, that faith will remove the obstruction, “…whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Mt. 21.21-22).  Prayer, faith, and belief are once again closely linked.

When the time of change comes, the person must embrace it.  Faith without action is dead, so says James* in his epistle.  James reveals another central theme of the Way, which is to embrace the harvest your pathway has delivered.  Faith is an ally in the life mission, and can provide a good guide as to how to proceed on your pathway or through the world around you.  Sowing faith for change, especially for change within, is a valuable spiritual asset, and speaking the Word (spirit) into your pathway can bring about reinvigoration.

*Epistle of James

Naturally, everyone is so concerned about sowing seeds into their circumstances, such as a lack of money or a spouse, that they forget to start with themselves—inspect yourself before sowing seeds into anything else!  When you walk in the Way, your soul’s nourishment should be your priority.  Real change comes from within, and that change emerges from what you sow every day.  This change is why caution is given relative to how you think, for how you think will manifest in your world.  Your thoughts are the seeds, and eventually, they will sprout and form your reality, including your place in the world around you.  Since most people are familiar with their speech causing them trouble, there can be nothing wrong or embarrassing about using your speech to bring about rectification.

When Eve named Cain after ‘gain’ (Who Is Cain?), she talked about what she had gotten instead of what God had given her.  Gratitude was in second place.  Also, Eve mentioned herself first instead of God, thus naming in reverse order.  Frankly, this is what most people do.  Eve is not exactly about receiving from God, she is about getting.  Remember, the naming you give and the Word you speak become the journey you travel.   An old saying goes like this: “Let me observe how a man speaks today, and I will tell you what his life will be like five years from now.”

Jesus tells the Roman Centurian that he has never seen such faith as his, and Jesus tells more than one person that their faith has made them whole.  The illumination provided by faith now gives rise within the soul—the city on the hill shines forth as love, compassion, charity, knowledge, and wisdom.  However, without faith as a first step, none of the above may be revealed or maintained.  Likewise, your Word or prayer will remain lifeless and ineffective without faith.

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J U D G M E N T

What is the spiritual problem with judging?  Why do all societies give warnings concerning judging others?  Jesus prescribes judging ourselves and infers we should do so before judging others. When you become involved with your own spiritual business, you are less likely to judge others.  The lesson is one of self-inspection.  The lesson is also one of assuming the greater faith. 

“Pass no judgment, and you will not be judged.  For as you judge others, so you will yourselves be judged, and whatever measures you deal out to others will be dealt back to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye, with never a thought for the great plank in your own (Matt. 7.1).” 

However, when a judgment is required, God wishes to develop discernment in each person.*  In Ezekiel 7.3, Ezekiel speaks of judgment on Israel, “I will judge you according to your ways,” and in v. 27, “I will do to them according to their way, and according to what they deserve I will judge them.”  Therefore, this kind of judgment is delivered within a specific context, and is meant as a standard of fairness.  “Whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt back to you,” is held as truth in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.  This cause and effect standard is a common theme throughout scripture.  Even in the Garden, Eve reaches out to grasp the world of knowing (experiencing) good and evil, and so she and Adam must leave the Garden, and thus grasp at the world.  Decisions erupting from unrighteous judgment will always have consequences.

*discernment: Adam and Eve

You will be judged after your fashion of judgment, whether from vitriol, love, or imposed personal standards.  Your form of judgment will then be returned to you.  Thus, the prohibition when Jesus says, “By with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with the same measure (nature) you use, it will be measured back to you,” Matt. 7.2, leads us to think that the approach to any judgment of another proceed from the spirit within.  Our judgments may be based on personal attitudes or soul nature, which may not be as good a quality or as insightful as we may think.  By this lack within oneself, a person is free to judge, but it leaves them short of a more excellent spiritual vision.

Matt. 7.2 tells us much about the nature of judging, for you may not know what the spirit is trying to work out in that person’s life, so improperly judging usurps another soul’s integrity.  Constantly judging others also distracts a person from their soul progression, always pointing out the faults of others but rarely seeing one’s own.  Judging may also lead to gossip and slander as one voices these opinions as if they are fact, and then others take them up as truth.

It is better to judge yourself, as this action may counsel compassion toward others.  To judge righteously, carefully, after His values and the nature of His spirit, and to walk in faith are essential components of the Way.

Sow seed that personal judgments be laid aside for godly revelation.

God Bless!