Sorry Rodain, I think you misinterpreted something I said, I would never say that we as Believers are disqualified from walking in the Blessing of Abraham, I have walked 27 years receiving the blessing God promised to Abraham, both in the States and since I've been here, there have been people that have cheated me out of my wages when I needed every penny to survive, I blessed them instead of cursing them, one of the most shocking instances to me was shortly after the man was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died, another went bankrupt, then there are those that have blessed me, their business has grown and they have become wealthy, ...I'm considered a freak to most of Christendom because I have taken God at His word, the just live by faith, before I left I sold everything I had and gave to the poor and my church, arrived here penniless and without a place to lay my head and today I can say my cup runs over.
So you see friend, please don't take offense, talking about faith and claiming the promises is cheap when you have a house to live in, a job, money in the bank, can go to the store to by your next meal, no..., the next week's meals because you have the money, ...rather than stepping out in faith on what God told you and having only that faith and nothing else when you do.
I don't know you or you life, maybe you have walked in faith like I have, but the difference I'm seeing is I would never have the audacity of demanding God, my Heavenly Father to obey me, give me my lusts and desires just because I can hold a verse up in His face, ...what I have learned is when I'm walking in faith Father knows my needs and provides for me without me even asking Him, whether it is spiritually, emotionally or with physical needs or healing, ...good gifts just fall out of Heaven, this has happened so many times in my life I could fill volumes with the blessings He has bestowed on me, ...and when I pray I never demand Him either, just present the situation before His Throne, for instance, for three years I was single before He gave me my bride, many times I would come home from work and find a woman in my bed, this became quite a test for me to not sin against Him, one night while talking with Him I just said, Father, you are the one that said it's not good for man to be alone, within just a few months He told me to go visit a church on a different island, provided the funds, told me what day to go and that Sunday showed me the Eve He had chosen for me, ...her side of the story is 12 years before she had prayed for an American husband, that played an instrument and had a calling in his heart to minister to children, ...that's me!
So you see, here's the problem, I'm hearing/reading about having faith, but it's not faith in the Biblical sense of Father telling someone to go do something, but rather faith in what someone has read in the Word, then a situation arises and that person chooses what is to be done, what promise to claim, without seeking the advice of the Lord, i.e. observe the situation, claim this verse. That kind of doctrine is eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, I'm deciding what is good and what is evil and eating of that tree always brings death, ...and that's a promise I never hear faith healers claiming.
Walking in faith is daily eating from the Tree of Life, moment by moment, walking with God in the cool of the evening, receiving instruction from Him for each and every situation that He allows to come into our lives, ...eating from this Tree brings life and life abundant.
I'll close with the words of James,
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Blessings,
Gene
Hello in the Lord, Gene,
Notice that the Scriptures do not say you must start out with nothing, or if you have anything give it all away so you can start with nothing and then you will be able to walk by faith. Notice Jesus spake only to that one rich, young ruler about giving his stuff away, because Jesus knew the man's possessions possessed him and He wanted the man to learn how to walk in the Kingdom of God (God's methods and ways (not the Kingdom of Heaven which is where God physically resides)) like His other disciples, and if couldn't obey Jesus then he wasn't going to succeed in the Kingdom of God (plus Gal 6:7 you reap exactly what you sow, so if you sow money, you reap money), so Jesus was helping him to multiply and prosper by sowing money into others as He directed.
NOW, to the REST of God's people that were RICH He didn't say a peep about them getting rid of their money or possessions; Joseph of Arimathea was RICH and a disciple of Jesus and Jesus didn't tell him to give any of his riches or stuff away, same with all those rich and wealthy men and women that ministered to Him of their substance in many places (becoming His partners in sending the Gospel), same with Zaccheus (he only gave that stuff away because the Spirit of God moved on him but Jesus didn't instruct him to do it, he's going along with Exodus 22 actually). When Paul instructs Timothy about the rich people in the church he doesn't tell him to send them out of the church until they give all their stuff away or to ex-communicate them, he does say to tell them to be ready to communicate (which refers to sowing and reaping), so that they can keep growing and being able to sow more and more, because again, Gal 6:7.
AS FOR ME, when I first heard the Gospel I was homeless bro. Had no place to lay my head of my own, and I just had nothing, I was poverty-stricken. But I got hold of the Word of God and started taking the promises and started tithing immediately and giving offerings (not understand sowing and reaping yet) and God has increased me mightly, I remember the Lord my God, Who has given and Who gives me power to get wealth (Deut 8). HE is the author of my prosperity, which is continually growing as I seek Him first, His Kingdom and His righteousness (which I am forever).
You know, God describes Himself to us as our LOVING Father, Jesus is all the time talking about how deeply and wonderfully God the Father, our Abba, our DADDY LOVES us. If you are a good father at all, think on HOW you love your child/ren. My goodness, I find myself thinking on the ways I can bless my son all the time and give him the desires of his heart. I purposely go about looking for nice things I can do for him and I go out of my to shower him with kisses and hugs and snuggle him.
I say all this to say that if I am capable of and DO love my son this way, then my Father in Heaven loves me far, far more, and more deeply, and so on. It is as David said in Psalm 139 He is ALWAYS thinking about me, ME. I am the apple of His eye. He DELIGHTS in me, and in my prosperity (Psalm 35:27). He is always thinking of ways to bless me and help me and give me the desires of my heart.
Have you forgotten the verse that took place BEFORE the cross in Isaiah 45:11 - Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask
me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands
command ye me.
God is saying COMMAND YE ME...God said that. Doesn't sound like a simple asking as we think of it in English today.
You know that the word ask in the Greek actually means to make a demand, but not a "Hey you give this to me now!" demand in the modern English, but it means to make a demand on what is already yours, the same as going to the bank.
When you go to the bank, you are making a demand on the money that is already yours and it's already there for your taking, you don't have to ask them if it's okay for you to take it.
Haven't you noticed that the only one who can sit down in God's presence is US? The angels can't sit down, they are servants. We are sons and daughters who serve, huge difference.
God doesn't give His whole inheritance to servants, but to sons and daughters (Gal 3 and 4 and Romans 4:13, 8:17, 1 Ti 6:17).
Why does God say in the Psalms that He will give you the desires of your heart when you delight yourself with Him?
Or in Psalm 23, He says you shall have no want - why not? Because He satisfies them all. (Notice also that sheep don't lay down in a pasture unless they are totally full, otherwise they are up eating).
I mean, He is just IN LOVE with us. With ME, with YOU. Being in love your wife or your children, you know how much you put yourself out there for them and all that you desire to give them and share with them.....
anyway...I think that's the heart of it.
