Mystery of the First Love Lost...Chapter 10..Faith & Chaos

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... Mystery of Faith

... Spiritual Dimension

... World's Definition

"Let all things

be done

decently

and

in order."

-1Cor.14:40

     The creation of this Earth did not just happen by accident. 

     God was not "brooding over a mass of chaos" somewhere out there in the universe ... as worldlings may suggest ... nor did God bring about this magnificent creation through some sort of great chaotic cosmic explosion ... which is not referenced anywhere in Scripture.

     On the contrary ... the Book of Genesis ... as well as true science ... specifies God's intricate fabrication of our earthly home and all that is in it and on it ... through a carefully planned ... detailed order of design

... even though the Hebrew words ... "without form" can suggest "confusion" and "chaos" ... we are not bound to those definitions because the following Word ... "void"... means "empty" ... and "empty" means "nothing present" ... and if nothing is present ... nothing exists to be in "confusion and chaos."😊

     The reality is ... God was working with precise intention ... preparing a place to carry out the greatest true story ever told.

     Therefore ... Earth was prepared to manifest His glory and teach His created beings about the benefits and blessings of faith.

     The Word "prepare" means "to create" ... "to get ready" ... "arrange" ... "organize" ... "plan" ... "set up" ... and "practice."

     Orderly preparation is God's hallmark ... the significant character quality that defines His nature and the nature of His people ... which can be easily seen everywhere in Scripture ... especially in His use and arrangement of numbers throughout the Word of God.

     He is a God of order and has admonished us to follow His example:

"In thee, O LORD,

do I put my trust:

let me never be

put to confusion."

(Ps.71:1)

     The opposite of order is confusion ... and in the Scriptures "confusion" is always presented in a negative way ... in the context of sin ... chaos ... something to avoid.

     It is common knowledge that the Bible is not any ordinary book.  This can only be true because the Bible was created by the Voice of God ... through the Holy Spirit of God ... spoken into the hearts and minds of only a very few ... carefully selected ... faithful men called to record as the Holy Spirit dictated ... therefore this precious ... and divinely preserved Book ... is also referred to ... as "the Word of God."

     The Word of God was put into print to function as "the instruction manual" intended to be a part of the "creation package" ... a Providentially provided "tech support document" ... (if you will) ... to assist mankind with God's instructions regarding how to "live ... move ... have our being" (Acts 17:28) ... care for ... and properly use ... all He has created.

     In addition to instructing man how to thrive and survive ... God desired to communicate with the beings He had fashioned with His own hands and lovingly placed in the unique environment made especially for them.

    Our Heavenly Father and Creator ordained that faith alone ... accessed through the Holy Scriptures and interpreted by His Holy Spirit ... would enable us to hear God's Voice ... and understand His will.

     However ... in order to actually possess the faith necessary to experience these promises of God .., we must be able to accurately define "faith" ... according to God's definition.

     First ... let us examine what "faith" is not.

The World's Definition of Faith:

     When first considering what faith is ... of course all of the common phrases heard from childhood come to mind ... which ... when brought to the light of Scripture ... are actually all forms of idolatry and witchcraft ... such as:

"Faith is believing hard enough to make something happen."

     At first this seems like the Christian thing to do.  But the next logical questions are ... "Just what is being believed?" ... and ... "How do we apply enough effort?"

     

     Do we need to force ourselves to believe God can do anything?

   Not at all.  If we believe there is a God ... we usually understand that He certainly is able to do anything He chooses.

     However ... if we are simply trying to will the thing that we want into existence ... or trying to convince ourselves that something is going to happen ... this is not going to make it happen ... and there is always the possibility that the devil will give us the desire of our heart .... but in the end ... bring (trouble ... "tribulation" and) leanness to our soul. (Ps.106:15)

     Like spoiled children ... preoccupied with their own selfish desires ... we tell God ... "If you only knew how much I want this ... you would surely give it to me."

     So we proceed to convince ourselves that wanting something enough is ultimately going to give it to us ... and believing it can happen is what is going to make it happen.

     However ... Romans 4:17 ... tells us that God alone has the ability to call things into existence:

(As it is written,

I have made thee a father

of many nations,)

before him whom he believed,

even God,

who quickeneth the dead,

and

calleth those things

which be not

as though they were.

     While it is permissible for us to "come boldly" before His throne with our petitions ... what is not permissible ... is to think that we will more likely get what we want if we invest the proper amount of believing and effort

... and how can we ever know what the proper amount is?

     It is even permissible with God if we ask Him about the thing we desire every time it comes to mind (if the desire is not contrary to the written ... established Word of God).

     However ... we can really get into trouble with God ... if we try to take Him out of the driver's seat ... and presumptuously attempt to take over the controls ... exchanging faith for our own works.  Like everything else ... what we believe must also be according to His will and His own interpretation of His Word.

     The desire to control something ourselves (even the amount of belief we put into it) instead of seeking God's will ... His power ... and intervention ... is what can turn our own efforts into idolatry and witchcraft. 

     For this reason ... "naming and claiming" doctrines are an insult to God because in this case ... His Word is being treated as a charm we can use to fulfill our own selfish (even religious) will ... instead of honoring the Word as the means He has provided to communicate with Him ... so that we may discover how we can fulfill His will in every circumstance.

     We must ask ourselves ... "What if God does not want me to have what I am asking for because it does not fit into His specific plan for me ... or it is not the wisest ... or safest thing to ask for?"

     While it is true that God often leads us according to our heart's desire ... this leading is only genuinely experienced when ... that desire ... happens to be ... His desire as well.

     Trying to control circumstances to get what we want instead of trying to align our desires with His will is what turns this process into witchcraft and idolatry.

     The Bible tells us that if we are stubborn enough ... we just may get what we want ... but also warns that "stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (1 Samuel 15:23).

     God calls such people "presumptuous" and further describes them in

... 2 Peter 2:4-10:

4
"For if God spared not

the angels that sinned,

but cast them down to hell,

and

delivered them into chains

of darkness, to be reserved

unto judgment;
5
And

spared not the old world,

but saved Noah

the eighth person, a preacher

of righteousness,

bringing in the flood

upon the world

of the ungodly;

6
And

turning the cities

of Sodom and Gomorrha

into ashes

condemned them

with an overthrow,

making them an ensample

unto those that after

should live ungodly;
7
And delivered just Lot,

vexed with

the filthy conversation

of the wicked:
8
(For that righteous man

dwelling among them,

in seeing and hearing,

vexed his righteous soul

from day to day

with their unlawful deeds;)
9
The Lord knoweth

how to deliver the godly

out of temptations,

and

to reserve the unjust

unto the day of judgment

to be punished:

10
But chiefly them

that walk after the flesh

in the lust

of uncleanness,

and despise government.

[God's righteous authority]

Presumptuous are they,

selfwilled,

[not submitted to

God's Authority

and Word]

they are not afraid

to speak evil of dignities."

[Holy and Godly things]

(2 Peter 2:4-10)

[Please continue reading 2 Peter 2 in your Bible for a very serious description of judgment and wrath of God coming to the wicked.]

      This chapter in 2 Peter describes the presumptuous ones in this way:

1..morally unclean

2..despising the authority
    of God

3..self-willed

4..disrespect for the things
     of God

5..speaking evil of things
    they don't understand

6..exhibiting their own
    false beliefs and
    opinions

7..mingle and infiltrate

    gatherings of genuine

    believers

8..self-centered..deceptive
     ..greedy compulsive
       sinners

     ..cursed by God

9..they know the right way

    ... but choose to reject it

    ... and follow the way of

        Balaam who was
        willing to curse God's
        people

More about Balaam's character flaws:

• Balaam has been
   referred to as "a
   person who had a head

   full of light but a heart

   that was dark
   ... and great was that
       darkness!"

• He was counted as a
  prophet ... one who spoke
  the Word of God ... yet
  followed the unholy
  example of placing
  curses on enemies.

  (see: Numbers 22:31)

• He was self-willed

   ... not submitted to God

• He was double-minded

• He was presumptuous

   ... in trying to alter God's

   divine plan while
   eloquent in prophecy

• He was a failure

   ... in his mission

• He was an evil counselor

• He had extreme greed

• He was willfully blind

     Since the opposite of control ... is not ... tolerance and passivity ... but responsibility 
... to passively disengage when we should be responsibly taking action ... is also a form of rebellion.

    We simply must find balance and take responsibility according to God's will.

     This is what provides the balance required to harmonize our desires with His will for our life.

Presenting our Request:

     To harmonize our desires with God's will ... we must first seek God's will ... by finding true balance through the study of His Word ... balancing Scripture with Scripture ... being careful not to pull out just verses that support what we want ... that line up with our own personal ... preconceived opinions ... or denominational doctrines.

     In fact ... it is often our own personal journey ... and unique experiences in life that motivate us to dig deeper in our search for truth ... to find confirmation in God's Word ... provided that we do so with a pure heart ... are willing to accept God's will ... and act on it when it is confirmed.

"Faith is Wishing on a Star":

     (It helps to close your eyes ... cross your fingers ... and click your heels together while doing this ... we are told by Hollywood producers.)🙃

     ... which is also just another attempt to control our circumstances ... and get us to believe we can find the help and wisdom we need in life ... from some source other than God Almighty ... or be our own god finding answers within ourselves

... instead of discovering Truth provided by the One who gave His life for us ... so that we can enjoy the benefits of a relationship with Him as He leads us on the narrow path to our Heavenly Father's House.

"Faith?? ...Why, it's just a giant leap into the dark, Honey!"

     This reckless attitude turns faith into another presumptuous endeavor.

    In this scenario faith becomes a dangerous gamble as the religious dare God to protect them ... just because they are willing to "play the game of chicken."

     This is the game where opponents face each other ... rev their engines and put the pedal to the metal for a head on collision.  The "chicken" is the one who veers off to save his life.

     This may even be the worst form of idolatry and witchcraft ... because it is really an attempt to usurp God's authority by thinking that He has to do what we want ... because our false claims are putting His reputation at stake.

     What we may fail to realize is that God is perfectly capable of protecting His own reputation ... even if He lets us fall flat on our face.

     So we can expect "a trip to the woodshed" if we engage in this sort of foolishness ... trying to blackmail God for what we want.

"Faith happens when we exercise our own power of intention."

     While God wants us to interact with others with the good intention of ministering to them, results do not depend on our own intention.

     It is God alone who supplies the power of His Holy Spirit to enable us to minister to one another ... as we focus on what He wants ... according to His Word ... and the needs of those we are called to help.

"By the way ... what 'Faith' are you?? ... the Lutheran faith? ... the Catholic faith? ... the Baptist faith?"

     This concept of "faith" has taken a giant step backwards in distorting the fulfilling intimate personal relationship we are meant to have with our Creator

... by substituting man's religious hierarchy ... fabricated rules ... ceremonies ... and regulations ... for the true concept of faith ... based on a real flesh and blood Church that has a viable relationship with God through His Word and Spirit

... by turning it into a building and empty system of legalistic denominational requirements ... "miniseries" ... and activities.

     This smorgasbord of events can keep members running to and fro through the doors of the church for revival meetings ... psychological counseling ... socialization ... fun activities ... music ... and imparting of "sacraments" without ever providing the real spiritual food Jesus told us to feed on.

     Because of this ... members can become so overwhelmed with church activities that they are unable to find any time for personal Bible study that would actually lead them into the activities they should really be pursuing.

God's Definition of Faith:

14
"How then

shall they call on him

in whom

they have not believed?

and

how shall they believe

in him of whom

they have not heard?

and

how shall they hear

without a preacher?
15
And

how shall they preach,

except they be sent?

as it is written,

How beautiful are the feet

of them that preach

the gospel of peace,

and

bring glad tidings

of good things!

16
But they have not all

obeyed the gospel.

For Esaias saith, Lord,

who hath believed our report?
17
So then faith cometh

by hearing, and hearing

by the word of God.
18
But I say,

Have they not heard?

Yes verily, their sound

went into all the earth,

and

their words

unto the ends of the world."
-Rom.10:14-18

     Faith is the power we receive as God pours Himself into us when we feed on His Word.

    

     This power provides the ability to believe all that He has said.  It also creates the desire and strength needed to carefully follow His instructions ... one step at a time.

     Therefore ... Faith is a gift God gives to us through grace.  It is not something we are able to conjure up ourselves so that we can boast about it.

The world tells us how to exercise faith:

• "Toughen up."

• "It sounds good
    ... Just do it."

• "Pull yourself up by your

    own boot straps."

• "Never give up."

God tells us in the Bible how to exercise faith:

• Believe what God has
   said and He will guide
   you with truth and
   wisdom.

• Believe what God has 
   said and He will heal
   you and make you the
   person He created you
   to be.

• Believe what God has
   said and He will give
   the strength to do what is
   right.

• Believe what God has
   said and He will protect
   you from your enemies.

• Believe what God has
   said and He will give
   you eternal life.

     Perhaps you may now see how the mystery of faith is an important key to the Mystery of the First Love Lost.

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with Jesus Christ

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be Rapture ready:

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