THE FIGHT OF FAITH (PART 3)

Your Only Access to God's GraceThe Release of Faith: Calling Things That Are Not“17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17 NKJV).God's covenant with Abraham was that He would make him the father of many nations. Abraham believed God. And here is the key: God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He sees into the future. Then God called those things that do not exist as though they did – because He can see that it will happen. He named the old man "father of many nations" while Sarah's womb was still dead. He called the thing that was not as though it were.When God speaks to us concerning something that will take place in the future, we should call those things that did not exist as though they do. This is faith speaking. Understand the asymmetry, because it is glorious: God speaks because He sees. We speak because we heard from Him, though we do not see. But faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). We can believe that when God speaks, it will happen – because He sees, and He who speaks never lies (Titus 1:2).Paul lived this way himself, and he tells us his method: "I believed, and therefore I spoke" (2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJV). That is the believer's version of Romans 4:17 — hearing produces believing, and believing produces speaking. Jesus put it even more strongly:"23 For assuredly, I say to you, 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" (Mark 11:23, NKJV).Look at what Jesus puts in your mouth: a mountain. Not a molehill – a mountain. The diagnosis nobody can heal. The debt nobody can pay. The child nobody can reach. Jesus said: say to the mountain, "Be removed." When faith comes, we speak to release our faith. This is one way we strengthen our faith and not waver. Unspoken faith is pressure building with no release valve; a spoken faith is a seed sown in the soil of the spirit.Speak the promise at breakfast. Declare it over your children. Confess it when the medical report says otherwise. Say, "By His stripes I am healed" when the body says no. Say, "My children shall be taught of the Lord" when the world says otherwise. You speak not because you see, but because you heard – and He who spoke to you cannot lie.And here is where the enemy comes in – because he knows something we forget.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

信心之仗（三)

进入神恩典的唯一通道信心的释放：使无变为有17 亚伯拉罕所信的，是那叫死人复活、使无变为有的神，他在主面前作我们世人的父。如经上所记：“我已经立你作多国的父。”（罗马书 4:17）神与亚伯拉罕所立的约，是要使他成为多国的父。亚伯拉罕相信神。关键就在这里：神从起初指明末后的事（以赛亚书 46:10），祂能看见将来的事。神把还不存在的事情说得好像它们已经存在了一样 —— 因为祂能看见，这件事情必会成就就。当撒拉的子宫早已断绝生育时，祂仍称这位年迈的人为“多国的父”。祂把还不存在的事情说得好像已经存在了一样。当神向我们论及将来要成就的事情时，我们也要把那还不存在的事情说得好像已经存在了一样。这就是信心的话语。要理解这种不对称，因为它是荣耀的真理：神如此宣告，是因为祂已然看见；我们如此宣告，是因为我们听见了祂的话语，尽管我们还未亲眼看见它。信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据（希伯来书 11:1）。我们可以相信，只要神说了，事情就必成就 —— 因为祂看见，而那对我们说话的神绝不会撒谎（提多书 1:2）。保罗自己就是这样生活的，他把他的方法告诉了我们：“我因信，所以如此说话。”（哥林多后书 4:13）。这正是罗马书 4章17节 在信徒身上的体现 —— 听见产生相信，相信产生话语。耶稣说得语气更重：23 我实在告诉你们，无论何人对这座山说：‘你挪开此地，投在海里！’’他若心里不疑惑，只信他所说的必成，就必给他成了。（马可福音 11:23）仔细看，耶稣放在你口中的是什么：一座山。不是小土堆 —— 是一座大山。那无药可医的病历、无力偿还的债务、难以挽回的孩子。耶稣说：对这座山说：“你挪开此地。”当信心临到，我们开口宣告，释放里面的信心。这是坚固信心不摇动的途径之一。藏在心里不出口的信心，如同积蓄压力却没有释放的阀门；开口宣告的信心，则是撒在属灵土壤中的种子。早餐时宣告祂的应许，为你的儿女宣告。当诊断书给出相反的结论时，你仍然要宣告。当身体发出不适的信号，你要说：“因祂受的鞭伤，我已得了医治。”当世俗环境与神的话相悖，就说：“我的儿女都必受耶和华的教训。”你如此宣告，不是因为已经亲眼看见，而是因为你已经听见 —— 那位向你说话的神绝不会撒谎。这就是仇敌伺机攻击的地方 —— 因为牠知道神的信实，而我们却常常遗忘。张耀光牧师 新加坡信心教会请访问我们的中文播客,faithchurch.sg/牧师手札/#牧师手札 ... See MoreSee Less