Myfishbites Fresh Bites - May 2008

It's May 2008 and it's half-term here in the UK, at least for us! Thanks for taking the time to read through the latest from myfishbites! First up, we want to thank God for his protection in the last week after our city was hit with a small terrorist explosion. Thank you Lord and we pray for / bless those who do evil in the name of Jesus.

 

: : word from the Word : :

I have been reading a number of books recently, trying to get my head around the tricky subject of 'faith'. What does it mean to 'have faith' when you are a Christian? How do we get faith if we don't have it? Can we increase our faith? What is the difference between faith and hope? Here is some of what God has revealed..

Hebrews 11.1 from the Amplified Bible says: "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]." There are many other Bible verses relating to faith, so here is a summary:

Faith is something that is beyond the natural, it is something that can only come spiritually. Faith and what we see physically sometimes conflict. At those times, it is faith that must take precedence as we see with our spiritual eyes. Something may be true in the natural, but faith doesn't accept that is the end of the matter. We also know that faith is an on-going process - if someone is the perfecter of our faith, it suggests a process of change and shaping to become perfect. We learn that faith is essential, involves belief, trust and without it we cannot please God. If we don’t have faith, then faith can come through hearing the Word. We need to hear and soak in the Bible, the Holy Spirit's words to us directly and through stories, testimonies of faith in order to build up our own faith.

True faith comes from the heart and from the Word of God. So we need to align our thoughts and words with The Word! Faith must be confessed with the mouth - but faith comes in the heart first, then the mouth. If we simply express something verbally, it is a hope and not faith. When do we receive what we prayed for in faith? Immediately we pray, we believe we have received it. Faith can be a gift (speaking to the fig tree), or come as a fruit of the Spirit. Faith is worked out and is usually tested. Often we find that there is a time of 'pregnancy' with words of faith, whereby God brings things to pass in his timing and way. This may be a very short time, or a longer time. Remember that the bigger the request, the more God may have to work on you and others / situations! We cannot please God without faith.

But be encouraged, God longs to build your faith. He is working on your young people, youth ministry, youth workers, the church, the wider church, united youth initiatives, people, places and you! But let's seek first the Kingdom of God first and foremost! God said to Joyce Meyer, 'when you're about my business, I'll be about your business.' :)

 

: : New Content : :

http://www.myfishbites.com/creative-books.php - New book reviews.

http://www.myfishbites.com/quiettimes-bible.php - New quiet-time on not good for people to be alone.

http://www.myfishbites.com/assemblies-identity3.php - New assembly on Identity.

http://www.myfishbites.com/sessions-passover.php - New session on the Passover.

http://www.myfishbites.com/assemblies-heroes.php - New assembly on Heroes.

http://www.myfishbites.com/quiettimes-prayers.php - 2 new quiet-times on the importance of intercession and on the power of praise.

http://www.myfishbites.com/quiettimes-holyspirit.php - New quiet-time on Whitsun / Whit Sunday.

http://www.myfishbites.com/talks-free.php - New talk on Acts 12 and Peter's freedom.

http://www.myfishbites.com/games-exercises.php - New exercise, the 'Mirror Game'. Can be used to promote awareness of people with learning disabilities and how they may find hard what we take for granted.

 

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