Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf – by Dr. Yonggi Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall

“Faith: Believing in the God Who Works on Your Behalf” by Dr. Yonggi Cho and Dr. Wayde Goodall, is a divinely anointed book about genuine, prevailing faith, with time-tested spiritual insights into the deeper things of God, following the Holy Spirit with reckless abandon, teaching how to cross the “bridge of faith” between then and now, “to believe the implausible and attempt the impossible.” God bridges the delicate gap between the past and the present into a supernatural flow of His Spirit, in the secret place of prayer. “One thing I know, though I was blind, now I see.” – (John 9:25). When you experience the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, you walk by faith in the precious grace of God. You belong to Jesus, bought with His Blood. Faith in Christ transforms your life. As you walk by faith in Him, your faith grows to believe incredible miracles, supernatural signs and wonders. God will use you amazingly, giving you indefatigable courage well beyond the impossible.

These time-tested, spiritual truths will enhance your walk by faith, to believe in the impossible, dream God’s dreams, and let the Lord do what only He can do. “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” — which God has revealed through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9–10). “Faith is more important than life itself because without it there is no fullness of life.” — Mother Teresa. By faith we see things happening when they do not exist yet. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” – (Hebrews 11:1)

We have a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Faith as small as a mustard seed, can grow into a huge tree (Matthew 17:20). Faith grows as we study God’s Word and dwell upon His goodness. The Holy Spirit gently speaks in quietness and confidence, giving us fresh hope. “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” – Mother Teresa. Dreams Give Hope for Tomorrow. Our creative God gives creative ideas to open the door to circumstances to bless our lives. We carry dreams in our hearts. Successful People, with dreams and visions of the future, see what others cannot see, standing alone confidently. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with success.” – Henry David Thoreau.

Aged seventy-five, Abraham received God’s calling in Ur. Abraham possessed his God-given dream in his heart. God answered his prayer and made him into the father of faith (Genesis 12–24; Romans 4). There are principles of faith and God-inspired dreams. When God speaks to you in thoughts, dreams, and visions, your life is transformed because Jesus Christ is in the equation. God is with you and you are competent in Christ. Like Paul, we declare, “But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14). Although our dreams are not yet a reality, they give us vision to accomplish God’s will and His purpose in our lives. God-inspired thoughts can be turned into faith. Learn how to implement a strategy to work with God to bring a thought to pass. Your dream is not yet a reality. As you pray and study the Bible, you can set goals and ways to implement your goals.

When God spoke to Abraham, Abraham had a new dream in his heart for the future. This became a desire and he was filled with hope. Although he didn’t understand the dream, he believed what God had shown him. He trusted in God’s promise, a part of the dream in his heart. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8 ESV). By hearing from God and his God-inspired dreams, insurmountable faith arose in Abraham’s heart. His dream became a desire, and Abraham left Ur. By faith he walked away from the familiar to the unfamiliar, due to the God-given dream to receive an inheritance. When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, he had faith to have his own child. His faith came due to the promise God gave him. In the natural, it wasn’t possible due of his age, but with God added into the equation, his dream became a reality and Isaac was born. Abraham believed, trusting in God, believing God would fulfill His promise. He took his first step by faith and walked away from his past. Abraham did not weaken in faith when his own body was as good as dead or the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning God’s promise, but he grew strong in his faith, giving glory to God. (Genesis 4:19–20)

When we have faith and the dreams of the Holy Spirit, our hope grows as we step out in faith. Our faith grows as we see the evidence come to pass. Abraham prayed for a son. He was promised to have as many descendants as the stars in the sky. On clear nights, gazing at tens of thousands of stars, seemingly unending, his imagination grew, and hope, encouragement and the anticipation of the fulfilled dream filled his heart. When we have a God-inspired dream in our hearts, we trust that God hears our prayers, giving us wisdom and patience as He brings our dream to fruition. But this only happens in His time.

Anywhere Faith – by Heather C. King

In Anywhere Faith, Heather C. King helps us to learn about Abraham and his journey to an unknown destination. God called him out of a place called Ur and told him to go, without knowing where to go or how long it would take to get there. Everyone wants faith like Abraham, without counting the cost. In a moment of soul honesty and penetrating analysis, Heather realizes the worst nightmare scenario of not knowing where the road leads to or how long it will take to get there! We have to trust God wholeheartedly, instead of trusting in our own worthless plans. Abraham deserves superfaith status for his radical obedience and unquestioning faith that does not complain at any cost. Not only was he ready to follow God anywhere, but he also passed a greater faith test. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, waited for almost thirty years, from God’s promise of a baby, to the actual moment when they held their precious child of promise, Isaac, in their arms. When Isaac was finally born, Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. Isaac was a miracle child — a gift from God and the glorious fulfllment of the divine promise to Abraham that he would become the father of many nations.

God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to place his son’s life on the line. Years after Isaac’s birth, God asked Abraham to climb the mountain with his young son and build an altar, supposedly to kill Isaac as a sacrifice to God. God asked Abraham to give back the promised child. “How could Isaac possibly be both the promised son and a sacrifice?” Abraham did not question God or try to reason with Him. Instead, with his unquestioning, obedient faith, he did not stall at all. “Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took his men with him, and his son Isaac. He cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him” (22:3). God called in the night, and early the very next day, Abraham did exactly as God commanded. In Hebrews 11, Abraham was willing to obey God in the most radical of ways because he knew God was able even to raise Isaac from the dead. While we might stall, question, and fight with God, Abraham simply believed in the impossible. God could raise Isaac up from death if He chose.

Are we ready to be used by God, to do only what He wants us to do, and go anywhere He wants us to go? Will we choose God over everything else? This is the wholehearted, selfless devotion God desires from us. He won’t settle for anything else. Even Abraham made mistakes, when he trusted his own plans and not God’s, when his faith broke down and he tried to take matters into his own hands. Our faith “superheroes” weren’t superhuman at all. When God called them, they responded honestly – sometimes telling God they didn’t know if they could do what He asked. Moses wanted God to send somebody else. Gideon worried about whether he heard God correctly. Elijah felt alone. Isaiah felt unworthy. Esther was terrified. When God calls us, we answer hesitatingly, afraid to get intimate with God, fearing that He might ask us to give what we cannot, terrified to move forward for fear of failure, or that the costly task might hurt too much.

A. W. Tozer said, “We can be in our day what the heroes of faith were in their day —but remember at the time they didn’t know they were heroes.” The faith heroes and heroines were regular people with perfectly ordinary lives, insecure and frightened, but choosing to obey God anyway. They followed Him in spite of fear, insecurity or questions. In Anywhere Faith, Heather C. King writes about dialogue, relationship and friendship with God. She explains how to respond to Him when He asks us to trust and obey. When God called men and women throughout Scripture to follow Him, and their answers in that moment of their calling revealed the honest truth about their heart condition and their faith condition. We love God and want to follow Him. We want to be “anywhere faith” Christians and pray like David Livingstone did: “Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me.” But we have struggles, or even excuses, that hold
us back. We want to be God’s friend like Abraham, but we have hidden away parts of our hearts from God, our Creator.

When we hide our hearts from God, our deep-rooted fears and insecurities weigh us down, chaining us to the darkness, and not allowing God’s light to shine into our hearts, to deliver and to liberate us. Let us give God the freedom to do His work in us. When we bring our needs to Him, He rescues us. When we feel afraid, He gives us peace. When we are unworthy, He clothes us in His righteousness. When we confess the painful truth that we don’t want to go, He reveals His sovereignty and grace to give us the strength and courage to undertake the journey. “The Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.” God knows the truth of our hearts because He made us. He has compassion on us. He wants to rescue us. He beckons us to bring Him our brokenness, to make us whole and holy. God invites us into His presence, promising that it will be worth any sacrifice, effort, or price we pay. Surely we can trust Him. “God is love” (1 John 4:16). He will never leave us: “Be strong and courageous. The Lord goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). With promises as trustworthy as this, can we resist Him any longer? Let us honestly tell Him the truth: “God, in spite of my fears, uncertainties and insecurities, I’m coming with You anyway! I’ll go with You anywhere, to do anything You ask me to do.”

Prayer by David Livingstone, missionary to Africa:

“Lord, send me anywhere,
Only go with me.
Lay any burden on me,
Only sustain me.
Sever any tie but the tie
That binds me to Yourself.”

Miriam Jacob