We hear a lot about faith these days, but what do I mean when I say “I am living by faith”? We will take a simple look at what living by faith should mean in our daily living and how it should affect our neighbours.

We recorded this talk a long while ago but it has been updated a little. However, the principles are still the same and demand our attention. May God help us all in our daily walk in this evil world, always remembering that we are Ambassadors for Christ and our citizenship is not in this world.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their consciences seared with a hot iron. 1st Timothy 4 1/2.

What is happening to our World? Judgement will come.

As it was in the days of Lot so shall it be in the days of the coming of there Son of Man.

In the next few weeks we hope (D.V.) to put up some Talks relevant to the times in which we now are living - The Days of Lot and the like. These truly are “Perilous Times”.

All born again believers will appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ.

Just beyond the River Jordan,

Just across its chilling tide,

There’s a land of life eternal,

Thro’ its vale sweet waters glide.

By the crystal river flowing

Grows the Tree of Life so fair;

Many loved ones wait our coming

In the Upper Garden there.

Growing in the Upper Garden,

“Flow’rs by earth too rudely pressed”,

In that land shall reach perfection

By the heav’nly Gard’ner dressed,

There the flowers bloom forever,

Death can find no entrance there;

There, is light and life eternal,

There, is joy beyond compare.

There, the buds from earth transplanted

For our coming watch and wait,

In the Upper Garden growing,

Just within the golden gate.

Tho’ our hearts may break with sorrow,

By the grief so hard to bear,

We shall meet them some glad morning

In the Upper Garden there.

We shall meet them some bright morning,

Resting by the waters fair,

They are waiting for our coming

In the Upper Garden there.

I suppose we would all wish to live our lives in accordance with the principles as laid down by Scripture. But James has some difficult verses which should challenge me and perhaps you as well. If we claim to live by faith then James says that our works should show that to be true. Faith without the works to show that what we say is true is a sham. “though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?” If I say I live by faith and my actions say otherwise it is a falsehood. What James is saying is simply this. If I say I live by faith in God, totally for all things but at the same time put my hope in man. One eye on trust in God and the other eye on hope in man. This is an impossible situation. We cannot serve God and mammon.

Jeremiah 17.5-6 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

However, the contrast of the man who puts his faith solely upon God -

7-8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Our hearts, our reason, our feeble intelligence says Trust God but also let our requests be made also to man - look at the next two verses:

9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

God wants us to trust Him for all thing, he is searching my heart, testing my desires (proving the genuineness as a jeweller teats to quality of gold). He wants to give us the desires of our hearts if only we trust Him completely.

Have faith in God alone.

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer. 17:9

And Jesus said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15

The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.

Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. Deut 7.25/26

The dearest idol I have known, Whate'er that idol be. Help me to tear it from Thy throne, And worship only Thee.

Our Loving Heavenly Father.

I will be a Father to you. What a wonderful privilege.