The writer of the book of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that it is impossible to please God without faith! The writer says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6). It is wonderful that all we need is the smallest measure of faith to start our faith walk, and Romans 12:3 tells us that the Lord graciously gives us that seed of faith. Like any seed, the destiny of that seed is to grow. 

Walking by faith means trusting God completely, even when we don’t understand everything. Faith helps us live the way God wants us to. It gives us the strength to do what’s right, even when it’s hard. This message explains how faith makes us right with God, how it helps us live holy lives, and how it changes us to become better people.

In the last episode or post, we defined the difference between natural faith and spiritual faith. Spiritual faith is what moves the Lord. Spiritual faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as,“Now faith is the substance (guarantee) of things hoped for, the evidence (convincing proof) of things not seen.”

Faith enables us to treat the future as present, the invisible as seen!

Faith and Grace are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, God has extended grace through Jesus Christ. Grace, in this sense, means that God offers us free gifts. In the biblical sense, grace isn’t something you can work for; grace is not earned or deserved; grace is unconditional.

Throughout Christian history, every Believer has been responsible for knowing Jesus and making Him known to others. Our first responsibility is to be in a relationship with Jesus through His Holy Spirit. This means learning what Jesus purchased for us at the cross of Calvary; we are justified, saved, forgiven, made righteous, and empowered to serve the Lord. It is our faith in the one who saved us, Jesus! who enables us to be healed and made whole in our souls. 

Our faith must be in the Lord and Him alone. When we are in a relationship with the Lord, we get to know Him in a personal way, and with that comes a trust or faith in Him and His word. Jesus has called us to become faith walkers. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we are to, “Walk by faith and not by sight.” Our relationship is spirit to Spirit. Someone once said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience!” How true that statement is, and once accepted as truth, it changes how we see ourselves and the world we live in.

Our final episode of this series is about learning to discern the Holy Spirit's leading through the peace of God. In the last several episodes of this series, entitled “Learning How to be Led by the Holy Spirit,” we discussed ways the Lord communicates with us through the Holy Spirit, and they are:

Today, we will focus on God’s peace and presence in our lives to direct our paths. 

Isaiah 55:12 says, “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace...” Of all the ways in which the Holy Spirit guides us, one aspect should always be present: the peace of God. God is not the author of confusion, fear, anxiety, or desperation (1 Cor 14:33). He is the God of peace because nothing is impossible with Him. God never gets nervous or anxious, and because we are in His hands, neither should we. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Col 3:15). In other words, let the peace of God be a primary influence that tells you when to take action or not to take action. 

In the last several episodes of this series entitled “Learning How to be Led by the Holy Spirit,” we talked about a number of ways the Lord communicates with us through the Holy Spirit. 

Today, we will look at how God uses messengers, spiritual and human, to communicate with us.

In the last episode of this series entitled “Learning How to be Led by the Holy Spirit,” we talked about two ways to be led by the Holy Spirit. The two ways were: Holy Spirit Guidance Through Conviction and Holy Spirit Guidance Through the Bible.

Today, we will examine two more areas, and they are: Holy Spirit guidance through recalling scripture. (Rhema Word) and Holy Spirit guidance through circumstances (Providence).

As we have established earlier, God intends that we be led by the Holy Spirit. That means that He directs our paths. You’ve heard me say, “When you walk with God, you get to where He is going.” The Lord wants us to be where He is; working with Him instead of working for Him. 

Just as we can be assured that God has plans, purposes, and pursuits for us to walk in, we can also be sure that God speaks to or communicates with us. The most important reason that God speaks to us is to guide us. There are at least six important ways in which we receive guidance from the Lord.

When you are born-again, you know it because of the peace and assurance that the Lord gives you to know that you are saved. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you know it because you will speak in new tongues and move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, to move in the Holy Spirit requires learning how to be led or directed by the Holy Spirit. Learning to hear or discern the voice of the Spirit is the key to an overcoming life in the service of our King, King Jesus. Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” The Lord will complete the work on your character as well as your mission or assignment.

We often use the word “saved” to describe someone who has been born-again. The original Greek for saved is “sozo” which means to be made safe, delivered from destruction, or made whole. That means you are completely saved, and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 tells us that we are Spirit, Soul, and Body. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is important to look at the differences between these three aspects of every human being: spirit, soul, and body.

Some believe that because one belongs to a church, has a Bible, or comes from a Christian family, one is spiritual. That is not always the case. When the Bible speaks about spiritual things, it is to those who have a relationship with Jesus and have learned to "hear" the voice of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and obey Him.

Knowing about the Holy Spirit is not the same as knowing the Holy Spirit! There is a big difference between “head knowledge” or intellectual understanding and personal “heart knowledge” or faith. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The natural man in this verse refers to the person who is not born-again. So, Paul is saying that to understand the things of the Spirit of God, you must be born again.