WEBVTT

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Now, with that as an introduction, let's go on

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to this thing of faith. Volumes have been written.

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Volumes more have been spoken regarding this

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something that's called faith. And yet, in the

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final analysis, we actually know so little about

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this subject. And the more that I grow spiritually

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and the deeper that I go into the spiritual things,

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the more I will have to confess to you that I

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recognize the fact that I know practically nothing

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about faith. All that I can tell you is the fact

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that faith is that quality or that power by which

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the things desired become the things possessed.

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That's the nearest to a definition of faith attempted

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even by the very inspired Word of God. You cannot

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weigh it or confine it to a container. It's not

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something that you can take out and look at and

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analyze. You definitely cannot put your finger

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on it and positively say, this is it. To try

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to explain it is almost like trying to define

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energy in one comprehensive statement. In the

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realm of... We're told that the atom is a world

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within itself. That the potential energy contained

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within this tiny world is such that it bewilders

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the mind of the average person. Try to define

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it. Try to define electricity. Attempt to define

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these things. You'll run into difficulties. And

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so it is with faith in the realm of the spirit.

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But although it is not easy to define exactly

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what faith is, we know what it is not. One of

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the most common errors that we make in this regard

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is to confuse faith with presumption. We must

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be constantly alert to the danger of mistaking

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one for the other, for there's a vast difference

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between the two. Here's a pebble on the beach,

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for example. But the beach is more than the pebble.

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And when the pebble asserts that it is the beach,

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then we say to it, you are assuming too much.

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There are many who mix the ingredients of their

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own mental attitude with a little confidence,

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a pinch of trust. a generous handful of religious

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egotism. They proceed to add some belief along

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with many other ingredients. Mixing it all together

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in a spiritual crucible, they label the total

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result as faith. Actually, it's likely to be

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more presumption than faith. Faith is more than

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belief. It's more than confidence. It's more

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than trust. And above all, it is never boastful.

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If it is pure faith, Holy Ghost faith, it will

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never work contrary to the Word of God. Neither

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will it work contrary to His wisdom and His will.

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Always remember that. Holy Ghost faith will never

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work contrary to the Word of God. Never. It will

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never work contrary to the perfect will of God.

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There have been times when I've felt faith so

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permeate every part of my being that I've dared

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to say and do things that had I leaned into my

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own understanding, my own reason, I would never

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have done so. And yet, it flowed through every

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word, every act with such resistible power that

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I literally stood in wonder at the mighty works

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of the Lord. And one thing I know, in you and

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in me, apart from God, There are no ingredients,

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there are no qualities which, however mixed or

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combined, will create even so much as the smallest

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seed of Bible faith. Let us just reason together

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in a very simple understanding way. If I wanted

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to cross a lake, And there were no means of getting

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across except by boat. The sensible thing for

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me to do would be to secure a boat. It would

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be most foolish for me to seek the other side

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of the lake when I needed to seek the proper

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conveyance to get there. Therefore, get the boat.

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And if I get the boat, it'll take me to the other

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side of the lake. Now. Where do we get the faith

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that will take us across the lake? The answer

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to this question is positive and sure. Faith

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is a gift of God or a fruit of the Spirit. And

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whether it be gift or fruit, the source of faith

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remains the same. It comes from God and is a

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gift of God. If faith is powerless, it's not

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faith. You cannot have faith without results

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any more than you can have motion without movement.

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The thing we sometimes call faith is only trust.

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And although we trust the Lord, it is faith which

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has action and power. The disciples and the master

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were on the waters of... Galilee. It was a beautiful

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day. The lake was calm and serene. There was

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scarcely a cloud in the sky when suddenly a terrific

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storm arose. The poor disciples were terror -stricken.

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The wind was blowing in all of his fury, and

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the little boat was about to capsize, and they

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were certain that their very lives were at stake.

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Finally, in desperation, they awakened the sleeping

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Christ. He wasn't a bit perturbed. Very calmly,

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he asked just one question. Where is your faith?

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That's all that he said. Where is your faith?

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Where was it? Had they left it on shore before

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entering the boat? Had it dropped to the depth

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of the sea on which their little boat was sailing?

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Had it fled on the shoulders of the storm? Just

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where was their faith? What a question. And that

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question came from the lips of the author and

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the finisher of our faith. Their faith had been

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resting in the stern of the boat. Their faith

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was with them all the time. It had never left

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them for one second. It was right there in the

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stern of the boat. He was their faith. But the

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mistake that they had made was in forgetting

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the... the fact of his presence while discerning

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the fact of the storm. That's exactly what Jesus

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meant when he said, without me you can do nothing.

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Why? He then is our faith. Without me you can

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do nothing. I can do nothing without him. Why?

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Because He is my faith. Without Him, you can

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do nothing. For He then is your faith. When we

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become defeated, when we fasten our eyes on circumstances,

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on our problems, on our weaknesses, on our physical

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illnesses, The surest way in the world to be

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defeated is to focus our mind on ourselves. The

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storm will capsize our little boat. Of that I

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am positive. If we get our eyes on ourselves,

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the storm will capsize your little boat. And

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yet the fact remains that our faith for victory

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is nearer to us than our hands or our feet. No

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person need ever be defeated on a single score.

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No person needs to lack faith for the victory.

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as long as they have their eyes on Jesus Christ.

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He is our faith. I'm wondering if in the stillness

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of this moment, he may be asking you the same

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question that he asked the disciples on that

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day. day as they were together on the waters

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of Galilee, when that terrific storm arose. They

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were terror -stricken, afraid. It was a moment

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of seemingly defeat for them. And then, Jesus

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asks just one question of them. Where is your

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faith? Somehow, through the darkness of this

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hour, can't you hear him asking you the same

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question? Child of mine, where is your faith?

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You've struggled so long. You prayed and yet

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it seemed as though nothing ever happened. Your

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waters have been so deep. The storm is still

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raging round about you. Be quiet. Be still. He's

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asking you the question. Where is your faith?

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Why, bless you, your faith is resting right there

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in the stern of the boat. Your faith is right

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there, closer to you than you ever dreamed possible.

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He is your faith. Feel his wonderful presence.

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Get your eyes off of circumstances. Get your

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eyes off of the storm. And put your sights on

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Jesus.