|
FAITH
IN
GOD
WORKS
MIRACLES
by
Pastor
Max
Solbrekken |
FAITH
IN GOD
WORKS
MIRACLES
"And
it shall
come to
pass,
that
whosoever
shall
call
upon the
name of
the Lord
shall be
saved."
(Acts
2:21)
"If
you can
believe,
all
things
are
possible
to him
who
believes."
(Mark
9:23)
- JESUS
CHRIST
This
world is
divided
into two
groups:
those
who make
it
happen
and
those
who ask,
"What
happened?"
The one
group
has
faith
and the
other
group
does
not.
The
battle
lines
are
drawn
between
believers
and
unbelievers,
the
faithful
and
those
without
with,
the optimists
and
pessimists;
people
of
action
and
those
who sit
on their
hands!
FAITH
IS
ACTION -
FAITH
WITHOUT
WORK IS
DEAD
Faith
is
action,
not just
words.
And
faith in
God
works
miracles!
The
Bible
says,
"Faith
without
work is
dead..."
(James
2:26)
Faith
sets the
wheels
in
motion
and gets
the job
done!
Although
our
believing
will get
results,
we must
have
patience,
faith and
perseverance.
This is why King
David
said,
"Submit
thy way
unto the
Lord,
trust
also in
Him and
He shall
bring it
to
pass".
(Psalms
37:5)
WE
ALL CAN
BE
DISCOURAGED,
BUT MUST
CONTINUE
TO HAVE
FAITH
Sometimes
we hit
dry
holes or
times of
discouragement,
we can slip a
step or
two
backwards
or even
take a
fall.
When this
happens,
we must
have
faith.
We pick
ourselves
up,
square
our
shoulders
and
march
forward
with
renewed,
stronger
faith.
We
must keep
on
keeping
on,
never
giving
up the
faith, regardless
of tough
times,
the
handicap
under
which we
labour.
These
trials
we live
through
are what
make us
stronger
and our
continued
faith in
God and
ourselves
pushes
us to
succeed.
CHRISTIANS
LEAD THE
WAY WITH
FAITH
A
perfect
example
of faith
is
Magnus
Patricus
who
returned
to pagan
Ireland
in the
fifth
century
as a
missionary
and
preached
the
Gospel
of
Christ
to the
same
Druids
who had
kidnapped
him! This
man
certainly
had
faith.
That
man -
known
today as
St.
Patrick
- was
such a
revolutionary
and had
such
faith in
God,
that
during a
30-year-period,
he won
100,000
pagans
to
Christ
and
changed
the
course
of
Ireland!
ONLY
FAITH
COULD
HAVE
PUSHED
FRANCIS
XAVIER
TO
ACCOMPLISH
WHAT HE
DID
Only
a
Spirit-filled
Evangelical
crusader
could
have
done
what
Francis
Xavier
accomplished
for the
Lord in
the 16th
Century.
He
wanted
to
become
an
engineer,
so that
he would
be
remembered.
Someone
encouraged
him to
enter
the
ministry.
I'm sure
he must
have
been
influenced
by the
writings
of
Martin
Luther,
because
he
became a
flaming
Missionary
Evangelist!
A great
revival
broke
loose in
India
and
30,000
Hindus
were
converted
to
Christ
and
baptized.
His
heart
yearned
to reach
the
pagan
land of
China
with the
Gospel,
but all
doors
were
closed.
Francis
Xavier
died in
1552 at
46 years
of age
still
trying
to
negotiate
entry
into
China.
Just
before
his
death he
cried
out: "O'
Thou
Great
Wall,
when
wilt
thou
open so
that the
Rock
(Jesus
Christ)
can come
inside"?
BILLY
GRAHAM
HAS
FAITH
Evangelical
preacher,
Billy
Graham
continues
to have
strong
faith
and to be a
conscience
to the
world,
preaching
the
Gospel
and
reminding
everyone
that the
'Blood
of Jesus
Christ'
shed by
God's
eternal
Son on
Golgotha
- so
many
years
ago - to
atone
for our
sins!
At
80 years
of age,
God's 'great
trumpeter',
Billy
Graham has no
plans to
retire,
even
though
he has
recently
suffered
ill
health
and
weakness.
This is
because
of his
strong
faith.
Faith
that
enables
you to
continue
to
believe,
continue
to push
forward.
A study
of Billy
Graham's
life is
indeed a
study in
faith!
CHECK
OUT THE
POLITICIANS
WHO HAVE
FAITH
Who
can not
help but
admire
former
USA
President
Ronald
Reagan.
President
Reagan,
a man who
fought
so long
to get
the top
job in
that
country?
This is
a man of
great
faith.
His
presidency
surged
with
energy
and
optimism
even
after an
assassin's
attempt
on his
life. He
still
continued
to have
faith in
the
world,
faith in
his
beliefs
and
faith
that he
could
defeat
communism.
His
legacy
will
always
be the
defeat
of world
communism
and the
dissolution
of the "Evil
(USSR)
Empire"!
Even
now, as
President
Ronald
Reagan
battled
the
unremitting
Alzheimer's
disease,
he keeps
his chin
up and
outlook
bright!
We
must
mention "the
little
guy from
Chiwingan",
PM Jean
Chretian,
the
politician
constantly
referred
to
during
the last
election
as "Yesterday's
Man"!
Although
his
credibility
has been
badly
damaged
due to
the
disastrous
outcome
of the
last
Quebec
Referendum
- many
charge
him of
being
asleep
at the
wheel -
Chretian
is
nevertheless
a man of
remarkable
courage
and
determination
and
faith.
Jean
Chretian
won
the last
election
by
promising
'JOBS,
JOBS,
JOBS'
and told
Canadians
to
simply
relax
and feel
good
about
themselves,
have
faith in
him and
in
theirselves,
and it
worked!
HOW
SAD,
HOWEVER,
THAT
EARLY
THIS
YEAR
MOST
CANADIANS
WERE
UNHAPPY,
DEPRESSED
AND
FELLING
HOPELESS
ABOUT
THEIR
FUTURE.
They had
certainly
lost
their
faith.
According
to a new
UN
report,
Canada
has the
highest
rate of
suicides
anywhere
in the
industrial
world.
Without
doubt,
our
nation
has
drifted
away
from our
moral
moorings
by
listening
to the
secularist,
immoral
and
perverted
pleadings
of the
out-of-step
segment
of
politicians
and
media,
who seek
to
justify
their
own
unrighteous
life-styles
by
brainwashing
others
to do
the
same!
And
what of
the man
who is
seeking
his job,
Preston
Manning,
the
leader
of the
feisty
group of
Reform
Party
MP's?
Although
they
have
been
derided
and
dismissed
as a
viable
alternative
to the
tired
old
political
parties,
the son
of
Alberta's
former irreproachable
Premier
Ernest
C.
Manning,
is
sounding
more
Prime
Ministerial
all the
time!
At
least
Preston
Manning
has a
sensible
and
realistic
approach
to the
possibility
of our
nation's
break-up,
the
necessity
of
changing
our
open-ended
immigration
policy
and
getting
Canada's
financial
house in
order!
When
you
consider
his
roots,
dedication
and his
clear-headed
common
sensible
thinking,
it would
certainly
not
surprise
me, if
one day
he rises
to the
very
top!
With the
recent
passing
of
Ernest
C.
Manning
- the
man
called 'the
Father
of
Modern
Alberta'
- many
are
longing
for that
kind of
leadership
from his
son!
TWO
GROUPS:
BUILDERS
&
WRECKING
CREW!
While
many
would
shirk
from
their
post and
shrink
away in
fear,
others
stand up
and are
counted
as men
of
faith.
They
have
faith in
God and
that is
the most
important.
When you
have
faith, everything
else
will
fall
into
place.
THE
PESSIMIST
&
THE
OPTIMIST
I
am an
optimist
with
trust
and
faith in
God for
today
and hope
for the
future!
The
pessimist
is a
prophet
of doom
while
the
optimist
is a
bearer
of glad
tidings.
Pessimism
is born
of
unbelief
and is a
negative
force
while
optimism
is the
product
of faith
and is a
positive
power!
Pessimism
kills,
negativism
destroys,
but
optimism
gives
opportunity
the
chance
to knock
on your
door.
There is
nothing
as dull
and
lifeless
as
pessimism
and
nothing
as
refreshing
as
optimism!
A
pessimist
breeds
discouragement
in the
livers
of
others,
while an
optimist
multiplies
the glow
in his
heart to
those
around
him!
PEOPLE
WITH
FAITH
SOLVE
PROBLEMS
- PEOPLE
WITHOUT
FAITH
CREATE
PROBLEMS
There
have
always
been two
groups
in every
society:
the ones
who
create
problems
and
those
who
solve
them!
Some are
part of
the 'builders'
and
others
make up
the 'wrecking
crew'.
A
certain
element
likes to
create
chaos
and are
labeled 'trouble
makers',
while
others
seek to
negotiate
as 'peace
makers'.
Jesus
rebuked
His
disciples
after
His
resurrection
for "their
unbelief
and
hardness
of heart
because
they
believed
not that
He was
risen
from the
dead"!
Herein
lies the
tragedy.
Far too
many are
guilty
of these
two sins
- unbelief
and
hardness
of heart
- today!
UNBELIEF
IS SIN
AND IS
THE
OPPOSITE
OF FAITH
Unbelief
is sin
and the
very
opposite
of
faith,
and a
hard
heart
can be
cruel,
condemning,
judgmental
and
critical!
I would
far
sooner
be "an
easy
mark"
for
those
seeking
to 'con'
me, than
to be
guilty
of being
hard-hearted!
Only
a real
encounter
with
Jesus
Christ
can
change
the
heart of
man. The
Bible
says,
"Without
faith it
is
impossible
to
please
God".
(Heb.
1:6),
but if
we can
believe,
all
things
are
possible!
And
that is
the very
best
news.
Continue
to have
faith
and you
will see
the
results.
|