BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

That’s what the faith heroes did all through the Bible. Think about Noah, for example. He received a word from God about a coming flood and he chose to believe that word and act on it. He didn’t have to. He could have said, “That’s too wild. It’s too far out!” and ignored what God said. But he didn’t, otherwise none of us would be here. Instead, as Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” He went to work on a boat, with no one to help him but his family, that some scholars estimate took him close to 100 years to build. What’s more, the whole time, he kept telling people what God had said and preaching righteousness to them (2 Peter 2:5). Can you even imagine how people must have mocked him? No one at that time had ever seen rain. The earth had always been watered from the ground up. Yet, here Noah was building this huge monstrosity and looking to all the world like a fool. “Crazy old Noah,” they must have said. But he persevered. He believed the promise of God, confessed it with His mouth, and acted on it. As a result, he and his family were supernaturally preserved and protected. Rather than being in the dark when the flood hit, they were in the ark! That’s where we all want to be when trouble hits. We want to be in the ark of God’s supernatural protection. We want to be walking by faith in Him because He’s our only shelter in this crazy mixed-up world. I wouldn’t even want to live on this earth without God. If I didn’t have the security that comes from faith in Him and His Word, I’d just want to get out of this place. I remember what it was like when Ken and I had no one but ourselves to depend on to put food on our table and meet our needs—and I didn’t like it. I don’t ever want to live like that again. Do you? “No,” you might say, “I want to live by faith. But I don’t know if I can do it.” Sure, you can! If you’ve been born again, God has already equipped you with everything it takes. He’s put His very own faith in you as a part of your new nature. He’s provided you with the written Word to read and meditate on. And via the internet and TV, He’s made it possible for you to hear good Word of Faith preaching not only when you go to church but anytime you want. Talk about BLESSED! As Christians in this day and age, when it comes to living by faith in God’s Word, we have more going for us than any other generation. So, take full advantage of it, and as you do, remember these three vital truths: Truth No. 1: Faith comes! How does it come? Exactly the way Romans 10:17 says: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Notice that verse doesn’t say faith sometimes comes by hearing the Word. It says when you hear the Word faith comes. Period. Every time, if you believe it. That’s good news! It means you’re in the driver’s seat. You don’t have to settle for being a faith weakling, always depending on someone else to believe God on your behalf. You don’t have to sit around just hoping and waiting for God to pick you out of the crowd, and say, “I think I’ll give that person some faith.” No! You can increase in faith anytime you choose. All you have to do is attend to what God says in the Bible, because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Truth No. 2: Faith is mouth and motion. This is where a lot of Christians miss it. They think faith is just mentally agreeing with the Scriptures; that it’s simply holding the general belief that the Bible is true. But real faith is much more than that. It’s putting God’s Word in your mouth and saying what He says about you and your situation. It’s acting in every circumstance as if what God said about it is true. BVOV : 45

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