Faith Is A Process

FAITH IS A PROCESS

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

Kyfingers@aol.com

TEXT:

Gen. 16:2 --- it may be that I may obtain children by her 5. And Sara said unto Abram, My wrong be up on You.

Gen. 18:13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh? 14. Is anything too hard for the Lord...

Gen. 18: 15 Then Sarah denied saying, I laughed nor; for she was afraid.

Gal. 4: 22 But he who was born of the bond woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise.

Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

Hebrews 10:36 FOR YE HAVE NEED OF PATIENCE, THAT AFTER YE HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, YE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE

I. DOES GOD HAVE TO DO THINGS OUR WAY?

A. I wonder why God does not do what we think He should, when we think He should?

B. I want no more pain and tears, what are You doing, God?

C. Sara knew God had a plan, but she had a better idea?

I wonder if her last name was Ford? Why, why?

D. God doesn’t want us to wait does He?

Couldn’t God give us a son now, or at least in 9 months?

E. Doctors have patients, I don’t need any, right God?

F. Sara has a little meeting of the natural minds that still causes problems in the middle east today.

G.All because my plan vs. God’s plan, which involves less tears and much less faith?

II. GOD I AM TELLING YOU DO IT MY WAY! NOW!

A. Come over here Hagar, let’s do the work of God.

We can help God, can’t we?

Gen. 16:2 --- it may be that I may obtain children by her.

5. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be up on You.

B. Is it amazing how easy it is to blame others for our choices?

We build something by our words and actions.

C. Not only did Sarah make some bad choice so did Hagar the bondwoman.

We can get angry at God for what time brings about, but the bondage of poor words and poor attitudes, bring about poor choices.

D. Why did Sarah deny laughing?

Fear? Fear of what? God grows his people by exposing to personalities with many different views, and molding us in unity to COME TOGETHER!

III. WHERE DO WE ACCEPT OUR CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES?

A. Personalities are not born, they are developed.

Gal. 4: 22 But he who was born of the bond woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise.

B. Read Genesis 16, Hagar and Ishmael had a promise, seems bitterness caused them to develop hatred toward others.

IV.How sad that bitterness and personality differences can hinder the PROMISES of God?

A.Yes, there is a promise, but why not now, anyway?

B. See, Sara and Hagar forgot FAITH IS A PROCESS, NOT A ONE TIME ACTION.

C. Faith is a journey that develops by choices. Just because we have personality differences --- does not have to stop us from blending.

E. What if Sarah and Hagar made better choices and blended with the promises of God?

V. WE ARE GROWING TOGETHER OR APART?

A. We are not just talking about battling personalities, this can become an internal problem with the flesh and spirit battling each other.

B. It is possible to fight and dislike yourself.

Do you have a victim spirit or a victory spirit?

C. God takes time and polishes His child into rare gems to sparkle the impossibilities of man, that are but naught to the Mighty God that rules the universe by His own time schedule, and in His own way.

VI. WE ARE ALL ON A JOURNEY.

A. Real reliance on God is not a final destination but the whole journey?

B. We seem to never attain completeness here?

C. How sad when we laugh at the Plan of God, then deny the laughter?

D. There is something worse than laughing at the Plan of God, it is crying and whining continually, for we fail to see the process and the growth towards the Light as a tool of the Hand of the Almighty.

VII. THIS IS NOT EASY!

Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

A. What?

There are two dirty words in the modern church,

one is submission and the other is patience.

B. We get so tired of the people we are around and if we were in a different place things would be different, WHAT A LIE??

C. We don’t need a different field, we need a different attitude?

D. We need to quit counting all the things we don’t have and start loving the things that we do have.