Applied Faith
By: Pastor Donny Granberry
For the last few weeks we have been taking practical Christian principles and discussing how to make them become effective in our lives.
For instance, when you got into vehicle this morning to come to church, you would not have made it here without fuel.
Although you filled it up when you purchased it, you have had to reapply fuel to the storage tank many times.
If you continually pass by fuel stations, you will go empty.
The engine will not run unless you continually apply oil to it.
In our Christian walk, we must apply basic biblical principles if we are to continue in our relationship with God.
Apply – means to put to use, especially for some practical purpose, to bring into action, or to lay or spread on. Apply.
Today I want to bring into revelation how we must apply faith in our relationship with God.
Romans 12:1-3 KJV
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
I have had people tell me, I just don’t have as much faith as you do, or I don’t have as much faith as so and so.
How about, the real problem is that you just do not exercise your faith enough.
God does not give one person more faith than he gives another.
ILLUSTRATION
Let’s say that I give you a 25 pound sack of corn, and that is all you will ever have.
You love corn and want to enjoy it for the rest of your life.
The only way that will be possible is for you to invest, or sow a portion of the seed for the future.
For the corn to grow, or reproduce, it must be used.
Faith allows us to believe in what we cannot see and trust in the things we are striving for.
ILLUSTRATION
The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet.
Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall.
The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.
Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.
Numbers 13:
The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."
3 So at the LORD’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.) 27 They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.
14:1 That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.
Let’s take a look at what we will call Faith Destroyers.
I. Faith Can Be Destroyed When You Change!
The Lord told Moses, every place you set your foot, that land will I give you. They changed God’s plan.
Moses, God’s man to lead Israel, did what was reasonably right instead of what God had told him.
18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.
It seemed reasonable to check out the enemy, but God had already given the enemy to them.
Moses forgot that God had given him the greatest military leader in the world, in Joshua.
Joshua and Caleb are telling him, we must go up immediately and take possession of the Land. We can certainly do it.
What Moses did not know is tat all of the land had heard of how God had delivered Pharaoh and his army into their hands and they were terrified of Israel.
II. Faith Can Be Destroyed By What You Hear and See
They army that defeated them was their very own.
They were defeated from a lack of faith, and not a powerful enemy.
But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.
How often does God ask things from us and we say, God, I would love to but….
About a year or so ago I told the Lord that I would love for our church to be able to give to missions like some of the other churches that I see, but we are not able to yet.
The Lord told me to go ahead and give like them.
• I said, but Lord, we are in a building program.
• I said, Lord, we need to put our extra funds in the building.
• Lord, the timing is not right.
To make a long story short, last year, this church tripled in missions giving.
In a few minutes we will be raising funds for Fire Bibles, and the enemy is going to give you many reasons why you cannot give in this offering.
• You need a new or newer car.
• Little Johnny needs braces.
• Right now the economy is not stable.
• Your home needs repairs
Central, if we are going to possess the promises of God, we cannot look at the obstacles, but at the opportunity.
III. Faith Can Be Destroyed When We Forget The Past
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.
14:1 That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.
• The Children of Israel had forgotten what happened 40 days before.
• They had forgotten about the bitter waters becoming sweet.
• They had forgotten about where the manna came from that morning.
Faith is not something just to be talked about, but something that must be demonstrated.
Church, faith is exercised, or grown, when it is put into practice.
Faith can become increased when we begin to apply it.
One of the best ways to apply faith is to help others.
• Mark 2: In Capernaum, it was noised that Jesus was in the house. Four men took their friend to where Jesus was. They could not get in, so they made a hole in the roof and let him down on his stretcher.
• Matthew 11: John is in prison. Sends some of his followers to Christ to ask if He is the one to come or if they should look for another. Tell John the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
(John was in prison, yet thinking of others instead of himself)
One of the best ways to increase, or to apply our faith is in helping others.
