God And Restoration.
Isaiah 42:22-23KJV
From Genesis 1, through Genesis 3, God is found creating. He spoke and it existed, All of creation was spoken into existence through the creative spoken words of God.
John 1, In the beginning John 1:1-5TM 1-2 The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. 3-5 Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!—came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.
From Genesis 4, through Revelation 22, the reader of God’s word, will find God restoring while bringing restoration to that which is lost.
God has called the earth to righteousness, He wants to hold our hands, He will keep thee, and give thee a covenant and be a light for the Gentiles.
Listen to, Isaiah 42: 22-23KJV But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
They have been taken in snares made by their own hands, and, by God’s just judgment, delivered into the hands of their enemies, and by them God’s enemy) cast into pits, or dungeons, and prisons. And none saith, Restore.
God is Restoration, He takes broken vessels, He gathers them up, He cleans and fixes the flaws, Sometimes, He crushes them to powder, so He can give them a complete makeover! He adds the right ingredients while putting the right mixture on His wheel. He takes His hands and forms the wet clay, He molds it, and makes it useful once more. He paints it and gives it color, but sometimes He buffets it, to make it completely smooth.
His complete mission is for His clay to become completely conformed to His will. Jeremiah 18—the Potter and the clay.
Isaiah 42:23…Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?
Paul writes, 2 Corinthians13:5 says,“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
Does that mean faith isn’t always what it appears to be? Apparently so.
2 Timothy 1:5, Paul tells Timothy that he recognizes his “unfeigned faith.” To feign means to fake, and Paul is saying here that he knows Timothy’s faith is unfeigned, or genuine, rather than fake.
That is why we are called to examine ourselves—to take an honest look at the state of our faith, so we can make adjustments and get on to victory!
Throughout the New Covenant, we can see faith spoken of in different ways.
No faith.
Little faith.
Great faith.
Romans 10:17KJV So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
God is moving upon the face of the earth— He’s working mightily; God’s greatest desire is for you to believe.
Isaiah 24:20KJV Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.
Matthew Henry—How many professed Christians are blind as the benighted—ignorant heathen! While the Lord is well-pleased in saving sinners through the righteousness of Christ He will also glorify His justice, by punishing all proud despisers.
My definition of the Proud despisers—are those that boast in the negative, making light of God, but failing to trust Him. Hearing, even seeing miracles, but throwing down on faith by a negative faith system. P.H
Many things can masquerade as the real thing but fail upon closer inspection.
Matthew 21:18-22TLB In the morning, as He was returning to Jerusalem, He was hungry 19 and noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “Never bear fruit again!” And soon the fig tree withered up. 20 The disciples were utterly amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” 21 Then Jesus told them, “Truly, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Move over into the ocean,’ and it will. 22 You can get anything—anything you ask for in prayer—if you believe.”
One of Jesus’ last command was for His disciples to wait, or tarry in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high. —Luke 24:49. So they waited ten days by faith.
In Acts 2:14-18NASB we can read some of the results, 14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams;18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy…
How many Sons and Daughters do we have in this house?
“Sons and Daughters—prophesies.’ ‘We speak- out and stand-upon what we say.’ ‘Our words are God words.” P.H
When you agree with God’s word you are in fact, prophesying. Agreement churns and releases mankind to move in faith.
Mark 11:20-24NASB As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.
You might say, “I don’t feel like I have faith.” The faith you have didn’t originate with you.
According to Romans 12:3, God gave us a measure of His own faith.
That means you have a measure of what created the universe in you. When you look at the night sky, the sun shining, the birds in the air, you have to remind yourself, “I have a measure of the faith that made those things inside of me.”
The Bible teaches that we have Christ in us; The anointing lives in us.
Ephesians 3:20TLB Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.
And then after Jesus told us to have, to obtain, and to walk and talk with faith in God, the next verse, He reiterates this in, Mark 11:23-24, Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.
Faith in God brings restoration; Faith in God is the heart of God—He longs to be believed.
Is your faith real? Here are 5 ways to examine your faith.
Do you overuse this phrase?
“Im believing God” —Many times we use the word believing for wishing, or wanting something. The Lord is saying, “There should be a great conviction as we talk about what we really have faith in and for.”
How does faith come? Faith comes by hearing not by you hearing yourself say—Im believing.
Rev. Keith Moore,“Don’t assume that because you’re saying you’re believing, you really are believing.”
The second way to examine you faith.
2. What are you standing on?
When you say, “I’m believing,” the next question to ask is: based on what?
Real faith has a real foundation. And that foundation is that you have heard from God about your situation either in His Word or by His speaking to your spirit.
“If you are standing on a scripture, it must be one that has been quickened to your spirit and within the context of all other scripture.” P.H
For example, you could say, “I’m believing Howard Strickland is going to come mow my grass and babysit my kids.”
But that is only possible if Howard Strickland told you that. You can’t have faith that he’ll do that unless you heard him tell you he would.
The same is true with God!
The third way to examine you faith.
3. Are you praying when you should be saying?
Mark 11:23b… but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.
Here is something very important to take note of—this scripture is not referring to prayer. It is an instruction directly from Jesus to us to speak to the mountain.
He didn’t say, “Beg God to move the mountain.” Jesus said you speak to the mountain!
In your situation, in your need, in your desire—examine yourself—are you praying when you should be saying?
There is tremendous power in saying. Jesus spoke to the wind, trees and even fevers.
In Luke 4:38-40, When Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever, Jesus came and rebuked it.
He didn’t pray or ask the Father to make the fever leave. He spoke directly to the fever using the same authority He has given to us.
Jesus said, Luke 10:19NASB Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
Two prayers God can’t answer:
Asking God to do something He’s already done.
2. Asking Him to do what He told you to do.
The fourth way to examine you faith.
4. Do you get results?
“Real faith in a real God gets real results every time.” That is one of the indicators of real faith.
There is no such thing as a faith failure because faith works every time.
Manifestations aren’t always instantaneous—there are times when patience needs to have its perfect work (James 1:4). But faith will always bring results because faith never fails.
Real faith doesn’t get frustrated. If you’re frustrated with your situation or frustrated with how long it is taking to see a manifestation—you’re not in faith. You believe you receive when you pray—not when it comes to pass.
The fifth way to examine you faith.
5. Are you acting on your faith?
You cannot successfully operate faith principles apart from being led by the Spirit. That’s why Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7, NKJV).
God will direct you when it comes to acting on your faith.
In John 2, on the occasion of the first miracle, we see this principle in action when they lacked wine at a wedding. Jesus’ mother asked Him to get involved in the situation and then told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).
When they paid attention, He gave a specific instruction to “fill the jars with water” (verse 7).
With many of the miracles that occurred in the Bible, Jesus gave specific instructions that led to a manifestation. So, if you’re needing a miracle in your life, be willing to act on your faith, and “do whatever He tells you.”
Say, Restoration. “God can restore the faith walk and the measure of faith He gave you. Come to Him!”
Benediction.
