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Faith
in
God
WORKS
MIRACLES
by Pastor Max Solbrekken
"If
you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark
9:23) "Without
faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews
1:6)
FAITH
IN GOD WORKS MIRACLES
There
are 2 groups of people: Those with faith and those without
faith. 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 faith, the optimists and pessimists;
people of action and those who sit on their hands!
What
is faith? Faith is action, not just words. You can
say anything you want, but if you don't act on what you say,
there will be no results. Your words must be backed up
with action.
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)
EVEN
IF WE ARE DISCOURAGED, WE MUST 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 handicaps under which we labour. These
trials we live through are what make us stronger and our
continued faith in God and in 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
Without
faith we will fail. Only a Spirit-filled Evangelical
crusader could have done what Francis Xavier accomplished for
the Lord in the 16th Century.
Francis
Xavier 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 IS A GREAT MAN OF 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?
RONALD
REAGAN WAS A MAN OF GREAT FAITH
Ronald
Reagan was a great president and the faith of President Reagan
kept him strong. 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"!
President
Ronald Reagan battled the unremitting Alzheimer's disease but he
kept his chin up and his 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 their selves, and it
worked!
CANADA
SEEMS TO HAVE LOST THE FAITH
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!
WHEN
YOU HAVE FAITH, EVERYTHING WILL FALL INTO PLACE
There
are two groups of people: builders & wrecking
crews. 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.
OPTIMISTS
HAVE FAITH
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!
PESSIMISTS
DO NOT HAVE FAITH
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 give encouragement and optimism to
others and are people that you want to surround yourself with.
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'.
PEOPLE
WITHOUT FAITH CREATE PROBLEMS
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 people are guilty of these two
sins - unbelief and hardness of heart.
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".
(Hebrews 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, because faith in God will work miracles,
you just have to believe!
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