News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

Faith is...

'Faith is...
Remembering
I am God's
priceless treasure
when I feel
utterly worthless.' -

By: Pamela Reeve

--

'Little faith will bring your soul to heaven;
great faith will bring heaven to your soul.'

--Charles H. Spurgeon

Faith is...

TRUSTING GOD ~~

'When I doubt His love, I hold to His wisdom.
When I can't understand His justice, I cling to His mercies.
When I wonder about His faithfulness, I cherish His grace.
When I fear His sovereignty, I bow to His holiness.
And in that my heart can rest.' ~~
--
--Verdell Davis

--Faith in Difficulty
By: Dave Dravecky

~~Looking back, [my wife] Jan and I have learned that the wilderness is part of the landscape of faith, and every bit as essential as the mountaintop.

On the mountaintop we are overwhelmed by God's presence. In the wilderness we are overwhelmed by his absence. Both places should bring us to our knees; the one, in utter awe; the other, in utter dependence. ~~
----
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith...

'When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.'

--Helen Keller

------
'Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings!'
--

--Phillips Brooks

--A Faith-Filled Outlook
--Read | Genesis 39:21-40:8 -(Recommended Reading)

If anyone had reason to be discouraged, Joseph did. His mother died when he was a boy. His brothers hated him, sold him into slavery, and convinced his father that he was dead. Joseph worked hard in Potiphar’s household but ended up in prison because of false allegations. Yet he was not an angry person.

The Hebrew slave maintained his faith- filled outlook because he consistently relied upon God, who was always with him. Even in prison, Joseph was given responsibility over others (vv. 21-22). Like that righteous young man, we might also be “held captive”—by unemployment, ill health, or a difficult relationship. In those hard places, we can nevertheless experience our Father’s presence and thrive: His Holy Spirit will produce godly fruit in us when we depend upon Him (Gal. 5:22-23).

Whatever his circumstances were, Joseph refused to focus on himself. When two royal servants were jailed, he had compassion for them and gave them aid. In times of both blessing and crisis, we are to help others in any way we can (2 Cor. 1:3-4). And notice, too, how Joseph didn’t shrink back from speaking boldly about God to these men and to Pharaoh. He told the Egyptian leader that the answer he sought regarding his dreams would come from the Lord (Gen. 41:16).

Whether enslaved, imprisoned, or serving as Pharaoh’s second-in-command, Joseph flourished. He endured much hardship but saw that the Lord had used it for good (Gen. 50:19-20). Because the Holy Spirit’s presence is within us, we—like Joseph—can have a faith-filled perspective that glorifies God.

--IN TOUCH

--FAITH OF OUR FATHERS--

--History shows that many of the leaders who founded the United States of America were people of deep faith in Jesus Christ. As an entire culture now seems intent on abandoning that faith--the very foundation that made this nation great--we offer the following words as a reminder and a challenge to live for Christ today..~~ [Decision Magazine]
~~~~~~~~~~
-"I...recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins."~~

--Samuel Adams
--Father of the American Revolution,
-Signer of the Declaration of Independence
-------------
-"My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the Cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come,Lord Jesus! Come Quickly!

--Benjamin Rush
-Signer of the Declaration of Independence
-------------
-"Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved Son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife and with worthy children. His protection has companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also gives me abundant reason to be contented and thankful. Blessed be His holy name!"

--John Jay
-First Chief Justice of
the U.S. Supreme Court ~~
------------
-"I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation any any other [Acts 4:12]. ..If you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish."

--John Witherspoon
-Signer of the Declaration of Independence~~
------------
--"On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts."

--Charles Carroll
--Signer of the Declaration of Independence~~

----------
--"Being a Christian...is a character which I prize far above all this world has or can boast."

--Patrick Henry
-Governor of Virginia, Patriot ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
--MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA! ~~ IN GOD WE TRUST!~~
~~~~~~~~~~~

--JESUS WELCOMES YOU, 'COME'
--(John 20:24-31)

'Blessed are those
who have not
seen and yet have
believed.' (v.29)
----
-CHARLOTTE Elliott wrote the hymn "Just As I am" in 1834. She had been an invalid for many years, and though she wanted to help with a fund-raiser for a girl's school, she was too ill. She felt useless, and this inner distress caused her to begin doubting her faith in Christ. She wrote "Just As I Am" as a response to her doubt. The crux of her distress is perhaps best expressed in these words:
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Three days after His death and burial, Jesus rose from the grave and invited the disciple whom history has nicknamed "Doubting Thomas" to examine the marks of His crucifixion (John 20:27). When Thomas touched Jesus' wounds, he finally believed in the resurrection. Christ responded, "Thomas because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (v.29)

As Christians today, we are the ones who have not seen but still believe. Yet at times our earthly circumstances create serious questions in our souls. Even then, we cry out: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)
Jesus welcomes us to come to Him just as we are. ~~
----
-THE RISEN CHRIST OPENS THE DOOR FOR YOU TO HAVE FULNESS OF LIFE. ~~
--ODB/JBS

---FEAR OR FAITH~~

-"As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread--only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it--and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son."

--(1 KINGS 17:12-13)--
-------
--These verses sound a little strange to us. Why would God tell Elijah to go to the home of an impoverished widow and ask for the last bit of food she had for her and her child? God knew the greatest challenge this woman faced wasn't hunger or poverty--it was fear. And if Elijah could help her overcome her fear, the rest of her challenges could be resolved. Our circumstances may be different, but we all face the tension between fear and faith, between anxiety having the courage to say, "I will trust the Lord."

-"Heavenly Father, I know that the challenges of my days on the earth will change, but they will never go away. I choose to turn away from fear and my own weakness and trust You because of who You are and the provision and abundance You have promised. You are a mighty God and greatly to be praised! In Jesus' name, amen.~~

--Facing Each Day With the Strength of God's Word/GAJ~

----- --RELIGIOUS FAITH and EVOLUTION ARE INCOMPATIBLE!

--- The Dirty Little Secret Is Out: Religious Faith and Evolution Are Incompatible
---[BY FRANK SHERWIN, M.A. *--[March 20, 2009 / ICR] / LINK AT BOTTOM


---In a recent book review, Jerry Coyne, professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago, admitted that the secular worldview of macroevolution (the development of complex life from “simpler” forms) is at odds with Christian faith. Creation scientists have been saying this for decades: Darwinism is not merely science, but a God-rejecting belief system that directly opposes the events recorded in Scripture. This is plainly seen from the stark contrast between the Bible’s assertion -- “In the beginning, God,” / and secular science’s counter “In the beginning, hydrogen.”1

Dr. Coyne is remarkably inclusive in his exclusion of the faithful from the realms of legitimate science:

I am not claiming that all faith is incompatible with science and secular reason….But the vast majority of the faithful—those 90 percent of Americans who believe in a personal God, most Muslims, Jews, and Hindus, and adherents to hundreds of other faiths—fall into the “incompatible” category.2

Coyne said that the “disharmony” between faith and science (which he definitively links with Darwinism) is “a dirty little secret in scientific circles. It is in our personal and professional interest to proclaim that science and religion are perfectly harmonious.” Why would secular scientists who are so opposed to the biblical worldview resort to pretending that Christian faith and evolution are compatible? Coyne provided reasons.

After all, we want our grants funded by the government, and our schoolchildren exposed to real science instead of creationism. Liberal religious people have been important allies in our struggle against creationism, and it is not pleasant to alienate them by declaring how we feel. This is why, as a tactical matter, groups such as the National Academy of Sciences claim that religion and science do not conflict. But their main evidence—the existence of religious scientists—is wearing thin as scientists grow ever more vociferous about their lack of faith.2

Thus, Coyne considers those “religious” people who don’t really believe Genesis as history to be allies, having used them as an effective tactic in his “struggle against creationism.” In fact, he calls the straightforward acceptance of Scripture “the most primitive of JudeoChristian sensibilities.” Given his aggressive hostility to matters of faith, can there be any doubt that these issues of origins—creation or evolution—are fundamentally spiritual, and not purely scientific, in nature?

There certainly are many in the scientific community who are increasingly outspoken regarding their lack of faith in God. However, others—like creation scientists—are open to objectively following the scientific evidence, even when it points to a Creator, such as a Nobel Prize winner who said, “Somehow intelligence must have been involved in the laws of the universe.”3

Indeed, even the late L. Harrison Matthews, FRS, an evolutionary biologist like Coyne, said:

The fact of evolution is the backbone of biology, and biology is thus in the peculiar position of being a science founded on an unproved theory—is it then a science or a faith? Belief in the theory of evolution is thus exactly parallel to belief in special creation—both are concepts which believers know to be true but neither, up to the present, has been capable of proof.4

Although 100 percent empirical proof is unattainable for either faith in God or faith in no God, the evidence in favor of creation is certainly beyond reasonable doubt.5 Because the discoveries from real, operational science are remarkably consistent with biblical revelation, an understanding of God’s Word stands only to gain from science. Spread the news that the truth has finally been openly admitted by an evolutionary scientist: Darwinism contradicts Christianity. Not only is macroevolution irrelevant to science, it is antithetical to a true faith in God.
<https://www.icr.org/article/dirty-little-secret-out-religious-faith-evolution->
-----------

---DO YOU HAVE FAITH?

"But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." -(Hebrews 11:6 /KJV)-

~~Some years ago I met an older man who was not a Christian. I talked to him about the Lord, encouraging him to have faith in God. He asked, "How can I have faith?" That's a good question, and it raises another: How can we help someone to have personal faith in God? Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." One person cannot cause another to believe in God and the Bible; this is a personal matter. Within each soul, God has placed the power to believe that He is and that everything written in His Word is true.

Faith will do several things for us. (1) Faith gives us a right understanding of God's creation. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God" (Hebrews 11:3). (2) Faith brings healing and forgiveness. In the New Testament, many people received these blessings by coming to Jesus and believing in Him. (3) Faith obtains justification and peace. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Romans 5:1). To be justified is the wonder of a sinner being declared righteous by God. (4) Faith is the means of overcoming the world. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

As we face the unknown, we need faith to believe that God will give us grace for every future situation. Paul asked the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh. But God lovingly told him, "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12:9)--and Paul was content. Do we have faith like that? ~~

--"Beside Still Waters"/CM~--"The Change In Me"-(lyrics) //Casting Crowns=<https://youtu.be/p8TCZiy5A2A>
~~~~~~

-"For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith" [1 John 5:4].

~~~GOD'S WAITING ROOM ~~

---We don’t like to wait. We’re the giddy-up generation. We frown at the person who takes eleven items to the ten item express checkout. We drum our fingers while the microwave heats our coffee. “Come on, come on, come on!” We don’t like to wait.

But look around you. Do you realize where we sit? This planet is God’s waiting room. The young couple? Waiting to get pregnant. The guy with the briefcase? Waiting for work. Waiting on God to give, to help. Waiting on God to come. This is the land of waiting.

And you? Are you in God’s waiting room? You may be infertile, or inactive, in limbo, in between jobs, or in search of a house, spouse, health, or help. Here’s what you need to know: while you wait, God works. God never twiddles His thumbs. He never stops. Just because you’re idle, don’t assume God is. Trust Him. In the right time, you’ll get through this. ~~

~~"You'll Get Through This"/ML~

--"Without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he rewards them that diligently seek him."
----[Hebrews 11:6]

--"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written. The just shall live by faith."-
---[Romans 1:17]
~~~~~~~~

--The Urgent Call ~~

~"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
---(Philippians 3:14)

AS I WAITED to board my flight in the Atlanta airport, I noticed a man walking hurriedly down the concourse. He was taking as long a stride a he could without actually running. His wheeled suitcase clicked rapidly across the occasional tiled crosswalk. He pulled out his phone now and again to check the fleeting time. With his coat flying out behind him, the man bent forward in an urgency to get to his gate before the flight left without him Urgency! We all face moments when we wish we had more time, so we press forward with an earnest desire to accomplish all that we can in the time we have left. We place our faith in this world rather than in God's Word.

Today's key verse speaks of pressing toward the mark for the prize of our high calling. That word press is translate form the same Greek word that is rendered persecuted in Acts 22:4, where Paul was describing how he had pursued the Christians. Before his conversion, Paul was urgent in his quest to eliminate what he perceived as a threat to the Jewish religion. Now he was telling the believers to exercise the same urgency for God's kingdom!

Why have so many professing believers today succumbed to spiritual lethargy and apathy? Those who are casual and careless about the Christian life will not make in the the end! This world's culture will diminish our sense of urgency if we focus on the material and sensual aspects of life. The effects of that are all too evident in Christianity today. The high calling of God is an urgent call to walk closely and intimately with God. ~~

--'Beside Still Waters/' NS

--"What Faith Can Do" // Kutless (lyric video) <https://youtu.be/3BQUAfC2jhU>
~~~~~~~