Backward Faith

·        Proverbs 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

·        FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH; THEY REFUSE TO COEXIST. (Faith is the forward gear, fear is the reverse gear!)

·        Fear: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.

·        Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

·        Mark 4:40  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

·        FAITH AND FEAR EVENTUALLY WILL EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS

·        Job 3:25  For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

·        Joel 3:10  Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

·        2 Corinthians 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

·        FAITH DOESN’T MEAN PRETENDING THAT OBSTACLES DO NOT EXIST, IT MEANS REALIZING THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL REGARDLESS OF THE OBSTACLES!

·        Hebrews 10:35-38  ³⁵Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. ³⁶For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. ³⁷For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. ³⁸Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

·        YOU CAN HAVE FAITH FOR SOMETHING UNTIL IT OCCURS, OR YOU CAN HAVE FEAR FOR SOMETHING UNTIL IT OCCURS!

·        Luke 1:46-49  ⁴⁶And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. ⁴⁸For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. ⁴⁹For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

·        Psalm 34:3-4  ³O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. ⁴I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

·        Both Mary and David are MAGNIFYING THE LORD, looking at Him through His promises in the FUTURE TENSE. That’s FAITH!

·        Hebrews 11:1-2  ¹Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  ²For by it the elders obtained a good report.

·        FAITH TAKES THE “BINOCULARS OF LIFE” AND LOOKS THROUGH THE RIGHT END; FEAR LOOKS THROUGH THE WRONG END! (everything that should be big is small, and everything that should be small is big)

·        TWELVE SPIES IN NUMBERS 13 – fear caused them to magnify the size of their problems instead of the size of their God!

·        WHATEVER YOU GET CLOSE TO APPEARS BIGGER; WHATEVER YOU GET DISTANT FROM APPEARS SMALLER!

·        Psalm 100:1-5  ¹ Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.   ²Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ³Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  ⁴Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. ⁵For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

·        PRAISE IS DIFFERENT THAN THANKSGIVING! Thanksgiving is connected to what He has done; praise is linked to who He is!

·        IF WHAT YOU NEED IS MORE THAN WHAT HE HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE, THEN WHAT YOU SAY HAS TO BE MORE THAN WHAT YOU’VE ALREADY SEEN HIM DO!

·        Psalm 100:4 (MES)  Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise.

·        MOVE BEYOND THE “GATES” INTO THE “COURTS”!