The Word Works!: ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE III

The human-kind of faith is based on knowledge or information obtained from the senses, that is, sensory perception. It is sense-knowledge faith, thus, it is really not faith in the actual sense, since faith is the evidence of things not seen or perceived with the senses (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, it’s possible to be faithless. Jesus appeared to His disciple when He resurrected from the dead. One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” Thomas said to them, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be unto you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:19-29). He said to Thomas, “…be not faithless…” So there are situations where people have no faith at all, zero faith. Thomas should have believed even though he hadn’t seen Jesus. Don't believe what you see, believe what God says. Another time Jesus was with His disciples on sea. Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water. Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with His head on a pillow. The disciples woke Him up and said, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Peace, be still,” and He said to the waves, “Peace, be still.” The wind died down, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40). He chided them for their lack of faith!

Do what God tells you. Your faith is strengthened as you put the Word to work. Have you seen people who can quote many scriptures but are always where they are? It’s because they’ve not learnt to put the words in them to work. As we discussed earlier, that leads to weak faith. We're Word-practitioners as Christians. We practise the Word because God’s Word is practicable. Refuse to complain, murmur, act or think as if the devil has the upper hand in anything that concerns you. When you read the Word and find out God has done such and such for you, keep praising Him for it. Stop asking! Everyday, you praise God because you know He's granted you heart's desires. That's faith! Exercise your faith. Just as lack of physical exercise makes your muscles weak, so also does lack of the faith-exercise make your faith muscles weak. Without exercising yourself, your body may be big but weak. The same way, your faith may appear much but weak, if you don't exercise it by doing the Word. You must become a Word-practitioner.

To experience the kind of life God desires for you, you should take good care of your tongue. Make up your mind you’re going to speak the right words only. Bible says, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). Another translation says, “Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim” (MSG). To reign in life, you’re going to be careful what to say and what not to say. There’s power in your tongue! What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words (Proverbs 18:21). Get this: “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23). Let’s see what other translations have to say: “Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief” (MSG); “If you want to stay out of trouble, be careful what you say” (GNB). There’re those who’ll say everything their eyes see. This ought not to be so. That’s why the Word tells us to be quick to listen, but slow to speak (James 1:19).

Do not just open your mouth for anything to come out. Choose your words carefully. James 3:2 tells us, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” Let’s see other translations of the same verse: “And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you'd have a perfect person, in perfect control of life” (MSG); “All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being” (GNB); “For we all make many a slip. If anyone never slips in speech, he is a man of maturity; he can control his whole body too” (WMSNT). We put a bit into the mouth of a horse to make it obey us, and we are able to make it go where we want. Or think of a ship: big as it is and driven by such strong winds, it can be steered by a very small rudder, and it goes wherever the pilot wants it to go.

So it is with the tongue: small as it is, it can boast about great things. Just think how large a forest can be set on fire by a tiny flame! (James 3:3-5). I love the Message Bible’s translation of verse 5: “A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything – or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire.” Oh, if only we would be careful about the words that proceed from our mouth. Those who keep complaining are going to always have their case worsened because they’re talking wrong. Let’s take a look at 1 Peter 3:10: “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:” This is what you’re to do. Let me add this: Quit wanting to be somebody else. Have value for yourself. God doesn’t want us to be the same because we cannot all be the same. If you don’t value yourself, you cannot value others. You are unique the way you are.

When someone inspires you, it’s okay to learn from him. Do not necessarily desire to be exactly like him. You could even be better that he is, but because you want to become like him you limit yourself in so many ways. God already has that person and he doesn’t need a duplicate of him. He needs you now! Sow the right seed into your personality. Do not give yourself out to just anything. The messages you hear and see are what you receive, and they become seeds in you. The good news is that you can make adjustment the same way you received the first seeds. You become the character of the seeds you sow. In other words, you become what you allow into you. You think what you have in you. The Bible says, “…as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7). You think what you have in you, and you become what you think. Choose to hear words that inspire you and get away from things that demean you.

When we speak evil and hurtful words to others, we destroy the programming of our lives. 1 Peter 3:10 tells us to make sure we speak no guile, when we love life and want to see good days. There’re people we’ve been trying to change to become like us. Quit trying to change somebody. You cannot change anybody. Don’t be praying for someone to be changed in one way or the other. Rather, see them the way that God sees them. One time a woman complained about her daughter to a pastor. The man of God told her that the problem wasn’t her daughter but herself. She wasn’t seeing her daughter the right way. For this reason, the pastor had to counsel her to see her daughter as a good and happy girl. She received a sheet of paper from the pastor on which he wrote something she was to always confess concerning her daughter. She did as she was instructed. A few days later, her daughter left a man in the hotel room and ran to her mother at home. There she accepted Jesus as her Lord and personal Saviour.

Choose to see people the way God sees them; they are unique the way they are. I love this statement from the Apostle Paul: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Refuse to have the holier than thou attitude when you want to win people to Christ. This will put them off; see what Paul had to do to win people to Christ. Understand their situation and know how to talk to them.

We should see in people the way God wants them to be and not how we want to see and have them to be. Love people the way they are. Trying to change other people is never going to work. When we try to do that then we’re trying to say we’re better than them. God’s expression of Jesus is a spiritual mirror. As we look at Him, the more we become (2 Corinthians 3:18). Those that you know will eventually improve to be who God wants them to be and not what you want them to be. Quit judging people. Just see the best part of them and forget their bad side. This will make you love them; the more you look at their bad side, the more you’re going to hate them. God looks at the best side of us. We’ve put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). When God looks at us, He sees nothing than Jesus. He sees us as righteous as He is. That’s why we’re bold in His presence (Hebrews 4:16).

“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). The Word tells us to mind our business. Stop looking into your neighbour’s business; stop looking into their family. When you do that, you’re going to end up comparing yourself to them. You’re unique and different from them, and the same applies to how you do your business. If not, you’re not going to concentrate on them even when things are going wrong in yours. As long as you are going to look into theirs, you are not going to be happy. There are also others who are always responsible for breaking news. Whatever they see, they’ll quickly spread. They are always finding something to say about their neighbour’s family or business. Seek the wellbeing of others in the same way you want to do well. As I said earlier do not compare your family to your friend or neighbour’s.

We sometimes say, “My friend’s family is not like this or that. Why can’t you be like him or her? Her husband bought this and that for her so get the same thing for me?” You see, that’s wrong! No matter the character your wife or husband puts up with, just learn to cope; always see the best part of them and make the right confessions concerning them. You should even do same with your children. Just be careful in your dealing with men. When the Jews came to Jesus with the woman who was caught in adultery, He ignored them and continued to write on the floor (John 8:3-9). That’s what God does to those who keep judging other people. God ignores them. And that’s why they are not making progress in their lives. Jesus died for us all, so we could be free to serve God. We’re to be careful not to hinder people from freely serving God. Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).

There are a few statements from one of the apostles of faith, Smith Wigglesworth that also inspires me. I believe they’ll be a blessing to you as well. They are as follows:

Ø "ONLY BELIEVE" - "FAITH IS AN ACT!"

Ø "I'M NOT MOVED BY WHAT I SEE, I'M ONLY MOVED BY WHAT I BELIEVE"

Ø "GOD GIVES THE MORE TO US, THE MORE WE BELIEVE IN HIM"

Ø "Don't pray for the sick, HEAL THE SICK!"

Ø "If the Holy Spirit does not move me, I move the Holy Spirit." "I don't wait until I feel anointed" - "I act on faith" - "If I do this then God will move towards me." Stir up the gift that is within YOU.

Ø "FAITH ACTED ON LEADS TO MORE FAITH." "HAVE THE FAITH OF GOD" MARK 11:22.

Ø "HAVE THE FAITH OF CHRIST" (Imparted faith) (GALATIANS 2:20).

Ø "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."

Ø "GOD SAID IT, I BELIEVE IT - THAT SETTLES IT!"

As I conclude, I want to remind you once more. Study and meditate on God’s Word. Let it fill every fibre of your being. As you study, put your faith to work, hence making it strong. The more you put your faith to work, the stronger it becomes. You can do anything, for all things are possible. There are several messages on this site that will be of help. Never say you’ve read a message once so that’s all. A preacher wrote in his book that he’s got messages that are over ten years old that he still listens to. This is why I’m amazed when people say they’ve read the Bible from cover to cover so that’s all. The Word of God is undated, therefore it doesn’t expire. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but God’s Word will stand forever! (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). Appreciate God for where you are now. That you can even hear and understand His Word is a blessing. There are those that reject them, not because you are better than them but because you were given the grace to understand God’s Word.

Take the words in this message with you. If there should be any book in your library or shelf, this should be one of them. You are free to take out prints and share with family and friends. I know, I know and I know that you’re not the same after reading this message. Keep reading over and over, until you’re so certain and sure about what God says about you! And it’s my prayer that you’ll get to know the Lord more and more, that when men see you, they’ll know that you’ve been with the Lord. That you’ll be filled with testimonies while you put the Word to work.