We look at Spiritual things as if they are always some big mystery in which we must first solve before we can apply them in our lives. In truth, they should be applied with the same care and common sense as we do with natural things. If many of us had only used care, and common sense with many of our spiritual applications, we would be sitting much better when it comes to reaping what we have sowed. The natural part of life seem so easy, you would think. If I hope to drop a few pounds, I wouldn’t normally go and consume more calories every day. I would bring to pass the dropping of a few pounds in which I hoped for if I only use some care and some common sense. So I always dreamed of home ownership, but I shouldn’t make my plans of home ownership based on the income of my dreams. I must make my plans based on the income that I actually make. This all sounds so caring, with common sense to boot; but you would be so surprised of the things that people do, while knowing that they shouldn’t do them. The spiritual part is no party for most either, but if you let Jesus tell it, and I will, he doesn’t see it as being so bad: Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Yeah, that is easy and light to say if you are the Son of God one might say; however, we are speaking of the one who died on the cross to pay for sins in which He did not commit. So let’s slow our roll, and live and learn: Which Comes First, The Belief Or The Faith?

Let’s take Jesus himself for example. So would an unsaved person come to Jesus first by belief, or first by faith? This is not the answer that I am giving for this example; however, having come to Jesus years ago as a child in an act of faith; and riding on the belief of my parents, I will tell the unsaved to get to Jesus any which way you can. If you just get to Jesus in any manner, you can’t go wrong, and the order of things will take care of itself! Now, since all spiritual applications will not just work themselves out with you like Jesus will regardless, for the sake of all of those who will work accordingly to the Will of the Father, lets step to all applications correctly as is our intent. I say this because the Father does not want us to do bad spiritually, when it is only our intent to do accordingly to His Will. When you have to make a decision to be applied spiritually, treat it like it’s natural, and do your homework on it before you move on it. We are not suppose to make a bad decision, and just hope that all things will work together for our good. We have been given the measure of faith that we need to work things together for our good. Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” We all have the measure of faith given to us before we will have the belief to use it. Man was not really created initially to choose what to believe, but to obey what he heard God say to him. In the garden of Eden, the choice for man to believe was the Word that he heard from God, and obedience was the faith of man. There was no faith needed by man in the garden since there was nothing he needed to hope for at the time. And if there is no need for hope, there is no hope needed to draw faith substance: Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

In the new testament, that original concept still drives how we walk in the Word of God: Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” There is a measure of faith given to every man already there to move on the Word of God when heard as the act of obedience. The process in the faith operation requires that we develop our skill level in order to move when God wants us to move. And unlike in the garden of Eden, there are more choices to be heard along with the Word of God by which we can be moved. So the faith to move maybe there first because of the measure already given, but the time to move in faith should only come when you believe. You are not required spiritually just to move in faith because it is there first, but the Father wants you to move in the faith that you believe. Matthew 21:21, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” So you can have faith, but you shall not be able to bring to pass that which you hoped for if you do not believe. The faith is there first, but it is not activated for victory until you hear what you believe. Once you hear what you believe, then you will be moving in activated faith. Now people move in faith before the real reason of belief moves them, because they know that they should be moving. When you move in faith without the belief that moves you, the power of the two together will be missing. When faith and belief work together, they literally move you; and you won’t have to drag yourself by your lesser power to operate. I was going to fix something attached to the shower not long ago, but I just kept putting it off. I already had the faith to do it, and I knew it should be done, but I just wasn’t moved to get it done. Then I heard the word that I believed: it was a word of power that moved me, and I jumped right up and had it done in no time after weeks of putting it off. This simple natural example is how we need to operate when it comes to our faith. We need to apply our faith with the power that comes from the Word in which we believe, and it will literally move us to act. So do not just move in your faith operations in faith that you are dragging in to move forward. You want to produce the fruit of the spirit of patience, and wait to use your faith when the Word comes in which you believe. There will be no doubt when it is time to move because once you hear the word that you believe, it will move you into action. So Which Comes First, The Belief Or The Faith? They must come forth together, and then that what you hope for shall happen.

The Father Still Does Love To Do The Body good.

Adopted son.