Contents Introduction 1 Unwavering, Uncompromising Faith 2 A Lineage of Faith 3 The Heritage of Faith 4 The Reward of Faith 5 Holding Faith 6 Resisting Satan 7 Waging Spiritual Warfare Conclusion: A Legacy of Faith Introduction Some time ago the Spirit of the Lord impressed a message upon my heart which I shared in a Believers' Convention in Australia. Since that time He has expanded and expounded upon that basic message, adding new insight into some things from His Word that we have all embraced and held dear for a number of years now. That vital message from the Spirit and Word of the Lord has been growing bigger and bigger on the inside of me, and I have been tremendously blessed by it. I believe you will be too. I have been preaching it everywhere I go and have put together a series of cassette tapes on it. It has become a revelation to many hundreds of people. I believe that if you will allow it to do so, it will minister to you just as it has to all these others. It will cause an understanding of the life of faith to drop down into your spirit that you have never known before in your entire life. The Word of God is so exciting and so inexhaustible. Just about the time we think we have learned all there is to know about a certain verse or passage of Scripture, the Lord will show us that there is much more revelation knowledge to be gained from it. In Isaiah 33:6 we are told, ...wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.... If there is one thing the Body of Christ needs today, it is stability. We are living in a very shaky world and in very unsettled times. I don't know about you, but I would hate to think that I had to live in this day and hour without the Word of God. I would hate to think that I was without Christ, without the ability to tap into a higher knowledge than that offered by the world in which we live. Thank God that we have access to wisdom that comes from above. With that revelation knowledge and that divine wisdom, we can find stability in a very unstable environment. "The Faith Message Is Over"? ...the just shall live by faith.... Hebrews 10:38 One of the reasons the Spirit of the Lord kept dealing with me to study and speak about the subject I am sharing with you in these pages is because of the wrong attitude that has seemed to develop in recent years. I kept hearing people, even preachers, say that the faith message is no longer needed. One minister even had the audacity to tell me to my face, "That message that you and Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin and people like you preach was good for the sixties and the seventies and even the eighties, but it is not the message of the nineties." That is the most foolish thing I have ever heard in my life! In this study we are going to be answering some vital questions about the subject of faith as we look at what God has to say about it in His Word. I believe that if you will follow this message closely with an open heart and mind, the Spirit of the Lord will build up such an immune system within you that when you hear people say such ridiculous things, you will be all the more determined to do as God says and continue to live by faith—regardless of what others may say or do. When faith has healed your body, your mind, your marriage, your family and your finances, when it has provided you a place to live and clothes to wear and a car to drive and food to eat, then it will be too late for anyone to try to convince you that it is not necessary to live by and pass on your glorious heritage of faith! 1 Unwavering, Uncompromising Faith And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Luke 18:1-5 Notice verse 1 which says ...that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. The Amplified Bible translation says ...that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). I don't know how it is in your prayer life, but not everything I have ever prayed has manifested instantly I live continually between "amen" and "there it is." I thank God for those times when the answer to my prayers is manifested immediately. But that does not happen very frequently. Much more often I have to do what Paul said and ...having done all, to stand. Stand therefore...(Eph. 6:13,14). Paul also said, ...let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Gal. 6:9). If you and I exercise faith long enough and "faint not," then sooner or later "due season" always comes! To illustrate this point, Jesus gives the example of the widow who approached an unjust judge asking him for a ruling against her adversary. Instead, he slammed the door in her face (AP). So she knocked again. When he opened the door, once more she asked the same thing, "Avenge me," and once more she was told, "No!" But she was determined and would not take no for an answer. She kept coming to the judge again and again until finally he decided to give her what she was asking for—not because he really wanted to, but just to keep her from wearing him out with her incessant demands. What the Lord is illustrating here is not just persistence or determination but unwavering, uncompromising faith. He is saying that this is the way that you and I are to react to the obstacles and hindrances that we face in our lives. Every time the devil slams the door in our face, we are to come right back at him, absolutely determined that we will not accept defeat. Shall He Find Faith? And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. Unwavering, Uncompromising Faith And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Jesus concluded His story by saying, "Listen to what the unjust judge said. If this dishonest man finally avenged this poor woman who kept coming to him, don't you think God will avenge His own elect who cry out to Him day and night? I tell you He will be quick to avenge them." But then notice His next statement: "Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes back, will He find faith on the earth?" Obviously, Jesus is going to be looking for something when He returns. What is it? He didn't say, "When the Son of Man returns to the earth, will He find love?" Neither did He say, "When the Son of Man returns to the earth, will He find peace?" Nor did He say, "When the Son of Man returns to the earth, will He find unity?" Instead, He said, "When the Son of Man returns to the earth, will He find faith?" And the reason He said faith is because it takes faith to have love and peace and unity. Evidently the kind of faith that our Lord is going to be looking for when He returns in triumph is that unwavering, uncompromising faith that will not accept defeat. Why? Because He knows that faith is the spiritual force that sustains life. You and I are not to live by faith simply so we can be contrary to other people. We are not to live by faith just because it sounds like a wonderful idea. We are not to live by faith merely because some preacher said we ought to, although that is very good advice and counsel. We are to live by faith because the Word of God commands us to live that way. When Jesus returns to this earth, He is not coming for those who have performed some great act of faith, but rather for those who have followed a consistent lifestyle of faith. The Three Positions of Faith ...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. Romans 10:8 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Romans 3:27 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13 In these passages from the Apostle Paul we see that there are three positions of faith: 1. the word of faith, 2. the law of faith, and 3. the spirit of faith. The word of faith is the message. The law of faith is the application or the appropriation of the word of faith. The spirit of faith is the lifestyle of faith. Let me illustrate this last point about the spirit of faith that we as believers are to manifest twenty-four hours a day. When our two daughters were young, the older one hated school. She only went because she was obligated to go. Each morning she would drag herself out of bed and put off getting dressed and leaving as long as she possibly could. At school, she would just go through the motions, doing only what she was absolutely required to do, not getting involved in any extracurricular activities she didn't have to and showing little interest in anything that went on. As soon as the last bell rang, she was out of the building like a shot. She hurried home and threw her books on the table where they stayed, unopened if possible, until it was time for her to pick them up and force herself to go back to class. Fortunately, she was smart enough to make great grades, but she always waited until the very last minute to study and prepare herself for exams. In everything related to school, she did only what she had to do — and no more. The younger daughter was just the opposite. She loved school. Every night she would lay out her clothes in preparation for the coming day. She went to bed each evening thinking about what she would do tomorrow. In the morning she could hardly wait to get out of bed, get dressed, eat breakfast and rush off to meet her friends at school. There she was involved in every kind of activity imaginable. She was in everything. She was a cheerleader, homecoming queen and Miss Crowley High School. She won awards for her studies and received recognition for her extracurricular activities. She not only loved to go to school, she lived to go to school. What was the difference between the two girls? They both went to the same school and took the same classes and took part in many of the same functions, but one had spirit, the other didn't. We often speak of "school spirit." My younger daughter had plenty of that! She was so filled with it that everything in her bedroom had to be done in the school colors of purple and white. She didn't go to school because she was obligated to do so, but because she wanted to do so. She was not bound by the law, but led by the Spirit. The difference that distinguished our two daughters is the same difference that distinguishes many Christians. Some live by the law of faith, while others live by the spirit of faith. That difference is vitally important. Faith as a Lifestyle 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 Faith is not an act, it is a lifestyle. Many of us who preach faith are not doing so because we have to. We don't live the way we do because we are required to live that way or because we are afraid not to. We live this way because we have within us the abiding spirit of faith. Many church members are the same way. When volunteers are called for, four or five of them will jump up and say, "I'll do it, I'll do it!" They are eager to be of service to the Lord and His people. On the other hand, there are others who come to church out of a sense of obligation. These are the ones who sleep through every service and duck every responsibility. What is the difference? Spirit! Spirit is lifestyle. You can have the word of faith, which is the message, and you may even apply or appropriate it from time to time out of desperation. But when you have the spirit of faith, you don't wake up in the morning wondering whether you should live by faith or not. You don't ask yourself, "Should I continue to stand in faith or should I give up and try something else?" You don't look for options. As far as you're concerned, there are no options, no alternatives. Whatever may lay in store, you step forth in confidence and joy knowing that you are committed heart and soul to the adventure of faith! Jesus said that when He returns to this earth, He will be looking for faith. Our Lord is going to be looking for those people who live by faith. Jesus is not going to be looking for people who tried it until the going got rough and then gave up. He is going to be looking for those who have committed themselves to following a consistent lifestyle of faith, those who have refused to draw back. Living by Faith Versus Drawing Back Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:35-39 In the first part of verse 38 we see repeated the biblical injunction we read earlier in Romans 1:17: the just shall live by faith. This is not an option or a suggestion, it is a command, one that goes all the way back to the Old Testament where we see these same words recorded in Habakkuk 2:4. In the New Testament, this same commandment is repeated in Galatians 3:11. Throughout the Bible, the Lord makes it abundantly clear that He expects those who are righteous to manifest that righteousness by following a consistent lifestyle of faith. Now notice in the second part of that same verse the Lord's attitude toward anyone who draws back from this consistent lifestyle: my soul shall have no pleasure in him. God has no pleasure in those who cave in, compromise and draw back from the life of faith. That doesn't mean that He doesn't love them, only that He is not pleased with them. Then in verse 39 the writer of the book of Hebrews goes on to make it clear where he personally stands on this issue: But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. In other words, he is saying, "I want it made known to everyone that I am not one of those who give up and draw back; rather, I am one of those who believe to the end." The decision to live by faith or to draw back is one that each of us must make at one time or another in our Christian walk. In this sense, there are only two camps of believers: those who live by faith, and those who try it and end up drawing back. Don't wait until you are in a storm to decide which group you're going to be a part of. Do it now. Do it the moment that you come into an understanding of the vital concept of living by faith. Make a decision right now that the life of faith is not going to be an experiment with you, but rather a lifestyle. Make up your mind once and for all that this is the way you're going to live from now on. I must warn you that once you have made that decision, you are going to have many opportunities to draw back. That's when you must draw the line and refuse to step back because you know that God takes no pleasure in those who do. Why is it so important that you and I live by faith? Why does God insist on this commitment so much? Why is He so inflexible on this point? God is not trying to be cold or harsh. He is not trying to be cruel or unfair. He is not trying to place unnecessary burdens or unreasonable demands upon us. The reason God requires that we live by faith and not draw back from it is simple: He is smarter than we are! The Lord requires us to live by faith because He knows that is the best way to live. He knows that is the way we will derive the most from life. But it goes even deeper than that. To get at the heart of this matter, let's take a sort of spiritual refresher course. Let's go back to the beginning in the book of Genesis and study the Scriptures to see if we can discover the full reason that God requires that His children live by faith and why He takes no pleasure in those who draw back from the lifestyle of unwavering, uncompromising faith.