“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”
(Romans 10:17, NKJV)
I love this scripture and run to it, like we at times, run to ‘Tylenol’ for pain. And, all days try and search for ones that speak about faith like drinking good cold bottled water. Without water, we will surely perish. Without hearing your family and friends speak Faith when you have made it your daily diet of food, one might starve or at least go hungry.
When you want friends of faith, look for them. You will know them by their fruit according to the words of Jesus found in Matthew 7:16. I think at times when I hear words out of order and just thrown around any old way, I think they are like pop tarts. Then I hear ones speak identifying themselves by what they speak, and I think, the finest pastries made. Faith pastries and let’s eat and enjoy.
” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17 (New Living Translation) Regardless, of how we read it, say it, or think it, we strengthen our faith by hearing faith spoken or written.
“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!… So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10
Have you looked at your feet today? Or, at the feet of those parked under your table or on your emails? Don’t forget, one puts their foot in their mouth!
thedailylily.com 
Sara writing,”When you want friends of faith, look for them. You will know them by their fruit…” makes me ask who and what are others seeking us out for? For Godly words of wisdom, faith, counsel, encouragement? Do they eat our words and say ‘Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!’ (Psalm 34:8) Or do they seek us out to fill their ears with and satisfy their unsatiable appetite for gossip or attention. Or maybe all they really want from us is a hand-out or to drain our resources. Do we give them a taste of that ‘sweet honey in the Rock’ so their faith can ignite and their spiritual man can grow? Or do we give them empty words while letting them empty our pocketbooks?
Are we a lollipop or a sucker?
Amen Sara!! This past week, I was running to “Tylenol” for pain and fever. Luke had to leave school earlier Monday because he had a low grade fever. I took him to the doctor and he tested him for the flu, he was positive for the swine flu. Luke asked the doctor if he had the swine flu, the doctor said, yes he did. The doctor told us it usually last about five days. Luke told him good, then I will only have it for three more days. The doctor was impressed with his positive attitude (his hope). Each day he would tell me, Mom I’ve got_____ days, before I’m better. Luke had faith in the physician’s words ” it usually last 5 days”. He also was alittle afraid. Luke told me, “Mom I thought I was going to die when the doctor said that I have swine flu.” Luke took control of his fear of death, with his faith in getting well. I kept Noah home from school, too and away from Luke as much as possible. I prayed over him to feel better throughout the week. Last night, Noah and I held Luke and prayed that he would feel better and be able to go to school today. Praise God!!! Luke went to school today. I am continually praying that he will have the strenght and focus to do his school work. Noah also began feeling bad and has been battling with being sick. Luke and I held Noah in our arms and prayed for him to feel better and be able to do his school work. Praise God!! Noah finished all his work that the teacher has sent home for him to do. He didn’t go to school today, he was alittle to weak to go, but he is ready and he has studied for all his exams. God is good. God will move this moutain of sickness out of our path so we can continue on our life’s journey. By faith we will move on. Faith is an action. We can’t just say we believe, we have to act on it. We have to say it, study it in God’s Word, pray about it and do something. “Faith” without any action is not really faith, it’s words spoken in fear. You can’t have faith and fear at the same time. If you are fearful, you are telling yourself that you don’t really believe God is in control and that you really don’t believe God’s Holy Word as “truth”. Fear plants a seed of doubt and disbelief. Faith is the boldness action on truth. God is truth. Faith is action for God. We have nothing to fear. Luke had faith in what the physician told him about the swine flu only lasting 5 days, he didn’t focus on his fear that the swine flu has taken lives. He had faith and hope that each day was a day closer to the end of his sickness. Of course, we also spoke to “THE GREAT PHYSICIAN” (our Lord and savior) whom all things are possible. Luke’s sickness was to glorify God and be a witness that with just alittle faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Thank you Lord for my children and for their restoring health.
Whenever my family or myself are facing a mountain, I always call my friends “with the feet of faith” to pray. I know that their prayers will help us move the mountain we are facing. Faith is action. Faithful friends are praying friends. Prayer was the first thing that Jesus did any situation and it should be the first thing we do. Thank you faithful friends of “FAITH”.
Chickenfarmer, Noah, Luke and Brian, we are praying for all of you. We are so happy to hear the good news Luke has to share of his healing. We know Noah is on his way to share excellent news of his healing.
Noah, we love you, praying for your healing and believe by faith that it is working in you right now. We know you will be back in school soon and will catch up on your homework real fast.
You are blessed to have a Mother that knows, lives and walks faith. She is a woman of great Faith. You are right Wendy, it is a blessing to be able to pray and help one another.
Debi, I would rather be a lollipop than a sucker! All too often I think it may go the other way when I am not awake, alert and watchful in all areas of life. When I let the worlds glamour conform me I am a real sucker. When I follow directions with precisions maybe a lollipop!
“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind…”
(Romans 12:2, AMP)
I agree with you Sara. I, too would rather be a lollipop than a sucker, especially one of those big bright ones with multicolored swirls. They remind me of the faith words of God’s ‘Rainbow Promises’ (Psalm 34) that we learned about @ Retreat ’09 from your book “Dressing for His Glory”.
Oh yes, and I want my feet dressed with the good news of Christ too, especially knowing that ‘one puts their foot in their mouth!’
Chickenfarmer, thanks for sharing your faith words and faith in action examples. It shows that they were like chicken soup to help make Noah and Luke well. You, getting up in God’s strength to write a faith report, delivered a one-two punch to that mountain of sickness!
And as Sara said, we are praying for you all.
Sara, you have said here, and I quote: “Have you looked at your feet today? Or, at the feet of those parked under your table or on your e-mails? Don’t forget, one puts their foot in their mouth.”
Sara, to me “putting your foot in your mouth” means to embarrass yourself.
I’d like to share some footnotes, from my Bible. The footnotes are for verses 18-20 (Romans 10) Read with me: “Many Jews who looked for the Messiah refused to believe in him when he came, God offered his salvation to the Gentiles (‘people who were not looking for me’); thus, many Gentiles who didn’t even know about a Messiah found and believed in him. Some religious people are spiritually blind, while those who have never been in a church are sometimes the most responsive to God’s message. Because appearances are deceiving, and we can’t see into people’s hearts, beware of judging beforehand who will respond to the Good News and who will not.”
Lord, help us not to be spiritually blind. Help us to practice our faith, in You.
On how I love CF’s “biblical account” of the actions and steps she and her sons took to exhibit and display tneir faith and reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ to supply their need of healing and restoration.
The fervent, heartfelt prayer of a righteous one avails much.” (james 5″16)
Needles’ footnotes says, “Some religious people are spiritually blind, while those who have never been in a church are sometimes the most responsive to God’s message.” Think about this? Spiritually blind for some of us that are church goers. We are blind alright when we jump to decide that we can’t speak or share our faith because others will not accept Faith or us. Man, now that is blind.
!
The phrase is, “we walk by faith not by sight”, That is not by physical sight but we see with the spiritual eyes of faith. To take something by faith is to see it from God’s perspective and not our own limited sight. Those of us who do not see by faith are “blind ” although we see.
Thank you to all my faithful friends with the “FEET OF FAITH” who took action and prayed for my family. May God bless each and everyone.
As I was reading the above comments on spiritual blindness, I thought of John chapter 9, when Jesus healed the blind man. After He healed the blind man, the Religious Leaders questioned the blind man about what Jesus had done and they even brought in his parents to make sure he was telling the truth about being blind. As I read chapter 9, I thought of this poor blind man, that was being questioned. I thought of how frustrating it had to be for him as he tried to explain this miracle from God’s Son, to a bunch of men who were trying to twist every word. I can almost hear the frustration in his voice in verses 26-27 “26”But what did he do? they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27″Look! the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciple, too?” This made the rulers furious. They argued with the man, told him how they knew Moses’ law, called him a sinner and kicked him out of the synagogue. Verses 35-41 “35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” 37″You have seen him,” Jesus said, ” and He is speaking to you!” 38″Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. 39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgement-to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were standing nearby heard Him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” 41″If you were blind, you wouldn’t be gulity,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you see.” Jesus is very clear on Spiritual Blindness. Luke tells us in 6:38 “Then Jesus gave the following illustration. “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch?” This was shown in John chapter 9. The blind leaders were trying to lead this blind man. They were both in the ditch until Jesus went and found the man He had healed. He pulled him out of the ditch and the man worshiped Jesus. We wouldn’t get in a car with a blind driver and we better make sure that our vision is checked daily by the Word of God, before we get behind the wheel of our vessel.
When we get in the car with someone else driving, do we ask if they can see ok to drive? When we are going through hard times and we call someone just to talk about it, do we ask if they see okay to give advice? We should!!
Chickenfarmer, good advice… Make sure you can see and your driver can see!!!!
I think all to often we have @ EGO *Cataracts and can’t see much of anything. We feel and see fuzzy and we like it. Therefore, we look for an EGO Cataract Doctor that gives ego vitamins to keep us going. Maybe what we really needed was a Doctor that spit on the ground and anointed our eyes with dirt and spittle to clear out the fuzzy vision of EGO Cataracts! I have often thought spittle from the right mouth is good meds for self importance.
@self importance
*a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision
So well put Sara.
‘EGO cataracts’ and ‘ego vitamins to keep us going’ make me think of something the Doctor you are referring to said: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” Matt 13:14,15
I guess spittle and clay is not as appealing as fuzzies and vitamins.
We continue to pray for God’s people of faith who are using the spiritual tools Jesus gave us to overcome the enemy, as ChickenFarmer and her sons are doing. It seems that as soon as someone steps out in faith to pursue God, the enemy throws flaming missiles at him/her, immediately attacking the body and/or the soul. We prayed that on Sunday morning for our LILIES who are chasing after God with all their hearts.
The next day I read in an article by Benny Hinn…”When you become hungry and thirsty for God, the gates of hell will be opened and the enmy will begin chasing you down. Satan does not want any believer hungry for God. The moment you (sincerely) long to be in God’s presence the demons of hell will be unleashed against you.”
Benny goes on to ask , ” In Ps.42:1, why is the deer panting after the water? The deer knows, (besides being thirsty) that the minute it finds
water, its scent will be lost from the enemy that is pursuing it. Likewise, for believers who immerse themselves in the Word, (following and drinking of it) the scent is lost and the enemy can no longer find you. The only safe refuge is in the PRESENCE OF THE LORD. There is a path where the beasts have not seen nor trodden (paraphrased) Job 28: 6-7.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty, whose Power no foe can withstand. God is looking for those who are willing to ABIDE there and not just visit once in a while.”
I heard Bobbie Jean Merck say one time, that things had been going along so nicely in her ministry for a while that she feared there was something wrong. She had not had an attack from the enemy of her soul and was concerned she was not doing all the Lord was commssioning. She knew that when we work and pursue the Lord that there will be clamorings from the enemy.
keep on chasing after God, CF and your sons & hubby too. Praise God He will raise up a highway for you and remove the stumbling blocks as you seek Him and stay in His presence more and more. Thanks for the fine example you are setting.