I want to encourage you that everything that God has said is true and will come to pass!

The Lord wants us to believe this and when we do it is called faith and faith becomes the funnel through which God blesses our lives.

You can perhaps better understand why Scripture says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

Think about the nature of what takes place when you CHOOSE to believe something. It immediately sets your thinking in a particular direction. What a person believes influences how they perceive things and how they live.

For example, if the fire marshal ran into your office warning you of an approaching fire you would then face a decision whether to accept the threat or not. It impacts the direction of your thinking. If you disregard the warning, you remain in your office. If you believe the warning you run out of your office.

Can you see how “belief” triggers thinking, and thinking impacts your outlook and ultimately what you do?

Now, the opposite of faith is doubt! Doubt is the lack of assurance and confidence that God will keep His promises. Doubt is not believing what God will do. It is a choice to live in uncertainty.

Remember: everything that God has said is true and will come to pass! The Lord wants us to believe this and when we do it’s called faith and faith becomes the funnel through which God blesses our lives. So, what are some of the promises God has given us that He wants us to believe and accept to be true? Let me boil down some great “God-Guarantees” for you …

#1 He will provide our needs Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

#2 He will protect us from enemies Is 54:11 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper …”

#3 He will prosper us for our highest good Ps 84:11”No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly…”

#4 He will bless us with His presence Luke 11:13 “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

#5 He will hear the call of the heart that turns to Him Romans 10:13 ” …everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Every day your faith will be tested on whether God will provide, protect and prosper your life. I encourage you, trust the Lord. Believe Him today. Accept His Word is true! Stand on His guarantees – His, promises! As you do, it will impact your thinking, your outlook and the way you live. When you believe Him and His word you will “please” the Lord and experience His approval and blessing.

Below is a Pt. 2 to the questions, “What does a man of God’s influence look like?” Or, “What does it mean that a man of God, leads the way?”

HIGH EXPECTATION OF THE FATHER’S FAVOR

#9 He has a high expectation of God’s favor!

He understands that his relationship with God is based upon, grace!  That he has been rescued by grace. That he is sustained by grace. That he will be glorified by grace.  Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is His unconditional, provisional, redemptive and eternal love. God’s grace exchanges the man made “performance treadmill” of works (where a person seeks to earn God’s favor and attention), with His free gift of grace which allows for a face to face relationship and intimacy with the Heavenly Father–who knows everything about the believer and still loves them!

Therefore, a man of God enjoys the security of having the Father’s love, (which is provisional and redemptive today and forever) and his life says to others, “Our Father has us in His hands.  We are victorious in Christ!”

Men of God inspire others with an outlook that sees the redemptive and provisional possibilities. (Phil 4:13; 2Cor. 12:9; 1Tim.1:15-17; Rom.8:28-39)

CHRIST-CENTRIC

#10 He is Christ-centric!

In the first sermon preached in Jerusalem after the cross, resurrection and ascension — Peter began his message to the multitudes saying, “You men of Israel hear these words” and the first words out of his mouth were, “Jesus of Nazareth …” (Acts 2:22). Paul underscored what his chief objective was with the church in Corinth saying, “I am determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2). Acts 4:12 reads, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (II Corinthians 4:3-4) “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”  (II Corinthians 11:3). If you “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10)

WHOLE COUNSEL

#11 He is committed to the whole counsel of Scripture.

Paul declared, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) Jesus said the Word of God (Tanach) “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). He said, “…until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Mat. 5:18, NIV).

2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” “Inspiration” speaks of the Word being “God breathed”. “Doctrine” tells us what is right.  “Reproof” tells us what is not right. “Correction” tells us how to get right. “Instruction” tells us how to stay right. “Equipped for every good work” tells us that God wants to transform our life!

Do we face challenges when studying the Bible? Yes. Are there Bible difficulties? Yes.  Are there errors in the Bible? NO!

There are no mistakes in the revelation of God in Scripture, but there are wrong interpretations of the Bible by man. So asking the question, “Are we interpreting the Bible correctly?” is a relevant and important one, especially when you consider the fact that the Bible contains a variety of literary methods. For example, there is the highly emotional poetic expression of the Psalms.  There is the wisdom literature in the Proverbs, which emphasizes principles not promises. There are the instructional and specific applications in the epistles, which in origin were directed to communities that existed two thousand years ago. There is also the narrative history of the Gospels.

Ultimately the Bible gives us the wisdom for Salvation in Christ, pointing us to Jesus Christ, and ultimately it is Jesus, who authenticates the authority and inspiration of the Bible!

Remember, God gave us His Word “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This means that God does not just want your life informed with right doctrine according to the whole counsel of Scripture, He wants your life transformed by His Word and the ministry of His Spirit. In order for this to take place you will need to think, Biblically! You will need to get the Word of God inside of you. You will need to have your mind renewed by the Truth of God’s Word. How does this take place? One way is to get in the habit of asking yourself, “What does the Bible say about ____?” “What does God’s Word say about ____?” You want to learn to “flex the muscle of recall” and “memorization” of Scripture throughout your day. You want to learn to see more and more through the lens of the Bible. This is possible for all of us! If you know how to worry, then you know what it is to have developed a mental habit. What you need to do now, is learn to switch your attention from thinking about your problems to thinking about Bible verses. In doing so you’ll not only have less to worry about — but your faith will soar!

EXCELLENCE IN EFFORT

#12 He is dedicated to giving his best effort.

Giving your best effort is the basis of excellence. On the other hand, success is more often measured by culture and weighed by name recognition, materialism and influence.   Excellence however, is what God notices and rewards whether or not there is cultural success.1 Cor 9:24-27 is a fantastic passage that identifies what excellence looks like in application.

#1 It is to give your best effort.

(Vs. 24 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”)

#2 It is to give your best effort aligning with specific objectives and goals.

(Vs. 26 “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.”)

#3 The catalyst that brings it all together is, discipline! Discipline is making consistent choices. This will require the right management of one’s body.

(Vs. 27 “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”)

#4 The motivation behind the application of excellence is that God is glorified!

(Vs. 25 “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.)