What Is the Believing God Test?

Podcast: Light on Life Season 6 Episode 26

What Is the Believing God Test?

We can learn so much from looking at Abraham in the Old Testament. Abraham was fully persuaded and absolutely convinced that God would do what He had promised He would do. He is called the father of faith for a reason and rightly so. And here’s the marvelous truth you can be just like him in faith. But how can we get there? How can we grow our confidence in God? One way is to understand what it means to be believing God. Let’s ask the question then. What does it mean to believe? What does it mean to stand on the Word of God? There are some tests you can take. And that’s what we’re talking about in this week’s Light On Life.

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Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible

[Tweet “You don’t want to bring God your opinion. Bring Him His Word. Take the will of God test.”]

How to Develop a Highly Effective Confidence in God

What A Highly Effective Confidence in God Looks Like

The word confidence is mentioned forty-eight times in the Bible and is closely connected to trust. The question must be asked then, “Who is your confidence in?” Who do you trust? Who do you lean on in your everyday life? Proverbs 3:26 states that our confidence should be in the Lord. What does it take to develop highly effective confidence in God?

Why It’s Important to Flow in Faith’s Domain

[Tweet “People who have confidence in God have a ‘can do’ attitude.”]

Talking Back to the Enemy with the Prayer of Faith

Talking Back to the Enemy with the Prayer of Faith

No doubt, Your parents cautioned you as a child about the disrespect involved in talking back. But there is someone on planet earth that you should talk back to every single time. He is the enemy of your soul and the hater of all things righteous. Talk back to the enemy. Backtalk devils, demons, and evil spirits. How? You do it using the prayer of faith.

[Tweet “Sickness is an attack, an enemy attack pure and simple. Will you talk back to it?”]

Why It’s Important to Flow in Faith’s Domain

Different Kinds of Prayer

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV) — 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

  • Notice the words ‘all prayer’ in the front part of verse 18.
  • ‘All prayer’ means all kinds of prayer.
  • The TNIV reflects this in its translation.

Ephesians 6:18 (TNIV) — 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Prayer for Your Needs – Prayer of Faith

Jesus Curses A Fig Tree

Mark 11:12–25 (TNIV) — 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Jesus Humanity

  • Jesus was hungry.
  • This fact proves His humanity.
  • God on His Throne doesn’t get hungry as you or I do.
  • He doesn’t order up a veggie burger to go with His angel food cake.
  • However, in His heart, God is ‘all-kinds’ of hungry.
  • He is hungry to see people come into a knowledge of His son Jesus.
  • So a hungry Jesus, seeing this tree walks up to it.
  • Notice another piece of language that shows Jesus humanity.
  • Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit.
  • Jesus walked up to the tree to see if there was any fruit on it.
  • Didn’t He know there wasn’t any fruit on it?
  • The answer is no He didn’t.
  • That’s why He went to the fig tree to see.
  • The lesson we learn here is that Jesus walked in humanness with the Holy Spirit as His guide.
  • His dependence on the Holy Spirit is evident.
  • We read some of the accounts where Jesus showcases His perception.
  • For example, when He deals with the religious crowd.

Matthew 22:18 (NKJV) — 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?

  • His perception was God-like.
  • I say God-like instead of ‘as God’ because Jesus laid aside His abilities as God per Philippines 2.
  • I say God-like because He received His ‘knowing’ from the Holy Spirit.
  • It’s a thrilling fact for you and I because it shows us what is possible.
  • We have the same Holy Spirit Jesus had.
  • The same Holy Ghost that came on Jesus can come upon you.
  • There aren’t two Holy Spirit’s, after all, only one.
  • The Spirit of God invaded the earth in Acts 2.
  • He hasn’t left.

Jesus Talks to a Tree

  • So, a hungry Jesus walks up to this fig and finds out that He is in the presence of a barren tree.
  • So He talks to it.
  • Notice, how the gospel writer puts it.
  • The ESV says, ‘He, meaning Jesus, said to it.’
  • The KJV says ‘He answered it.
  • Either way, the sterile condition of the fig tree demanded a response from Jesus.
  • The tree spoke to Him.
  • It’s rude when someone speaks not to speak back.
  • So when barrenness spoke, Jesus answered back.
  • Barrenness is one area where you can flex your prayer of faith muscles.
  • Praying the prayer of faith is your answer to a barren situation that confronts you.

Sickness Speaks

  • If you’re sick, your body is saying something to you.
  • As a child of God, it is saying more to you than “I don’t feel well.”
  • Sickness belongs to Satan’s realm.
  • It doesn’t come from God.

Acts 10:38 (NKJV) — 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

  • Sickness is an attack, an enemy attack pure and simple.
  • It’s an attack on your body to slow down your work for God.
  • It’s an attack against the Kingdom.
  • But, it’s also a barrenness attack on your rights in Christ.
  • The flu is saying something to you.
  • It’s saying, “I have a right to be in your body.”
  • “I have a right to make you miserable and steal your finances.”
  • That’s what sickness is saying.
  • It’s issuing a challenge to you, throwing down the gauntlet.
  • And, it’s saying it right to your face, “I’m not leaving so, what are YOU going to do about it?”
  • You can name any disease or the sickness.
  • They all have their distinct voice.
  • Bronchitis is saying, “You lack healing,” as you spit up green stuff.
  • “As long as I’m here, you’re going to cough and choke your head off.”
  • How are you going to answer that voice?
  • Do you have the guts to talk back to it?
  • Will you rise and answer with the prayer of faith?

Lack of Finances Speaks

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV) — 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

  • ‘All-sufficiency,’ ‘abundance for every good work,’ do you hear that?
  • Does that excite you to have what you need?
  • If it does, give voice to the prayer of faith.
  • Your adverse circumstance will not change unless you learn to talk back to lack.
  • Giving the silent treatment won’t work.
  • No, you must use your words.
  • The prayer of faith is your end of the conversation.

Jesus Uses the Fig Tree to Teach the Prayer of Faith

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and do not doubt in your heart but believe that what you say will happen, it will be done for you. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

The Tale of the Dead Tree

  • So, Jesus speaks to the tree on His way to Jerusalem.
  • He then ministers in the Temple.
  • At evening, He leaves and goes back out to Bethany.
  • On the way back to Bethany He passes the same tree, He spoke to earlier.
  • Jesus and His disciples retire for the night.
  • The next morning as they go along, the disciples notice the tree.
  • Something about the tree is different, like mega different.
  • The tree which was green yesterday is no longer in that condition.
  • It is dried up.
  • Jesus then takes this opportunity to teach the disciples about praying the prayer of faith.
  • To be continued in next week’s blog.

How Can This ‘Jesus Sign’ Fulfill Your Life

Call to Action:

It’s time to rise up with sanctified backtalk in Jesus Name. Don’t roll over when the enemies circumstances rear their head in your face. Talkback and do it with the prayer of faith.

Question: How have you successfully thwarted an attack of the enemy? Sharing your testimony will help encourage someone else in their stand against the evil one. Please share your story in the comments section below.


Reference:

Developing Confidence in the Goodness of God

How confident Are You in the Goodness of God?

A.W. Tozer states the following concerning the goodness of God. “The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling. He communes with His redeemed ones in an easy, uninhibited fellowship that is restful and healing to the soul. He is not sensitive nor selfish nor temperamental. What He is today we shall find Him tomorrow and the next day and the next year. He is not hard to please, though He may be hard to satisfy. He expects of us only what He has Himself first supplied. He is quick to mark every simple effort to please Him, and just as quick to overlook imperfections when He knows we meant to do His will. He loves us for ourselves and values our love more than galaxies of new created worlds.”1 God is a good God, that’s a Bible fact. How confident are you in this? Are you secure in knowing that all of His dealings with you are fair, true and good?

[Tweet “Confidence in God’s goodness comes from knowing He loves, accepts, and approves of you.”]

Why It’s Important to Flow in Faith’s Domain

Podcast: Light on Life Season Four Episode Thirty-Three

Faith, Believe and Receive are All Part of Faith's Domain

Believe and receive are part of faith’s language. They are part of faith’s domain. It’s important to understand the domain of faith. People believe in miracles and that’s a good thing.  That’s what a recent poll by Newsweek revealed. Here are the percentages:

• Americans who believe in divine miracles: 84 percent
• the ones who believe in the reality of miracles described in the Bible: 79 percent
• those who have personal experiences with miracles: 48 percent
• the ones who know of people who have experienced miracles: 63 percent
• those who have prayed for a miracle: 67 percent
• the ones who believe God or the saints heal sick people who have been given no chance of survival by medical doctors: 77 percent1 Believing in miracles is good. Knowing how to receive them is even better.

This is Part Two of a Series entitled ‘Healing and Miracles.’ You can find part one of this series, ‘How to Minister Healing Like Jesus Did‘ here.

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Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible

[Tweet “Make sure the word ‘believe’ means the same in God’s domain as it does in yours.”]

#S3-052: Why Faith Demands the Eviction of Ishmael [Encore Podcast]

America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. When we think of America we think of the concepts of liberty and freedom. These values are fundamental to our nation. Our desire for freedom is so great that Patrick Henry word’s “Give me liberty or give me death” still ring in our ears. Freedom is a big thing in America but it’s even a bigger thing in God. Jesus told us plainly, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free (Jn. 8:32).’ That’s what The Year of Jubilee represents, freedom. But in order to be really free, Ismael, or Ishy for short, has to go.

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[Tweet “The truth of God’s Word is this. While you’re waiting on Him, God’s already acting on your behalf.”]

#S3-043: Yet More of How You Know You Really Believe God [Podcast]

Take the Test!

We have already covered six tests in the last two podcasts. We covered the baseball bat test. We covered the gender test. We covered the acting test. Then last week, we took the will of God test, the fear test, and the tense test. This week we are going to last test, the forgiveness test. Walking in forgiveness protects your faith. Holding grudges against people dissipate your faith. The Bible speaks a lot about this area and we are going to drill down into it in this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “Forgiveness is a ‘from the heart lifestyle attitude’ to be exercised without limits.”]

#S3-042: More of How Do You Know You Really Believe God [Podcast]

Take The Test!

We can learn so much from looking at Abraham in the Old Testament. Abraham was fully persuaded and absolutely convinced that God would do what He had promised He would do. He is called the father of faith for a reason and rightly so. And here’s the marvelous truth you can be just like him in faith. But how can we get there? How can we grow our confidence in God? One way is to understand what it means to believe God? Let’s ask the question then. What does it mean to believe? What does it mean to stand on the Word of God? There are some tests you can take. And that’s what we’re talking about in this week’s Light On Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

[Tweet “You don’t want to bring God your opinion. Bring Him His Word. Take the will of God test.”]

#S3-041: How Do You Know You Really Believe God? [Podcast]

Take the Test!

Jesus ministered healing to twenty-three individual cases. In the vast majority of these individual cases, you can see evidence of the person’s faith in connection with their healing. What does it mean to have faith for healing? What does it mean to believe? How do you know if you really are believing God? You may have had those times where you thought you believed God, and nothing happened. You were believing the Lord for some healing in your body, and you got no better fast. How do you know if you’ve connected? Everything is by faith. You know by faith. You expect by faith. If you want to connect with God, you have to speak in His domain. You have to speak His language. Otherwise, you won’t be heard. Heaven is a faith place. The domain of unbelief is not understood there. You will not connect if you’re speaking in the wrong realm. So, how do you know if you really are believing God’s Word? One way you can find out? Take the test. There are seven tests which you can apply, which we are going to go over. These are not all the tests there are. These are seven that I know about. If you want to receive from God, take the test.

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[Tweet “You know you believe when no one can talk you out of it, even under pressure.”]

#S3-028: Encore Episode: How To Release Your Faith With Words [Podcast]

Real Bible Faith: How It Works

Medicine at Work, published by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, has stressed the critical importance of words spoken in surgery. As the anesthetic is given for surgery, deadly fear may strike the patient when he hears someone say, “I’m going to shoot him now,” or, “Hook up the monitor.” “Monitor” to the drugged patient may sound like “monster.” Or a doctor may declare in disgust, “This isn’t my day!” Dr. Paul J. Moses told a medical audience in San Francisco that “the same directions given by two different physicians could help or fail.” One doctor’s voice, Dr. Moses suggested, might make the medicine work, but the other’s might reveal doubt and the medicine would fail. 1 Words are extremely important in the realm of the faith life. Words are difference makers. They are deal breakers. Jesus said, “By Your words you are justified and by your words, you’re condemned” (Matt. 12:37). In this week’s Light on Life, we are going to take a look at the importance of words and their connection to the faith life.

This is part two of the Series entitled, ‘Real Bible Faith: How It Works’. You can find Part One ‘Why is Faith Important and Who Has It? [Podcast] here.

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[Tweet “Circumstances have a voice and once they speak they need to be answered with the Word.”]

#S2-041: How to Get Your Faith in the Right Tense [Podcast]

Real Bible Faith: How It Works

Wigglesworth was quoted as saying, “If you wait to get faith when you need faith, you’re too late.” Another man said, “Late faith is unavailing. There’s little use accepting arks once the rain begins to fall. Death is such an instant storm that by the time you reach for an umbrella, you already need your water wings. 1 These words are are certainly true. It’s best to build your faith in God when days are peaceful. It’s then, you can learn some of the nuances involved for a vibrant believing of God’ Word. One of which is this issue of getting your faith into the right tense.

This is part four of the Series entitled, ‘Real Bible Faith: How It Works’. You can find Part One ‘Why is Faith Important and Who Has It? [Podcast], Part Two ‘How to Release Your Faith with Words’ [Podcast] here, and Part Three ‘More How to Release Your Faith with Words [Podcast] here.

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#S2-040: More How to Release Your Faith with Words [Podcast]

Real Bible Faith: How It Works

Ran across this poem this week on the subject on faith.

 

Doubt sees the obstacles
Faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions, “Who believes?”
Faith answer, “I.” 1

We are teaching on the subject of Real Bible Faith and how it works and we are honing in on the aspect of words. How important are words in the life of faith? The world was never conquered by intrigue; it was conquered by faith.  2 You are more than a conqueror. That’s what the Bible states. So as the world over comer that you are, it’s vital to continually hone your use of words. More How to Release Your Faith with Words. That’s what we are looking at in this week’s Light on Life.

This is part three of the Series entitled, ‘Real Bible Faith: How It Works’. You can find Part One ‘Why is Faith Important and Who Has It? [Podcast], Part Two ‘How to Release Your Faith with Words’ [Podcast] here.

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