good faith

Originally the duty of utmost good faith was a common law concept which applied directly to contracts of insurance. The introduction of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (the Act) brought about a fundamental change to this duty - the Act states 'a contract of insurance is based on the utmost good faith and there is implied in such a contract a provision requiring each party to it to act towards the other party, in respect of any matter arising under or in relation to it, with the utmost good faith.' Today the duty of the utmost good faith must be looked at from both the common law and statutory perspectives with respect to obligations owed by insurers to insureds once a claim has been lodged under an insurance policy. Insurance contracts are subject to the duty of utmost good faith because each party to the contract must act with the utmost good faith with respect to their dealings with one another. This duty is not to be confused with the duty of disclosure which deals with the pre-contractual obligations of the parties and is otherwise dealt with under the Act.

Effectively the duty of utmost good faith is now implied in contracts of insurance which previously was not the case at common law. At common law the strict application of the duty might have resulted in an insurer entitled to avoid a contract of insurance ad initio (from inception). The difference now is that as an implied term in a contract of insurance a breach of the duty by the insurer can now give rise to a claim for damages in contract in relation to the settlement of a claim. As the meaning of "utmost good faith" is not defined in the Act reference must be had to some of the cases in this area. What is important to keep in mind is that duty focuses on the word "utmost" and that this is the measure of good faith relied upon with fairness and honesty being part of it. Of course the duty has to be viewed objectively and it applies globally to all aspects of the relationship between an insurer and insured encompassing the payment and settlement of claims. There is an argument that the duty may have some precontractual force although this does not have much currency. Given that we are talking about an insured being able to sue under the Act for damages for breach of an implied term of the duty of utmost good faith, this begs the question: whether or not an insurer could be held liable in damages where they have exhibited bad faith? Suffice to say, in the USA bad faith claims have been around for many years and perhaps this area of the law may develop in Australia in future although the courts have expressed otherwise.

One of the vexing questions which remains to be asked is whether in certain circumstances an insured's duty to act with good faith extends to third parties along with the utmost good faith. Recent cases suggest that there can be a breach of a duty of utmost good faith even where the insurer has not acted dishonestly and where third party interests are involved. As matters currently stand there is no tort of bad faith and a breach of the duty can only result in a liability for damages for breach of contract. In a recent case the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled that an insurer has a duty of good faith and fair dealing not only to an insured but to those who benefit under a policy. The court said that the duty of good faith applies where the policy is at least for the indirect benefit of the insured. Despite this there remains considerable doubt as to whether the duty of utmost good faith extends to third parties as the duty that the court is talking about here is one of good faith and fair dealing.

How to understand these, and save money (sometimes enough to buy a car!)

A Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is something that you are to receive within 3 days of a mortgage application. These are standard forms, so they are intended to be used to compare different offers (or quotes) from different lenders or brokers.

The good faith estimate lists an estimate of what the total closing costs will be to get your mortgage. It is a long list, and the charges can be confusing.

The key thing to remember is that it is only an estimate. Your final closing costs may be different - sometimes very different.

These quick explanations will help you understand many of these closing costs, and how you can save on them. Keep in mind that some lenders or brokers add their own custom fees to the good faith estimate.

The fees on a good faith mortgage estimate come in these basic categories:

Loan fees Fees to be paid in advance Reserves Title charges Government charges Additional charges The following is a list of the typical charges, with advice on how to lower this if you can. Each charge starts with a number - the same number is the number of the charge on your good faith estimate. This makes it easier to find the charges you are looking for on your good faith estimate.

ITEMS PAYABLE IN CONNECTION WITH LOAN:

801 - Loan Origination Fee This fee is a charge for originating or creating the loan

802 - Loan Discount This is an upfront charge paid to the lender to get a lower mortgage rate - same as "buying the rate down"

803 - Appraisal Fee This is the cost of the independent appraisal. It is usually paid by the buyer

804 - Credit Report This is the cost of the credit report

805 - Lender's Inspection Fee This is the lender's cost of inspecting a property - some may double check the appraisal provided by an independent appraiser

808 - Mortgage Broker Fee This is the upfront charge that a mortgage broker charges. Brokers can also earn a "rebate" from the lender which is not listed here

809 - Tax Related Service Fee Lender fee, usually small, for handling tax related matters

810 - Processing Fee This is the charge for processing the loan - collecting your application, running credit, collecting pay stubs, bank statements, ordering appraisal, title, etc.

811 - Underwriting Fee This is the cost of the loan underwriter (approver)

812 - Wire Transfer Fee This is the cost of wiring the money around, which is usually done by escrow ITEMS REQUIRED BY LENDER TO BE PAID IN ADVANCE

901 - Interest for days X $ per day This is your prepaid interest for your mortgage loan

902 - Mortgage Insurance Premium This is the prepaid mortgage insurance premium, if you have one. This is the insurance premium some lenders charge for loans with little equity

903 - Hazard Insurance Premium This is your home's hazard insurance being prepaid

905 - VA Funding Fee This is the Veterans Administration funding fee, which is something you will not incur unless you go through a VA program RESERVES DEPOSITED WITH LENDER

1001 - Hazard Insurance Premiums months @ $ per month This is any prepayment of your future hazard insurance expense

1002 - Mortgage Ins. Premium Reserves months @ $ per month This is any prepayment of your future mortgage insurance expense

1003 - School Tax months @ $ per month This is any prepayment of your future school tax expense

1004 - Taxes and Assessment Reserves months @ $ per month This is any prepayment of your future tax expenses, such as property taxes

1005 - Flood Insurance Reserves months @ $ per month months This is any prepayment of your future flood insurance expense TITLE CHARGES:

1101 - Closing or Escrow Fee This is the cost of escrow. This is the service of a neutral party that actually handles the money between all the different parties in a real estate transaction, including: the lender, the buyer, the seller, the agents, notary, etc. This is often times done by the "Title Company" - a related entity in the same office that provides title insurance

1105 - Document Preparation Fee This is the charge for preparing the loan documents. Lenders often email the loan documents to the escrow company, which in turn prints them out and reviews them before signing

1106 - Notary Fees This is the cost of the notary. This is to have all of the legal documents surrounding this transaction notarized

1107 - Attorney Fees Any legal charges

1108 - Title Insurance This is the cost of insuring the title of the property. If there is a question about title (who really owned the property), after the transaction is done then this insurance protects the lender from future problems 1200 GOVERNMENT RECORDING & TRANSFER CHARGES

1201 - Recording Fees This is the cost of updating relevant government records

1202 - City/County Tax/Stamps Unavoidable government charge

1203 - State Tax/Stamps Unavoidable government charge 1300 ADDITIONAL SETTLEMENT CHARGES:

1302 - Pest Inspection This is the cost of the pest inspector. Their purpose is to document the state of the property that the lender is making the loan on

Others charges These can be additional charges that change within different loan sources

Pay particular attention to these charges, but they can also be listed in other sections Saving on your expenses

The good faith mortgage estimate expenses are in three different categories:

Fixed - government charges Slightly variable but small - escrow, notary, pest inspector, appraiser Highly variable - loan fees The biggest expenses are usually in the loan fee section. This is where you need to focus to try to get a good deal.

Compare the good faith estimates you receive from different lenders. Keep in mind that these good faith estimate's are only estimates. They can change, and sometimes become unpleasant last minute surprises.

Source: good-faith-estimates-explained.php target=_blank>123-Car-Reviews.com

Jewelry plays a very significant role in our society. It is used to indicate status such as being engaged, being married or even belonging to a particular faith. The Christian faith is known for having many different items of jewelry that each indicates something significant or specific.

This is not unique to the Christian faith. Many other religious groups have specific jewelry items that serve as symbols of their beliefs and which they also wear or place in the house to signify good luck.

For the Christian faith across is the most important symbol. It is therefore also not surprising that the cross is found in many of the Christian jewelry items.

Even though Christians wear cross jewelry to signify their faith, the same jewelry is also worn by many on the people that do not necessarily share the same beliefs. They wear these jewelry items simply because they like them.

The rosary also forms a large part of the Christian jewelry collection. This jewelry item usually consists of beads. It is often worn by celebrities as a fashion statement, even though they have very little interest in the Christian faith.

Christian jewelry also often includes some form of design with a picture of either the Virgin Mary or Jesus in the design. The popular jewelry items that usually have this design include the cross and the pendant.

Christians that wear Christian jewelry usually do so to demonstrate their association with their faith as well as for protection and good luck.

Since Christian jewelry is worn by people who have nothing to do with the Christian faith, you can find this type of jewelry in almost any jewelry store or department store.

These items usually are manufactured from platinum, silver and gold and often include several gemstones as well.

Some people would say that the Christian jewelry that you can buy in a department store is a commercialized version. They believe that the only authentic Christian jewelry that you can purchase is at a church store.

Purchasing at a church store has the benefit of giving you the level of comfort of greater authenticity, it also benefits the church, and prices are usually lower than in the commercial ventures.

Even though Christian jewelry is most often worn on the body, such as rings or bracelets, it is often placed in people's homes, vehicles and offices as a sign of faith or good luck.

Christian jewelry is also a popular item to be personalized with either one's name or your initials.

1 Timothy 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

God’s Word tells us to fight the good fight of faith. We are called to be spiritual warriors in God’s kingdom. We are soldiers in the Army of God.

The purpose of an army is to insure freedom and liberty. Without these things we would live under another’s domination. In the spiritual world, the battle over world domination has already been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet Satan’s lease on this world has not run out. We still have to contend with him for a little bit longer. We can however take solace in the fact that we don’t have to fight him. We do however have to fight the good fight of faith in order to walk in the victory that has already been won.

We as Christians can sometimes get tired of the constant battle that comes with our faith walk. I know from time to time I feel this way. However, we have been equipped to do battle and walk in victory. I also know that how I feel is irrelevant. I know that Jesus promised us He would never leave us or forsake us. He is always there whether we feel like it or not. Always!

We have been called into this army for a purpose, God’s purpose. His purpose is for us to walk as children of the light, and declare the good news of the Gospel wherever we go.
We have been called to fulfill the great commission as ambassadors for Christ.

We can't do this without a fight. The enemy will try to stop us any way he can. He doesn’t have the authority to stop us, although he will sometimes hinder us through various means, but he can not stop us. We can not go through this kind of spiritual battle without experiencing what it is like to stand when all seems lost. This is when we must not get weary in your good fight of faith. This is why the Apostle Paul admonished Timothy. Fight the good fight of faith. A good fight is a fight that you win. That is why we must never give up. The stakes are too high. Quitting is not an option. To quit is to admit defeat.
We are not defeated regardless of what the circumstances may look like.

The Apostle Paul said my God always causes me to triumph in Christ Jesus.
We also must understand that soldiers must go into battle with the proper training and equipment. God will Equip us to do what he has called us to do. We are not be sent into battle as unprepared soldiers.

All soldiers have to go through a course of training before they receive an assignment. During this time they go through a very rigorous physical and mental time of training.

The sole purpose of this training is to get them ready and prepared to do their job, and be properly equipped to do whatever it takes to get the job done even under the harshest environments. Their very lives and the lives of their fellow soldiers can and will depend on them doing their jobs and doing them well. When you are in the service you don’t get to sleep whenever you want to, or do what ever you want to do whenever you want to do it. You belong to the military. You exercise when you are told and you sleep when you are told. Should not we as Christians take our Christian service just as serious? I'm not talking about some legalistic thing, but a serious attitude that we are in a fight to the finish and we are in this to win.

The Apostle Paul compared us to soldiers for a reason. We must be prepared to learn to do battle as a fully trained and equipped soldier of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The purpose of all this discipline and training is not to wear us down but to make us ready for the battle that will surely come. Trained soldiers stand strong and know their place. Fear will not dominate them. Anxiety will not detour them. They will have learned how to stand strong and do battle. This training is necessary in order to be victorious. However we are not doing physical battle such as military soldiers do, we are doing spiritual battle and the training we do is in the spiritual realm. The weapons we use are God's weapons and armor. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesians to equip themselves with the whole armor of God.

Ephesians 6:13-18. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

We have been given God's armor to do battle, to defend ourselves from the onslaught of the enemy, and to take back what has been rightfully purchased for us. Satan doesn’t want us to know we are already victorious. He would try to bully us into submission. But he doesn’t have the right or the ability to do that. For the Christian who knows who he or she is in Christ Jesus, no weapon or trickery of the enemy can prevent the will of God from coming to pass.
This doesn’t mean there won’t be a fight. It means we keep on fighting with God's weapons and armor until our time here on Earth is over, or until the Lord comes which ever comes first. Those are our choices. I would encourage you to put on your spiritual armor, and begin to fight those battles that would try to defeat you and your family and loved ones. Keep on saying victory is near. Victory is near! I won’t give up and I won't be defeated.

You must keep your faith built up so that you will have endurance when the fight comes. A soldier without endurance is a soldier who will give up in a time of battle.

2 Timothy 2:3-5. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

God's Word is telling us we have the ability to endure so therefore we can. We not only can, but we can have full assurance that we will come out victorious when we keep ourselves built up in God’s Word. Say to yourself; I will not fail, I will walk in the victory that was purchased for me. I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, my God always causes me to triumph in Christ Jesus.

We must keep a victorious attitude and not give in to a defeatist attitude. That’s the way to live. Satan will try and discourage you and to tempt you with doubt. This is one of his weapons. This would be one way we could be defeated, to allow discouragement to overtake us, and begin to doubt God’s promises. We would give up the confidence we have worked so hard to get. Don’t allow this to happen. It may not be easy but don’t give up and don’t give in. Remember, victory is near.

Allow patience to have her perfect work in you, developing you into the perfect man or woman of God until you come to the fullness of the stature of Christ.

Ephesians 4:13-16. till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

You can see by this Scripture that we are not just a single soldier out there by ourself.
We are all together in this together. We are collectively the body of Christ. This should encourage us to build one another up and to be mindful not to do anything that would tear one another down. The one you tear down may be the one that was supposed to supply to you what you needed to work effectively. This is how we grow, and this is how we stay strong, not only singly but also collectively. We are much stronger together than we are alone. Build up one another in the faith and help others wherever you can. If we all took this attitude think of how much we would accomplish. Much more than we are accomplishing now.

I would like to encourage you to keep the faith, and stay strong in the Lord. Stay in fellowship with other like minded believers, and to build up one another. This is the type of teamwork that will cause you and others to walk in the victory that has already been won.

We put in all this time in training and preparation so that our faith will not fail but will stay strong even in the time of trial and adversity. We must take the attitude of victory. Say I will not quit and I can not be defeated. I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to take the first step and earnestly pray the following prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (Jn.6:37),

So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).

I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “...that 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 to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Ro.10:9,10).

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “... with the heart one believes to righteousness...” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!

Glory to God!!!! Amen.

Kristin Abouelata / Mortgage Specialist

If you've ever been through the home buying process before, you know that the Good Faith Estimate is one of the most important documents you will review to make a decision about your home financing. Oftentimes, you may request this document from multiple lenders and get completely different looking paperwork and figures. But in essence, there are only a few key factors you should focus on when comparing these documents.

One the these key factors to compare, bottom line, is the amount of closing costs you are being charged. I once had a customer who told me that he was quoted a 6% rate with no discount points and no origination fees. My good faith estimate also had a 6% rate, but I was charging a 1% discount fee charge. I asked to see his good faith estimate from the other lender. The other lender had inflated the closing costs to make up the money that would otherwise have been collected by a discount fee.

Clever, but not necessarily upfront. When it was all said and done, my total costs were cheaper by almost $400. What it boils down to is all secondary market lenders have access to basically the same rate. We just package it differently. By charging my customer the discount fee upfront, my customer earned the benefit of the tax deduction afforded this charge. So, lesson number one, if a quote is completely out of the ballpark from what someone else is quoting, there is probably a good explanation behind it. It's possible that they can really offer something out of the ordinary once in a while, but doubtful.

The other key factor to compare is the payment, but don't get caught up the escrow portion of the payment. Your escrows will be what they will be at closing. No lender has control over what you decide to pay for homeowner's insurance or what your county taxes are. Lender's simply guess at that figure. So, in general, you shouldn't focus too much on "pre-paids." They are what they are, and will be finalized when you get to the closing table. When looking at a payment, it is more important to compare the principal and interest and if applicable, mortgage insurance portions of the payment breakdown. As I said before, your escrows payments (taxes, insurance) will be finalized later.

You should never have to have your credit pulled before someone gives you a good faith estimate, nor should you pay for the estimate. Some lenders will require the aforementioned in hopes of "tying" you to them. The best advice is to find someone you like and trust when shopping for a mortgage. You want someone who will take care of the details and whom you can depend upon.

Most real estate purchases are bought with loans so getting a good faith estimate and pre-approval letter from your lender helps the process start off on the right foot. The good faith estimate, or GFE for short, is required by law to be provided by lenders when you are seeking a loan. It lists out the estimated closing costs, monthly payments, and interest rates for the loan program you are looking at getting. The pre-approval letter is provided by lenders once they have run your credit and get your income / debt information. By getting the GFE and pre-approval letter, you can be confident that the loan will get processed with no surprises. There are also additional benefits to getting pre-approval and GFE before you even begin the property search. For one, by discussing your debt to income ratio with your lender and obtaining the GFE, you can determine your maximum price. It helps to know the maximum sales price when shopping around so that you do not waste time and energy looking a over-priced properties, and also vice verse, you do not waste time and energy looking at under-priced properties. You can find an area in your price range that fits your needs and narrow down your search. You also will determine your monthly payments with the GFE. The monthly payments should include the property taxes, insurance, principle, and interest plus any private mortgage insurance (PMI). If the monthly payments are higher than you wanted, then you can adjust your sales price to be lower. Another reason to get your pre-approval and GFE before starting your home search is that you may find out some issues with your credit or financial situation that you could clean up before moving forward with a purchase. For example, the first time I bought a house, I found out that I had a $50 charge on my credit report from 3 years ago, which brought my credit score down. And with a lower credit score, I would have gotten a worse interest rate on the loan. I say 'would have' because I was able to pay off this collection and clear up the ding on my credit before going into the loan underwriting process. Finally, by getting a pre-approval letter, you have proof for a seller that a lender has confidence in being able to fund the purchase on your behalf. This helps with presenting offers and negotiating. Many sellers will not even accept an offer unless it is accompanied by a lender's letter. Furthermore, if you do not have a letter, the seller may counter higher given that he feels he is taking on more risk that you may not be qualified for the loan amount. Also, if you happen to get into a multiple offer situation, your offer will be much stronger with a pre-approval letter.

We were in the storefront, with very little room, and I was talking to Dave Miller who would be our first building chairman. Through his work the church we had served us well for thirteen years. My son, Matthew, about three at the time, comes walking by. DIt was this time of year, the Sunday after Halloween, when I knew what life had in store for me. Somebody had bought too much candy and decided it would be good to bring it to church for the coffee fellowship for the kids.ave and I keep talking--we don’t even notice him. Then I looked down and the new, white preaching gown I had just got back from the cleaners had a big smudge of chocolate on it. Amazing--I hadn’t even felt the little rat’s hand or face on me. I and Miller both started laughing.

That’s when I knew what my life would bring.

Faith Works

1.Will I meet him with my head in the clouds?

2.Or with chocolate smudges on my robe?

We come across another leader of God’s people in our text for today, a king of Judah named Asa. He was a good king. “He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord had given him rest. ‘Let us build up these towns,’ he said to Judah, ‘and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.’ So they built and prospered (4-7).”

Here is a king who enjoys a time of peace. There are only minor skirmishes between cranky border guards along the northern border with Israel. He could have sat back and counted his money. He could have told everybody to take out a second and buy seashore cottages and get into surfboarding. But he didn’t.

He told them to get their house in order. He commanded his people to get rid of the ramshackle nature worship that had crept in under the guise of worshipping the Lord. He told them to worship God the way God wanted to be worshipped, with sacrifices in the Temple at Jerusalem and with holy lives and ready ears to hear the Word taught in their towns and villages.

But he didn’t stop there. As King Asa felt responsible for the spiritual welfare of his people he felt a heavy burden for their physical safety. There were lots of villages in Judah that, over the years, had become towns. There were enough people and possessions in them to make them attractive targets for raiders or invaders. So he and his people did the back-breaking work of building walls around these towns. We gripe when we’ve got to hire someone to build walls around our property with pre-cast blocks that machines bring in. How would you like to be digging up rocks and loading them onto donkey carts, lifting them into place and hoping the mortar dried quickly? Some of the cities had out-grown their walls so walls had to be extended, while other city walls needed renovation.

Asa knew the Lord had given them this time of peace to do the hard work of necessary for the spiritual and physical welfare of his people. His faith in the Lord worked, it worked hard. He wasn’t going to be content to have his head in the clouds. His calloused hands had dirt and sand under their fingernails.

And then the day came when all that hard work paid off. Pharaoh, King of Egypt, send his general, Zerah, to plunder Judah. Large as Asa’s conscripted army was, the Egyptians couldn’t be numbered, and they had three hundred chariots, the killing machines of their day.

“Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you (11).’”

And the Lord heard King Asa’s humble plea and gave Judah the victory. The powerless plundered the mighty. The few pursued the many. So great was Egypt’s defeat that it would be almost three hundred years before they confronted a king from Judah again.

Faith works. King Asa’s faith worked hard in peacetime and it worked in a time of crisis, in a time of war.

There is a part of each one of us that longs for an easy life, a tranquil life. The gals want romance kisses that last for days and midnight dances in the south of France. Later in the month the guys want a belly full of turkey and a television filled with football. We’d like to think about God, contemplate our faith, and pretty much leave it at that. Religious. Spiritual. Head in the clouds type of people thinking heavenly thoughts.

But that’s not faith. That’s a false faith. That’s a faith that looks at the suffering of this world and says, “Why doesn’t somebody (else) do something about it, so I won’t feel so embarrassed by these people?” False faith judges everything and everyone and never lifts a finger to help lift the burdens of soul or body. False faith gets people all riled up about something, but then never does the nitty-gritty detail work to harness that concern and energy to fix whatever they got riled up about.

Even the pagans realized that. Word are cheap. Actions count.

How will I meet my Lord when this fleeting life is over? With my head in the clouds and all the deep thoughts I have thunk and the causes I thought about looking into? Will I meet him as an absentee landlord to the responsibilities of my life, the children he was counting on me to raise, the neighbors he was counting on me to look after? Will I meet him as the ardent churchgoer who never wanted to look dumb by trying to sing even singable songs, who never joined his heart with the preacher’s heart in even thinking about prayers spoken, and never realized Jesus was counting on me to encourage brothers and sisters in the faith to keep walking in the way of the Lord?

Or will I meet him with chocolate smudges on my robe?

Jesus was smudged. Long nights in prayer, long days in teaching, preaching and doing miracles. A long and inglorious death on the cross to pay for all the sins of a respectable world that didn’t want to get its hands dirty. Jesus was smudged by my transgressions. He was mucked up by your iniquities.

Give me the smudges, because that’s what happens when faith works. Give me the wrinkles from worrying about when the kids are going to get home, the rumpled shirts from being in them too long, squeezed in the middle because I didn’t have the leisure to exercise (and the few times I did my reflexes were so bad, my legs didn’t hurt until the second day) and shoes scuffed from scraping too many curbs as I got out of the car to ring somebody’s doorbell. Give me the faith, Lord, that works hard enough to be dissatisfied with self-assessments that always come back “pretty good.”

And as a pastor of this church, help me strive not only for a worship service where everybody can and does actually sing what is to be sung, but everyone, kids and adults alike, carries home something from the sermons that they can use, so that later in life, when they walk into a pastor’s office for the first time, they can say, “I went to church as a child, but over the years I got away from it and I realize that’s what I’m missing in my life, so I want to start coming to this church.” Give me a church that doesn’t urge its members to run away from their problems but a church that proclaims it is the Lord’s work when our faith works to care for ailing parents, to check homework, to keep in touch with friends who, because of hard times, do not want to be kept in touch with. Give me a faith that faces down my restless fears at night and is ready to meet the dragons at dawn.

Faith Works

1.Will I meet him with my head in the clouds?

2.Or with chocolate smudges on my robe?

And nothing will be neat. And all the strings might have loose ends, as far as we can tell. But we will have dared for the Lord, we will have worked for the Lord, we will have loved and lived. And we will have known it, as all the saints of old discovered. With our God is forgiveness. With our God is courage. With our God is strength. With our God is a faith that works.

When I have true faith, I fear nothing and no one. I experience Divine attention and care.

When my loved ones are in "danger", I trust that there is a Divine wisdom greater than my needs and desires

Although I fight with love for a world of equality and well being for all, I am able to perceive divine justice and wisdom behind the apparent injustices.

When I have true faith, I do not complain when my desires are not fulfilled.

I do not feel that I have been forgotten when my prayers "are not answered", because I trust that the Divine knows better the needs of my soul.

When I have true faith, I am liberated from the need to control all and everyone. I allow each to follow his or her own inner voice.

I neither criticize nor condemn others or myself.

When I have true faith, I forgive easily, as I am aware that each experience is a just and wise opportunity for my growth process.

I feel secure in my confidence that all results of my efforts will be the best possible outcome for our mutual evolution.

I have patience because I know that the Divine knows better when my desires should be satisfied.

When I have true faith, I love all unconditionally - even those whom I do not know, and those who behave egotistically because I remember that each being is a unique Divine expression.

I never feel lonely. I feel the Divine close to me around me and within me.

I am sincere and truthful in all my transactions and communications. Doing otherwise would be to lie or cheat my own Self.

I give to all, serving the Divine in each. I remember that it is the one Universal Consciousness (my "Self") who is hungry who is homeless, orphaned or in jail.

When I have true faith, I am simple and humble. I have no need to boast of myself in order to feel my self-worth

My divine nature is my self-worth.
What more then can I have or do in order to be worthy?

As divine energy is it possible that my self-worth can be change because of other people's opinions?

When I have true faith, I have clarity and power.

My energy is free to focus in the present and to express itself creatively and effectively.

When I have true faith, I am happy.
I perceive Divine beauty everywhere and in everyone. Also in myself

My mind is free to experience the present, which is much more beautiful than the past and future.

When I have true faith, I proceed with courage even into the unknown because I know very well that all is Divine.

I radiate Joy, Light and Love.

There is peace and exhalation.

All is Divine.

Suppose I wanted to honor my wife, and give her my best. Should I put my hands to work, staying long hours at my job until all my energy and time were consumed so I could buy her nice things? Is this the best thing I could do for her from God's perspective? Sadly, most husbands, being Godless, will never get it past their thick skulls that this kind of thinking is a self-defeating rut, destroying the very goal of providing for their wives that they claimed to be seeking in the first place.

I refer to the quality of a husband's heart as he loves his wife to illustrate this general rule, that Godlessness has a disastrous effect on every meaningful aspect of life. It is a trustworthy statement that genuine love, dedication and any admirable quality proceeds out of the underlying state of a person's heart.

A worldly husband might stretch his mind so far as to save up all his extra income so he could buy his wife jewelry or an impressive luxury car or maybe a fabulous cruise for two. Such a gift would no doubt seem impressive to outsiders such as her lady friends and coworkers. Yet, tragically, this same worldly husband, who supposedly thought so highly of his wife, might not think it shameful to admire someone else's wife on his way to the car dealership or the travel agency. Such is the stupefying nature of this illness called sin, that it would justify a man, in his own mind, to covet the same saleswoman who sold him his fiancé's engagement ring. So it goes that, apart from God, natural men are oblivious to true value.

What good are all the riches in the world to a wife when her husband's heart is still far from her? All the shiny anniversary gifts in the world from a cold, unloving husband are less than worthless to that man's wife.

Therefore husbands are wiser for neglecting worldly things in order to spend more time, energy and attention on their wives directly. It is impossible for a husband to love his wife indirectly via the nice things he buys her. And he does well in God's sight to place all worldly estimations of marital success in their rightful, negligible place in order to seek out Christ with his wife first of all.

A plant needs water, sunshine and a good soil to live and grow. Any commonsensical person would admit that the gardener who spray-paints his dying plants to make them look alive is a fool, especially when that gardener should know better, especially when the watering can sits nearby. In fact, he is not a gardener at all who considers a plastic, pseudo-healthy appearance acceptable over the real, living thing. It would be a similar waste of time to dedicate one's life to caring for a vast garden made up of only plastic plants. So it is with marriage that God designed it to contain more profound value than for making a good outward show (this also applies to any other meaningful gift from God).

Granted, couples can go through financially hard times, so that it seems like there's no choice but to spend all their time trying to make ends meet. But there's always a choice.

As for any Christ-seeking married people, the question is not whether money allows something, the question is whether God allows it. The poorest couple is not the one deprived of money. The poorest couple is the one that lacks living roots of faith in Christ. Married people are better off seeking Christ before they worry about any worldly concern because, this way, they will be storing up heavenly riches in Him that can never fade away or be stolen.

A couple could not ask for a more powerful marriage than one that is consumed with Christ, striving by His Spirit toward God's kingdom on earth. And this is also a truly priceless commodity, that two people might be one in Christ's name.

In an unimaginably significant way, Christ outsmarts otherwise hopeless men by imprinting Himself directly onto their hearts and convictions. He imparts to each one of them His own, perfectly consistent love for God, obedience to the Spirit and desire for purity. He implants in His followers a refined set of desires and affections, which stay solid and determined, independent of any circumstance, even when no one is watching.

Therefore, Christ enables husbands to honor their wives beyond anything they could have imagined without Him. Men might manufacture something that looks like decency, but groundbreaking Godliness proceeds exclusively from the Spirit of Christ.

When a man's heart is approved by God, he will naturally bless the heart of his wife. And a husband who seeks Christ's counsel is dipping into such a depth of heavenly riches that he will not be able to avoid a joyful, successful marriage. This is spiritual truth.

A Christ-following husband must be the very best kind of husband, because he follows Christ's example, who loves His church, His bride, to the uttermost, freely imparting to her the depths of His divine love. In this way we have earthly marriage as a point of reference, to remind us of the unspeakable profundity of the church's heavenly marriage to Christ.

I catch a glimpse of Christ's love and then I ask myself, how might such heavenly love look from me to my wife?

If any Christ-seeking husband wants to know how to honor his wife in the most meaningful way possible, then he should ask Christ. The same thing also goes for all Christ-followers concerning every significant aspect of life.

A Godly husband might express appreciation for his wife in a simple fashion, such as in an unassuming poem or a card. But even the simplest gesture from the heart of a Godly man contains unmistakable, otherworldly power. This man's efforts to honor his wife, though modest in appearance, are backed by the heavenly weight of an otherworldly, Spirit-led life. When a Godly man sets out to love his wife, he has the endorsement of Almighty God, who is pleased to encourage all aspects of that man's virtuous living.

Therefore the main gift that a Godly husband gives his wife is the fruit of a life devoted to the Lord. His Godliness manifests itself in the form of unassuming purity, love and faithfulness. Such is the heavenly quality of a Godly man's love that it lasts throughout the day, even when no one is looking. This man's loving devotion will last for a lifetime because it is grounded in the rock-solid grace of God.

And a Christ-following husband also has the freedom to depend on Christ for the fruition of his efforts, whether he is seeking, listening or obeying. For this reason a Christ-seeking man cannot resist being a successful husband in God's estimation.

God, in His wisdom, decided that a man makes a better husband by maintaining a simple outlook on life, striving first of all in ceaseless prayer, advancing in the Spirit only to the extent that he surrenders to Christ. If this sounds extreme, then that is exactly what kind of extremity is needed to offset the Godless undercurrent driving this present generation.

Christ-following husbands and fathers also have this very useful reality check for their thoughts and actions, which is a healthy fear of God. Men might be able to hide from their loved ones for a while, but they can't hide from God for even a moment.

Men didn't know how to deal with this fact on their own, therefore God sent His Son to teach us the most productive and practical way to fear Him.

I have heard certain short-sighted men sum up all their duties as a father in how the bills get paid and food gets put on the table. But the Spirit of Christ says that a lifetime of whole-hearted dedication, patience, availability and unconditional love are the best gifts a father could give his family. Worldly men go through with their daily chores, thinking that there is some virtue in doing work for work's sake. But a man's true success, in God's eyes, springs from a life-consuming obedience to Christ. In other words, putting food on the table and paying the bills is at best an outcropping, or maybe an afterthought, of a man's Christ-centered dedication.

Because Godly men make Christ the Head of their households, therefore they and their whole families will enjoy a heavenly sort of success all the time. God will honor such families by using their everyday faith to accomplish His heavenly goals.

All of this is to encourage you, O reader, toward a more thorough obedience to Christ, regardless what your responsibilities are. I am not trying to say that we should merely try harder not to screw up so much. But rather, instead of focusing so much on ourselves, or anything else of this world, God is calling His people to focus on His Son.

If you are in charge of anyone's well-being, then cry out to God. Ask Him directly, "What's next?" for you and for your loved ones. If you ask Him directly for teaching and guidance, then He will teach and guide you directly.

We should be encouraged by God's wisdom, that He meets us at our low places and works us up from there. It is not so much how well we strive toward a place that is acceptable to God, but rather it is Christ who lifts us up to a higher place than we could have achieved on our own. This is all to Christ's glory and not ours.

Though we start with nothing more than a life consumed by sin, yet Christ works out a letting go of this life through total death to our old selves. Death in Christ is the secret to a life well-lived.

If I am a Christ-follower then I must eventually arrive at certain life-consuming conclusions about every aspect of my life, especially for such main things as loving my wife or providing for my family. This means that, when I am 100% surrendered to Christ, then I will be a 100% good husband and a 100% good father.

This is an excerpt from To the Church of the West, Scattered Throughout the World. Find this book and similar articles at www.BooksByPatrick.com

Some people operate from faith, some from vision. Both are invaluable for tomorrow's leaders and creators. Learn the distinction between faith and vision, and how you can leverage each.

INTRODUCTION:

Before exploring the distinctions between these two concepts, consider that what is meant by any word is determined largely by the context in which it is used. So, rather than assuming you know what is meant here by faith and vision, look closely to understand the context in which we're using them.

One of the greatest sources of misunderstandings and disagreements is from making the mistake of assuming that because two people are using the same word, they are actually referring to the same thing. Sally can talk about love, for example, and be referring to an entirely different kind of love than the person who is listening to Sally. They think they are disagreeing about the same thing, when they are really referring to two different things.

Faith can be a tricky concept to talk about, because, like love, it is used in so many different ways. The same goes for vision.

For the visionary in training - or anyone truly wanting and willing to be a force for positive change - grasping this distinction at a deep level can swing open the gates to new pastures of inner freedom and inner power.

ORIENTATION:

The term faith is used very broadly. It is worth distinguishing faith from vision and faith from blind faith. Today, we'll focus on the former, while the latter will be discussed in a future session.

Reason - What you think.*

Vision - What you see (More specifically, what your mind sees when you "look" to the future.)*

Hope - The quality of focusing on the possibility of a desired future outcome that you lack confidence in due to reason and vision.

Trust - 1. The quality of having or placing confidence in a person or an outcome due to reason, vision or past experience. 2. The quality of choosing to have faith in a person.

Faith - The quality of placing confidence in a desired future outcome without regard for reason (what you think) or vision (what your mind "sees" when you "look" to the future).**

Blind Faith - 1. The quality of having confidence in a desired future outcome while consciously rejecting reason and vision. 2. The quality of placing confidence in someone or something outside of one's self, while refusing to question or think for one's self (and placing zero confidence in one's own consciousness).

*Reason is often held to be the set of natural functions of a human mind - it's thinking, in a very broad sense. Vision is one of these natural functions.

**Human beings derive confidence naturally from reason and vision. To choose to have confidence in something without reason or vision to back you up is faith.

EXAMPLE:

Craig was a visionary entrepreneur with such a grand vision that people around him typically deferred to him. He seemed to be able to see so clearly what many people could not. And, indeed, he did see what they could not.

To those who could not see what he saw, he appeared daring and bold, often venturing into new and seemingly dangerous territory without hesitation. Some people attributed it to faith, assuming he must have greater faith that they had. Those who joined him on projects usually followed his lead, and often without question. When frightened, they simply hoped things would work out and often admonished each other to "have faith."

Craig couldn't understand why they couldn't see what he could see, even when he tried to show them. Soon, he found himself telling people who couldn't see what he saw to just have faith in him.

His visionary projects grew in size, and without vision, many people working with him often lost sight of the vision. They'd experience setbacks and failure and start to lose confidence. This increased tensions between Craig and many of the people he counted on. Soon, he began asserting more of an authoritarian demeanor, using fear to motivate people when they lacked confidence in him.

Over the months and years, Craig learned to cut people off, at the first sign that they did not trust him. His story became one of him against the world. He grew increasingly bitter, tired, frustrated and angry. As he formed more conclusions about people and the world, his vision grew less and less powerful. He could not see himself working powerfully with teams of people or accomplishing anything great that required a team effort.

Once a great young visionary, Craig devolved into more and more of a hardened positionary. After many lonely years, Craig found religion, and did his best to surrender his position and just trust in God. He became a man of faith. Using this strategy, he once again became a man who people trusted, a leader people were inspired to follow.

KEY POINTS:

1 - Many people collapse vision with faith. When people see vision and thus feel confident, they often say they have faith. However, there is a distinction between having confidence in the face of the unknown with vision and choosing to have confidence in the face of the unknown without vision.

2 - Both vision and faith are powerful and useful. Whereas many people without vision can only resort to faith when confronted with the unknown, a skilled visionary can intentionally manifest a powerful vision. The man in the example did not have this skill.

3 - Vision can be a force multiplier for anyone's faith. As a leader it is advantageous to be able to share your vision with others in a way that has them see it, so you need not rely on asking people to blindly trust you or have faith.

VISIONARY ADVANTAGE:

A skilled visionary heads boldly into the unknown and can easily inspire others to join him. Such a person can, even after failing time after time, inspire others to keep going forward. His vision and theirs only grows stronger over time.

VISIONARY DYNAMIC:

The more you operate at the level of vision, the greater your faith becomes AND the less you need to rely on "having faith."

VISIONARY CHALLANGE:

Look to areas of your life where you have come to think you just need more faith in yourselves, others, humanity, etc. Consider that if you had a powerful vision in these areas, it would only multiply your confidence and your faith. Then do the work it takes to build that vision. (You're not taught very powerful methods for doing this at home, at school, at church or even through most self-development programs. Such methods are, however, taught inside Vision Force programs such as our boot camp).

Faith plays an important role in the life of humans. First of all it is necessary to understand the concept of faith and how it is interpreted by different people. According to the dictionary explanation faith is a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing; it is a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. It could be loyalty to a person or thing or a commitment to something or someone. However primary meaning of faith came to us from Christianity and is defined as theological virtue and a secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will, it is a set of principles or beliefs associated with religious issues. One has to understand though that faith and religion are different things, although closely interrelated especially in a modern world.
The word faith mainly originated in Biblical times and is the ultimate source of understanding of the issue of faith. It is important to understand why it has been an essential part of people’s life for centuries and continues to be that, in order to grasp the meaning of faith and its magnetic power of attracting so many people all over the world. Faith is not merely adopting a set of beliefs that a person finds in religious books, but it is rather a way of life or adherence to that which leads to life. Faith however is not only a mental state of “believing” the holder of faith has to have relationships with God, truly love him and adapt his/her life to the ways of God. Many questions rise when we speak of faith and its meaning, for instance why should a person believe in eternity and in life after death if one does not prepare for it by repentance, spiritual vigil, and loving God? What good does this fake faith do in such person’s life? Also what benefit does believing in virtues bring if one does not live them and truly experience? Thus it becomes clear that there is a huge gap between theoretical faith which does not save the soul, and practical faith, the results of which are evident in one's life.
In Matthew 7:16 it is written “You will know them by their fruits”, this sentence explains the whole notion of having faith. If a person does really have faith in the heart this faith will be producing visible results in persons life, although they may not be as evident to the outside world, the individual will feel the difference. The life of faith is linked with peace, tranquility and lack or absence of fear, for when the believer, thus the holder of faith, begins to fear he will sense the presence of God. For such people, whose hearts are occupied with God there is no place for trouble, they are usually very optimistic and have a greater sense of life then their surroundings. Those people are typically more joyful and people loving, they accept all the things life prepares for them in a more tolerant way. Faith gives them such power and motivation to overcome their difficulties that they can see more beauty in every day routine, which is sometimes very hard for ordinary people. Often life of a person of faith is also related with purity of behavior, because the believer feels the presence of God, who sees, hears and records all that he does. For this very reason the believer feels ashamed and afraid of wrong doing in front of God who is omnipresent. Having faith makes us submit to God’s will and become calmer if something goes not according to our plan. If we have faith we know, that there is a reason for everything and this very reason keeps us from something bad. Accepting life in such a way gives us more satisfaction and pure happiness with what life and God has granted us.
“Faith is not what is seen by the human eye” (2 Cor. 5:7), which is true for the human senses that can only detect a physical object or movement; faith in this instance is almost invisible. I wrote almost because, for a true believer faith is a way of life, thus he knows exactly what faith means to him. The intellectual capabilities may easily lead a human to the beginning of the road on which one finds happiness, but it can never continue on to the end of the way. The mind cannot comprehend God mainly because it has definite limits on the other hand God has no limits. Besides God has numerous qualities and can come in life of a person in different forms, and creatures; people often do not recognize God’s presence if they only concentrate on the power of mind in comprehending all things. Again we turn to the subject of necessity to have faith, so that to accept things without fully understanding the origin of them or the meaning of them. Taking for instance a microwave, which works on the principle rarely recognized by people using it, however this still does let them use it every day. They accept that there is a microwave and it is a convenient device for heating food. The same situation occurs when miracles happen. People do not even get close to comprehending their true nature. But the mind accepts it happening with faith, with its infinite power, greater than that of the mind, which can perform things the mind fails to understand. Most of people agree and believe that this power comes from God, that’s the ultimate source of their faith.
The most vivid example of faith is brought to us by children. They are more open- minded and happy than adults are. They are able to see the genuine beauty around them and capture the essence of all things, although they might not know how to explain them. Children do not carry negative emotional baggage, unless they have some psychological problems, like most of adults do. This very feature makes kids peace loving and world accepting, they believe that things as they are, are just perfect. This is the precious attribute that many adults lack and thus suffer immensely in their lives. They get too preoccupied with all possible problems in the world and forget to relax for a minute in order to feel life and all the virtues it has to offer.
Those who forget God or simply people without faith in their hearts are lost in this life, or in any other life they will obtain. The Bible says “People who seek God, find God” (Matthew 7:7-8). I believe that this search can only be successful if a person honestly has faith not originated from mental activities but from the deepest corner of the heart. The one, who is looking for God, will find Him as God is the ultimate reward in people’s life. It follows that they believe in God being the source of good and protection, otherwise why should conduct such a search? For humans, though, faith in God is still something that has to be connected with the earthly matters. With faith people receive a sense of hope, which is what so pleasing for humans. Having hope for a better future, for a long life and other virtues life has in store for them is a motivator and a reason for faith. It is often viewed as a psychological necessity, a need to feel that you are protected and cared for by someone who is more superior and all mighty. Although such concerns cause people to turn their faces to God, there are other issues that make people live a righteous life with faith in heart.
One of the major anxieties of modern humans is the need to find their self identity, to discover their true nature. The Bible says that God has created people on his own image. This is the ultimate truth that should guide people in finding God and establishing strong faith in their souls. Everyone nowadays is experiencing certain unpleasant discomfort, as most of the time they do not know who they are and what they are seeking in life. Belonging to various social groups and finding an interesting profession is not enough for an individual to experience happiness from realizing the true self. Faith in such cases often leads people to positive results as they understand what their heart desires and how to live life, to be satisfied and happy. Those people become like children, who are able to enjoy every ray of light and each drop of rain. Faith thus is of tremendous importance for humans, as it establishes peace in their hearts and allows enjoying life as it is, accepting all of its positive and negative
occurrences.
Finding peace with the self gives a person a light feeling of life and an acceptance of death. Such people are not afraid of neither of them. They are aware that life is just for a short period of time and they will have to become something else after it ends. Most people’s in the world greatest fear is death, but not for those who know what it is to be with God and to feel it’s omnipresent light everywhere. Assured of God’s help wherever they are makes them fearless and allows them to see things clearly without the dark shades of fear or shame or lust, feelings that are common for those who are lost. Faith is not simply an important part of our lives, it is crucial for our happiness and well being. We have to feel that we are not put here to suffer but to enjoy life and such sensation comes with faith.

What is faith? Some people use it as a noun to delineate their belief system such as “Catholic faith,” “Islamic faith”, “Hindu faith”, etc. Some people use it as an alternate word for “desire” or “dream”. For most people, it is simply an ethereal word that means “wish,” or as Dictionary.com suggests: a “belief that is not based on proof” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith, definition 2.). However, the Bible takes an entirely different view of faith.

Faith is one of the Seven Spirits of God and is part of the very nature of God Himself. It is impossible for God to act in the absence of faith. All of creation was an act of faith. God spoke into infinite nothingness and said “let there be light.” Light had never existed in any form, only darkness and emptiness. In the first chapter Genesis, it is recorded eight times: “God said,” and it was so. Whenever God speaks, it is a prophetic statement, but prophecy without faith is powerless and useless. God only speaks in faith, because He can never compromise Himself, and every word the Lord speaks is prophetic.

In Hebrews 11:1, we learn that:

... faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, NKJV)

So we see that Scripture considers faith a motivating, enabling, and empowering force. Notice that in this passage we have another word that has been considered rather ethereal in our language, namely “hope.” Most people consider “hope” a word that simply means “desire,” but that is almost the exact opposite of what Scripture considers it:

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:24-25, NKJV)

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12, NKJV)

The phrase "full assurance of hope," involves two Greek words, the first of which is “plerophoria,” which, according to Strong's exhaustive concordance, means entire confidence, which essentially means an idea that is completely settled in one's heart. The second Greek word, “elpis,” means an expectation or confidence. Therefore, the phrase, "full assurance of hope," means the “absolute expectation of an idea that is completely settled in one's heart,” which is a far cry from the vain expectation that we have come to assign to the word, "hope."

Yes, faith and the Spirit of Faith are far different in the eyes of God than in our own eyes. We consider faith to be a word associated with unfulfilled desires which we would like to have, if possible, while the Lord God considers them to be the power behind all His mighty works.

Copyright (c) 2007 Jon Straumfjord

The Lord wants to richly bless each and every person, and yet no one deserves those blessings, nor can they possibly hope to earn those blessings since the Lord requires absolute perfect obedience in thought and action, which appears to be absolutely impossible. So does this dichotomy make God a liar? Not at all! Yes, the Lord has set an impossible standard, but He has met that standard for us:

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, ... even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For ... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,... that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore ... a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. (Romans 3:21-29, NKJV)

No, we cannot possibly earn the favor and blessings of the Lord, but we don't need to! The Lord has completely provided everything we could possibly need to obtain the blessings of the Lord, if we are willing to receive it completely by faith. We must admit that we are powerless to obtain what we so desperately need and desire, on the basis of His supreme sufficiency, and our complete insufficiency. If we claim to be able to meet the requirements to obtain the Lord's blessing apart from the work that Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf, we will receive nothing but the curse of the Law.

Strange, isn't it? If we claim that God is all powerful and we are powerless, we can have the blessings. If we claim we are able of our own effort to obtain the Lord's blessings, we stand condemned. Where do you stand? "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9, NKJV)

Only in Christ do we have salvation from Hell, from condemnation, and from the curse of the Law, guaranteed! No need to worry about being good enough, because the One who made the requirements also has fulfilled those requirements on our behalf. What a deal! Is there any other religion that even pretends to make such claims? NO! Virtually all other religions leave the entire burden on the individual. Even if they are serving a capricious, or even contemptible and corruptible deity who may never keep any promise that he/she has made. That deity may very well have no intention of keeping his/her own promises, or worse, may be totally incapable of fulfilling his/her promises. What about the deity you serve?

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25, NKJV)

Copyright (c) 2007 Jon Straumfjord

People who have power-spiritual power-are people who have learned how to work with energy. Working with energy requires an understanding of both scientific laws and universal laws. Scientific laws change as science progresses. There were once laws that supported the beliefs that the earth was flat, was the center of the universe, and that light only travels in a straight line. These laws held true until science advanced to discover other possibilities, at which time new scientific laws emerged. In other words, scientific "proof" supports a set of beliefs until a new scientific model redefines reality. Many scientific truths have passed into myth. Bear in mind that "myth" only exists from the vantage of hindsight; it was "truth" in the context of the time that spawned it.

If history is an accurate predictor of our future, then we must assume that the current scientific "truths" will eventually become myth as new "truths" emerge. How confident of our scientific truths can or should we be? The American dramatist Arthur Miller observed, "An era can be said to be at an end when its basic illusions are exhausted." Our mental models of reality may never be more than "illusions" that we, as a culture, have commonly agreed upon. The models have the feel of truth because they are widely shared. They create our current paradigm.

A paradigm is a constellation of concepts, values, perceptions, and practices shared by a community. That constellation forms the basis for how a community defines and organizes itself. Scientific paradigms, widely accepted by "advanced" societies, have become the basis of defining reality for our world community. "Primitive" societies that may not share our scientific worldviews are often targets of programs intended to "convert" them to our "higher" truths. At times, however, we have discovered that the primitive paradigms were, in fact, accurate. A good example is recent medical discoveries that validate the potency of traditional medicines and the role of mind-body-spirit connection in the healing process. Once considered to be of the realm of "witch doctors," these are now receiving serious attention from the scientific community.

Our beliefs-even our scientific knowledge-color our observations and perceptions. We look for evidence to corroborate what we know; we find the evidence because that is what we are predisposed to see. Consequently, we continually reinforce as true that which we already know. This is done at a subconscious level, but it is how the paradigms govern our lives. Breaking out of these paradigms is difficult, and it takes strong character to go against such compelling and accepted societal norms. History is full of accounts of people being persecuted and, in some instances, killed because they supported new discoveries in science. Hindsight being 20/20, two hundred years later it is easy to say, "How could they have believed something so ridiculous?" What will be said of our beliefs two centuries from now?

In truth, all things are possible and people are limited only by their own imaginations! That is exactly why the spirits are forever asking us to broaden our perspectives.

Our belief systems affect our manifestations, including healings or what are commonly referred to as miracles. According to the information from my spirit teachers, there is no hierarchy of miracles. It is no more difficult to heal cancer than it is to soothe a stubbed toe. The possibility of healing, or the lack thereof, lies in the belief system of the wounded or the healer/practitioner. Healings and miracles deal with energy and the amount of faith or trust contributing to the process.

Faith is built by the strength of one's belief systems. The more you believe something to be true, the more faith you have in the processes associated with it. The more faith you have in the process, the more energy the process will receive. The more energy received, the more fuel to create the desired outcome. As you manifest more and more in your life, your trust level will escalate. As your trust escalates, it feeds energy to your faith and your belief system and thus increases your ability to heal or to perform miracles.