Putting On The Lens of Faith | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day for today's word, right, today's title of the

message today is about faith. All right. God has been speaking to me

about faith and how we call to put on the lens of faith. Yeah,

you know, this word faith is often mentioned if you have been a

Christian long enough, you've been coming to church. Yeah, we always hear

the word faith. But why faith? You know what, why is this

important in the context of the Bible. You know, it's always good for

us. And as we walk and journey now Christian walk to say growth taking

place, right, because that is how it should be. You know.

As how we start as a young believer, Well, there's a time and

place for us to get familiar with what is church, you know, what's

the word of God. But as we journey, we must desire for something

deeper. Well, because that's what God desires for us. You know,

just like how as we merchure in our age, we look at things differently.

You know, we respond to friendships differently. You know, we respond

in conversations differently, and it should be the same with our faith as well.

You know, do we grow deeper in our walk, and I think

it's a good time to check in with that as we're drawing towards the end

of the year. Right to you to intrease ending soon? And how are

we developing our walk with God? Yeah, it's a good reflection for us.

So I like to share with you about faith because God has been speaking

to me about this and align with the team that God has given to our

church this year. Heaven rules right, and for us to be able to

come to a place of recognizing that Heaven rules, it requires faith. Do

you think so? Right? Because you can hear all you want about Heaven

rules and different ones preaching about it. But for you to recognize that Heaven

truly rules, to be able to come to that place of saying, yes,

I want God to rule my life, it requires faith, right,

And that's what we're going to learn today. So in second Quarrianthians for eighteen,

okay, it says here, while we do not look at the things

which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, For the

things which are seen are temporary, by the things which are not seen are

eternal. Right, Just take some time to choose this scripture here, because

most of the things that we see or what the world shows us are very

temporary. You know, one day it will fade away. But what it

says here is the things which are not seen are eternal. And for us

to recognize those things that are not seen requires faith. I mean the prayers

that we say that requires faith, right, because we have not seen it

happen yet. But yet with all confidence we can say that prayer. We

can all confidence declare God's word because we know that God is able. Right,

so it is faith for us to recognize that. In Second Corentins five

seven, it says, for we walk by faith and not by sight,

right, that is how we are called to walk he Brews eleven six.

But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to

God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who

diligently seek him. So can you see how important faith is, you know?

And we need to recognize that we need faith because if you want to

please God, you need faith. If not, it is impossible. Very

clearly mentioned in the Bible Ephesians two eight to nine, it says, for

by grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves. It is

the gift of God, not of works. Least anyone should boast. Right,

So gain faith. If you're all saved. You know, if you

have had that that time in your life and you say, yes, I

want to receive Jesus as my personal Lord and savior. It took faith for

you to say that. Right. No amount of knowledge can save someone.

Right. If you're praying for someone's salvation for your love one, you can

preach as much as you want, you know, you can give them the

whole Bible, but they have not encountered God, or they have not taken

that step of faith for themselves, they cannot be saved. Right. That's

how important faith is. So this is what faith is, okay, and

that is why it's important. The meaning of faith here all right, It

means it's a spiritual conviction rather than proof. Okay. Well, if you

think about our human mind, we often like to see things first to believe.

Okay, you give me then I pay you, right, or what

is it for me? Then I get to it. But faith here is

a spiritual conviction comes with you personally encountering God. It comes with you personally

experiencing God's presence. Then you can say I have faith, okay. So

it's a very personal journey. And you know what the Bible tells about faith,

that faith as small as the mustard seat can move mountains. So it

doesn't even require us to have freat big faith, but the little simple belief

as small as says you know how mustard seats looks like it's so tiny,

and yet with that faith, great things can happen. So the question for

all of us this morning is do we have that amount of faith to trust

God to see God moving? Right? And I'd like to see how this

word faith is. It very much explains how true trust takes place. Okay,

if you can tell someone, yes, I trust you, But for

you to trust a person not knowing what's the outcome, that is true trusts

okay. Or when you are tested in times when circumstances happen, you know,

challenges happen and you've got no way out and you've got to have faith.

That is true test trusts, right, It's truly tested when you're underwaters

and you're what do I do? Okay? And that is when your faith

is tested, and that explains true trust. When you can't see the future

yet but you still choose to trust God. You still choose to trust him

because you know why. In Germany twenty nine eleven, it says, for

I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of

peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Right, this is the kind of future that God has for us. So

do we have that faith to trust that he holds our future? He holds

everything in his hands. Yeah. And the thing about faith is that it

takes a lot of weight from our shoulder. If you think about it,

Okay, how much can we carry on ourselves? I mean, for those

of you have journeyed, if you've gone through things in life, you notice

that there's only that much that you can take on, you know. And

that is why the word of God is so applicable. It's so you know,

it is so relevant because he knows that he needs to keep reminding his

children to have faith, to trust in him, to cast your cast on

him, to not worry because you cannot take it all on yourself. Okay,

But problems arise when we do not know when to take a step of

a step back and say, God, I choose to trust you right,

God, I choose to trust you. So let's just talk a little bit

more about faith and looking from an example from the Bible as well. And

I believe most of us know Abraham, right, Father Abraham, And how

you know he took that step when God said, you know, lee your

land, leave your possessions. He did that right away. Okay. I

mean, if you think about it, it's not the easiest step to take.

You know, imagine the age is quite old in age at that point,

the amount of possessions he would have had, the amount of you know,

people, his community was there. But if he had to take that

step, it required a lot of faith, it required a lot of that

personal encounter he had with him, right. So I'm just gonna read a

portion here. It says, you know, now the Lord say to Abraham,

get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's

house, to a land that I will show you. I'll make you a

great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you

shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I

will curse him who curses you. And in all the families of the earth

shall be blessed and it was four. So Abraham departed as the Lord had

spoken to him and Lord read with him. So he was seventy five years

old, that you know at this point when he took that step, right.

And the amazing thing about this is that because he took that step,

not only he and his family were blessed, but the entire generation. Right.

And we wouldn't have his name mentioned in Hebrews. You know, when

there's that whole scripture in Hebrews eleven where he talks about all the different faith

characters, he's one of them. He wouldn't have his name mentioned if he

did not take that step of faith at the start, right. So,

Church, I just want you to recognize how the step of faith that you

take does not only influence yourself and maybe your immediate family, but it affects

an entire generation. It influences an entire generation. So the decisions that we

take, the choices that we make, is very important. Is it determined

by what God is calling us to do? Or is it just by a

human flesh decision? Right? Think about it. So we have an example

from the Bible here that I'm going to just show us of how this guy

had faith Okay despite his age. I mean, we saw Abram was a

seventy five year old man, okay, who took that step. But yeah,

we have a young guy who took this step of faith as well.

Okay. This is going to be from the Book of Samuel, First Samuel,

chapter seventeen. Okay, how many of you are familiar with David,

right, and what comes to mind when you hear the name David, Goliath,

the big giant, right, it was a shepherd, okay. And

so we're gonna just study a couple of portions here from these scriptures and what

does it tell us about faith? Okay? So this guy David, you

know, he comes from Jesse, was his father, okay, and he

had three other siblings. He was the youngest one. Okay. It's gonna

give you some context. You can read it as well when you have the

time. So what happens here when you read chapter seventeen, Okay, the

people there was looking for someone to fight against their army, their their enemies,

okay, the Philistines. Right. So then we have Goliath who comes

in. Okay. So the scripture, you know, describes Goliath here as

someone who was about six cubits and a spend, which is about nine feet

nine inch nine inch tall. Okay, that was how big it was.

And so how it was in that in that surrounding was that we had the

Israelites, okay, and then we had the Philistines, and so they did

not have anyone to fight with Goliath, okay, So they were left there.

In fact, I mean, if you look at the Bible, it's

only one chapter, but if you look at the time spent, it was

about a few weeks, right, a few weeks where they were actually figuring

out who is going to fight with Goliad? And then we have Goliath here

was all big and great and saying, okay, who's gonna come and fight

with me? Okay? He was trying to show off his strength, and

and we had, of course all at that point, who was the king

who could not do anything as well? Okay? I mean he was big

and capable to fight, but he was just not set for it. Okay.

So there they were. You can you can you can just imagine the

kind of worry concerns that the community might be having at that point. So

what happened was we have David. Remember David was a shepherd and he was

as usual, taking care of his sheeps, and one fine day, Jesse,

his father, said, okay, since your brothers are there in the

battle, because the brothers are all part together with Salt, and they said,

okay, why don't you bring them food? Okay, So he left

his sheeps and he traveled to this place and give them food and whatever that

he needed to bring. Right. So David, being a young curious guy,

he was wondering, okay, what's happening here? So he asked the

crowd, you know, have you found someone to fight? Right? And

they were just explaining to him the whole situation, right, And then what

happens here was David say to Saul, okay, why don't you let me

fight with this giant? Okay again, look at his courage. He's a

very young guy, but yet he chose to say this. Okay, let

me just read a portion from the scriptures in First Samuel seventeen. Okay,

worse study two, he says. Then David said to Saul, let no

man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with the

Philistines. And Saul said to David, you are not able to go against

the Philistines, To fight with him, for you are a youth, and

he a man of war from his youth. So when he Golaid has been

fighting all these years, but you are a guy of youth. Okay,

so young, what can you do? Then we'll study four. But David

said to Saul, your servant used to keep his father's sheep. And when

a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

I went out after it, struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth.

And when it rose again, I caught it by the beard and struck

and killed it. So he's just trying to shave it salt his track record.

Okay, my portfolio, whatever I achieved, this is what I'm capable

to do. I've seen God using me, so why not give me a

chance? Okay. And again Saul was it was not really happy with the

decision, but he gave in finally, because you know why, they had

no other one ones to fight. Okay, he was the only one who

was willing to actually fight. Go lay it. Yeah, So it goes

on in the scriptures, and then we can see that David actually took that

step. Okay, First, Sault, try to put on an armor on

him. Again say, okay, since you're going to fight, put on

this armor and go and fight the battle. But when David wore it,

he felt he was too big for him. Remember it was a young guy.

Too big. He couldn't move with it. So what he did was

that he removed the armor and shepherd. Remember he had his sling. He

took a few stones with him, and he went to the battle. And

most of you would know the story right how it ends. Golaiad is defeated.

Okay, now what can we learn from Samuel here? The first point

is that you know, David remembered how powerful God is in his life.

Okay, remember the first response he gave to Saul. He did not just

talk about you know, I can do this, or I'm strong and I'm

big. Well, he was not exactly that as well, but he was

just sharing what God did true him, right, what God did through him.

Just again quoting the scripture here, he said, you know, in

verse thirty seven, chapter seventeen thirty seven, it says the Lord who delivered

me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear,

he would deliver me from the hand of the philistin and Saul said to David,

go and the Lord be with you. Right, Just take a moment

to think about the kind of fate that this young guy had, right,

And he wouldn't have been able to come to that place of saying that if

he did not encounter God for himself. Remember, faith is a very personal

you know, experience a personal encounter that you have with God. And that

is how he had it, you know, in his time as a shepherd,

you know, maybe and we know that David was someone who wrote psalms,

many songs. He had his relationship with God and that is why the

scripture says that he was after God's heart. Okay, he found that personal

encounter, that alter he had with him, and in those quiet times,

God was already building him for a bigger moment like this where he could actually

say this was what I went through and God was with me, and therefore

he can do it again. Right. Just want to encourage you church,

do not take those little moments that you have. You know, all the

challenges that you go through. Sometimes it can be sound, it can't feel

mundane like a routine. You know, every other day is the same Monday

to Friday. But what you do on those days, God is building you.

God is building you step by step because you know what your creator knows

what you need and how much can you take? Right? And if you

can just faithfully go through that experience that and ask God, God, what

is it that you teaching me this season of my life? What is it

that you want me to learn through this challenge? It's a prayer that I've

learned. You know, God, what is it that I should not miss

out that you're trying to teach me in this season? So that I can

hear, I can know what is it that you're telling me? Right?

And because he made room for that, as David made room for that,

he was able to go into the battle and boldly say among everyone else,

there were so many other strong armies, but yet such boldness, such courage,

right, and it can only come true? Faith, right, it

can only come true. Would he know that he was able to defeat?

Maybe not his own strength, but he knew that with God, I can

amen? All right? So the first point is to remember. Can we

take time to remember the goodness of God? Because sometimes you know, when

we go through that testimony or we share it with others. You know,

it can feel so good at that point, but when life happens again,

it's easy for us to forget. Right. It's just how humans are.

You know. There's many things that happens. But if you can just recall

that God did that for me, you know, that encounter I had was

so personal. The encounter I had not just bless me. But others want

more in this once again? Right, And if you can declare that you

see God moving again. Amen. And the same God that delivered David is

living in you as well. Right. He is the same God. It

never changes, It's always the same Amen. Right. So this is the

first thing that we can learn from Samuel. Now the second one is about

his calling. Okay, I mean I kind of had I was just smiling

whist I was reading this scripture because the thing about him is that he was

a shepherd, Okay, And even when he was in the battlefield, he

did not forget that he was a shepherd. You know why he chose to

hold on to the stones and the sling instead of bearing that huge armor that

could not fit him. Right, And sometimes it is as that. You

know, God has different calling for each one of us. But we can

try to fit in into another person's mold, another person's you know, a

way of doing it right. But God is selling that I have that calling

for you, that talent for you, right, that ability that I've given

to you. Why don't you just use it? Right? And so we

see this again chapter seventeen, verse thirty eight. Okay, it says yeah

again for Samuel seventeen thirty eight. So Soul clothed David with his armor.

So the most he could do is to give him an armor, right to

to save this guy. And so it says, here and put a bronze

helmet on his head. He also clothed him with a cord of male.

Was thirty nine. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk,

for he had not tested them. Remember, he was not ready for

this. He didn't know they was going to go for a battle. And

David said to Saul, I cannot walk with this, for I have not

tested them. So David took them off and was forty. Then he took

his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself fight smooth stones from

the brook and pouch which he had, and his sling in his hand,

and he drew near to the Philistine. Yeah, so again he was not

trying so hard to carry that heavy sword or that armor that was too big

for him. He left it all the side, and he decided to hold

on to what he's always been using every other day. That was his job,

right, the stones and the sling. And in fact, when he

went to Goliath in that Goliath, I think felt his ego was tested.

What do you think, am I adopt? That's what he says. You're

in the scripture that you're trying to come to me with a stone with a

stick and stone. You know, I think the crowd would have would have

been all, you know, wondering, what is this guy doing with stones?

You're going to fight a giant and you have stones with you, what

are you going to do with that? But looks like David knew what he

was doing, right, he knew what he was doing. We can read

on in the scriptures, I mean after that, so just again going to

read some portion here. It says, okay, yeah for the tree.

So Philistine say to David, am I a dog that you come to me

with sticks? And the philistin cursed David by his god. So that old

commotion that was going on so worse. Forty five. Then David said to

Philistine, Okay, he's not afraid. He said this. You come to

me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javilain. But

I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God

of the armies of Israel, whom you have defeat. This day, the

Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take

your head off from you, and this day I will give you the Okay.

So it goes a little bit wild, yeer, Okay, but that

was how they fight in those days, right. But he was with so

much of confidence that I am going to fight you. I'm going to bring

you down. Yeah, and true enough he did that. Okay, what

does he do here? We can see in verse forty nine. Then David

put his hand in his back and took out a stone, and he slung

it and struck the Philistine in his forehead so that the stone sank into his

forehead and he fell on his face to do it. So the battle was

worn. Okay, what a technique, right, I mean, I'm not

sure if anyone else thought of it at that time, but this young guy

did it? Okay, he just threw the stone and he won the battle.

What does this teach us is that, you know, you've got to

recognize God's calling in your life. No matter where you're positioned in. You

could be a I mean, you don't speak much. Maybe you're a quiet

person, but the moment you speak, it impacts someone. Right, Never

never feel that you're any young. Okay, remember what Saul said to David.

You are a guy of youth. You've not fought, You've not gone

for battles. How can you do this? How many others would have thought

that way. In fact, his own brothers were upset about David. Right,

what did you come here? What business do you have here? But

he just did it anyway because he knew that he could do it. God

is with him, right, God is with him. So the world sometimes

can have many says about our identity should be this, you should be that

this is your achievements. Well, great, do what you can. You

know it's got his favorites in our life. But at the end of the

day we have to also recognize what God tells about is how does he see

you as his son and as his daughter? You know, the calling that

He has in your life. What is he you know, wherever that He

has positioned you to be at? What is He calling you to do right

in your family, as a parent, as a child, and as a

student, as a young adult, or wherever in the church. Recognize the

calling that God has in your life and pursue that even when the circumstances seems

to be failing you or everyone else seems to be different. Remember you are

created differently as well. No one else here it looks the same, right,

I mean, you don't have any twins here. Even twins can be

different because that's how beautifully God created us and created as an easy image,

right, And what more different is that calling that God has called us to

do right? So or just be encouraged for who you are as God's son,

as God's daughter. Okay, never feel that you are any lesser than

anyone else. Comparison can be a very normal thing in the in the society

that we're living in. Right, How can I be like this person not

that person? Or have I got it all right? But let me tell

you this, you can never get it all right because life is never perfect.

Right. We can never get that. Only God is we always work

in progress, and until we recognize that we're going to keep wrestling, you

know, with insecurity. You know, I'm not good in this. I'm

not good in that. I think the time we take to to think about

all that we could do more things right because life is shot, right,

life is short. We can do many things. So recognize your identity.

If you're wondering what's your identity, go back to the Word of God,

because there's so many truths about what he says about us and the life that

he promise says to leave as well. Right, Okay, So turn the

person next to you, tell them, do you know your calling? Right?

Okay? Sum already yes, okay, so we all have a calling.

Amen. Now. The last point that we can learn from David here

was about how he went forward in the name of the Lord. Right,

he went forward in the name of the Lord in chapter seventeen forty five.

Okay, it says then David said to Philistine, you come to me with

a sword with a spear, Right, we read it earlier and with a

Jubilian But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts,

the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defeat. So he

did not just go hit and do what he needed to do, but he

went first in the name of the Lord. So every time we take a

step forward, or when we taking a decision, you know, going to

a place, do we step forward with the name of the Lord? Do

we actually commit our days to God and say, God, I'm going to

take this step, Could you move? Could you come with me? Could

you lead the way? Right? Because that's exactly what David did, and

in fact, in this whole chapter as we read, I mean, David

did not say much about his capabilities, but most of the scriptures was all

about who God is in his life. And I believe that was the main

reason, or the only reason why he won the battle, because he went

with the name of the Lord, going forward in the name of the Lord.

And the scriptures after that you will see how you know, the enemies

were afraid, they ran away, okay, And God continues to use for

David from there, right, But it all just took a step of faith,

right, It took step of faith, and then from there just going

forward with God. Men. So my encouragement for all of us this morning

is you know how much of God is in our lives when we do things

besides church. I know, Church is always about God. We praise his

name, we survey, right, But in our daily life, you know

whether at work, the conversations that we have is God part of it?

Right? Is God? Part of our conversations is God? Part of the

thinking that we do sometimes? Right, is he there? Because if he's

there, He's going to move in great ways. Right, It's about moving

with Him and men. And that is fait church, that is faith.

Because when David said all of this, when he took that step forward,

he did not know what with the outcome of the battle, But nevertheless he

chose to declare God's word. He chose to declare what God is capable.

Right, And because it did that, we saw, you know, we

saw a victory in the whole battle. Right. So it's about just taking

that step and again going back to the context or the circumstances that David came

from. It would have sounded so impossible, but that's again the scripture tells

us, right, faith as small as the mustard seed can move mountains.

And all David required was that small faith and that made things possible. Amen.

Right, I hope you're getting something church, you know, you know,

just being encouraged about faith because no, we hear this word faith very

often, but how important it is, Okay, especially in the times that

we are living in, we need more of the faith of God in our

lives. We know, we need to have faith to not step back with

fear. Sometimes, you know, we can get caught up thinking of the

chaos or the news that we read and we're like, Okay, I'll just

take a step behind then, But that's not what God wants us to do

as well, right, He wants us to steal take the step of faith

despite the circumstances. Okay, and when you take that step, you see

God moving right, and that is to glorify His name. Yeah, So

take it as a reflection. Where are you at with your faith with God?

You know? And like I said, you can only see tested when

you have no other choice but to have faith. Right, Sometimes receiving a

health report, what do I do? Yes, I need to. I

can do what I need to the necessary. But it requires faith to trust

that God can come true. And you know what He can come true if

only you can have that faith. Right, if you're praying for your loved

one, and their salvation. It's about having that faith. You know.

I can keep sharing, I can keep sharing the love of God. I'm

not going to stop doing that. But at the same time, the faith

to believe right. And when we read all the different characters in the Bible,

it's all faith. It's all about faith. Faith is always the factor

and always be right. And it's good for us to also have that desire

to have that faith. And it's only human to sometimes doubt, to sometimes

worry, and that is why God says He's with us, you know.

And if you're lacking our faith, asks of God and He enables you to

have that trust and that faith. Amen. We hope you've been blessed by

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week is going to be a good week. I hit for you. God bless