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The promise comes by faith and rests in grace Rm4:16 We must go up and not stay frozen in the natural world if we are to advance in the kingdom of God. If we are facing a trial we must go beyond the natural facts and go up into the spiritual realm to receive the blessing and we can only do that by faith. If God has placed a promise on our heart and it goes against reason and logic or what we think we deserve we must go up into the spiritual realm, we must get unstuck and we can only do that by faith. Faith and the Holy Spirit work together. When the Holy Spirit leads us, moves us to go up beyond our reason and comfort zone, it is faith that has to yield to the Holy Spirit to believe, to transcend, to let go, to reach beyond the natural and go where we have not gone before. Faith lies between the problem and the blessing. It is through faith and only through faith that we find life. Faith and the word of God also work together. It is through scripture, the written and the preached, that we learn the promises of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. When we hear the word, it is faith that takes us up, it is faith that helps us look beyond the facts, beyond our situation and go up. It is faith that helps us to believe. Faith rests in grace. We are justified by faith apart from works and only through faith can we rest in the grace of God. God acts by his grace not according to what we deserve. Neither our lack of holiness nor our commitment to keep the law prompts God to withhold or to give the blessing. It is faith that pleases God. When by faith we go up and transcend our shortcomings or our conceit it is then that God moves and pours out his blessing. The promise of the blessing of Abraham, the promise of salvation and eternal life, the promise of health and provision, the promise of victory and answer to prayer rests on grace. We rest in the very nature of God, his nature to love and bless, deliver and set free and we rest by faith. We go up by faith. We get unshackled from the world, from misery, sickness, disease, poverty, and lack by faith. Only by faith can we go up to the place where we can rest, removed from our problems and our situations and find rest. There is a rest for the people of God, a Sabbath day rest where we cease from our own works and enter this place of victory. Only unbelief can cause us to fail, to falter, to fall short. I am persuaded better things of you. Therefore my friends, Go Up! Amen |