Faith without an encounter is faith that is tossed to and fro. If you have experienced God beyond your salvation then you have moved out of legalism. Tribulation brings forth experience and experience brings forth hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. "Useable Faith," otherwise it is dead. Don't live by fate, live by faith. When you create an experience you become immovable. Find a scripture to stand on that applies to you and then stand and endure until faith comes out as pure gold. We need to believe. Martha didn't say she believed, she just said that Jesus was who He said He was. This Revelation that she had received by faith was a miracle. When God says something it is given to deepen your faith in God. When we want more of God we usually get it out of need. It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:1-3. Jehoshaphat sought the Lord out of fear. We must not give into fear. Seek the Lord. The Lord spoke to Jehoshaphat and said to him as He does to us, And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15. "Do not fear or lose heart at the sight of the great multitude for the battle is not yours it is the Lords." They began singing, dancing and praising God and when they did the armies turned on themselves. Now they are fully persuaded because they have had the experience. Discouragement happens but this is when deep calls unto deep. The Lords desire is for us to see Him. He calls us to drink from the living water and to drink from another brook for ourselves. We dig our own wells. If we have our own water we will drink off of surface water. The provision the Lord has made for us is not of this world. If we look to the world for it we will never be satisfied. We must believe that He and He alone is our provider. Praise brings forth victory. It comes from God and it produces a song in our heart. Praise is declaring something that is not but will because God has said it. Abraham was strong in faith. He blessed the Lord in his praise and said, "I am what God said I am." We are the decedents of Abraham and Gods promises are yea and amen. (So Be It) to us also. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3. Jesus' Divine power has bestowed upon us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and power. His promises to us make a way of escape from the wicked one. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge. 2 Peter 1:5. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, with virtue knowledge, knowledge with self control, self control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. 2 Peter 1:10. Make your election firm and this way your faith will hold you and you will never stumble and you will make it to heaven. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. Luke 17:5. And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
About the Author: Joy Renee' Blackburn Minister and Founder of GOD'S HOUSE Lakeview, Ohio I was born during the Depression in Springfield, Ohio, to wonderful parents who had a Christian background. I had two sisters; and we were born two years apart. As we grew older, dad and mom quit going to church but they would insist that we girls go. They didn't quit all at once, they would attend during the holidays or if we had a part in the Christmas plays. That was expected of any "good parent." Yet, at the age of 11, my mother and father divorced. We girls were never around to hear them argue, so the divorce was quite a jolt. Dad kept my middle sister and me, and our youngest sister went to Texas with mother and grandmother for a short time. We had several babysitters, but none worked out, so Dad took us to St. Mary's of the Springs School for Girls for six months. Then, Dad remarried. At the age of 14, I could decide whether I wanted to stay with my father or go with my mother. My father decided with our urging that sister Nora and I would go with mother. We missed her so much. Because Dad was an insurance salesman, he was home very little before our bedtime, and it was hard on us to be "on our own" as teenagers. Dad was very hurt concerning our decision, but he let us go with mother and grandmother. We traveled that first year quite a bit, then moved to Dayton, Ohio and then on to Indian Lake where we all three attended school and graduated. It was at Indian Lake that I met my true love, Howard Carroll Blackburn. THE VILLAGE CARPENTER WORLD WIDE MINISTRIES, PUBLISHING HOUSE, BIBLE SCHOOL, OS PUBLISHING ME SHED CHURCH and GALACTIC ORDAINED MINISTRIES at GOD'S HOUSE INTERNATIONAL, PO Box 133, Lakeview, Ohio 43331 USA or see TheVillageCarpenter.info