Faith

Faith vs. Presumption

Confidence that actions rooted in good character will yield the best outcome, even when I cannot see

how.

Notice that Faith is the confidence that actions rooted in good character will yield the best outcome… Then ask

yourself this:

How many of our actions are rooted in the good character that allows us to

expect those good results?

The reason that we don’t have faith is that we know that the actions that caused a given situation were not

rooted in good character. Thus, bad results, no faith.

What can we do to have more faith in the outcome?

1) Make sure the decision was made from good character in the beginning.2) Have faith in good counsel.

3) Find more people that will stand in good character with you.

4) Start with the small stuff.

5) Be patient… some things take time.

Expect to be tested in your faith

How would a person know whether his faith was weak or strong unless it had

been tried or tested.

Faith gives us the courage to face the present with confidence, and the future with boldness, because we

have placed our confidence in the fact that we have done everything in good

character and with a pure heart.

Faith is when a man plants a seed and expects what he planted to grow.

Presumption is when a man plants a seed and expects something else to

grow that was never planted.

Most people in our culture expect good crops in their life, but do nothing

to get them. We expect a good harvest but we don’t plant any good

seed to get it.

Don’t presume that a good crop will come out of nowhere; faith without

works is dead. We must plant a good crop to harvest a good crop.

You may not have the faith right now to move a mountain, but do you have

faith to at least climb it? Because after you have climbed that mountain,

you may change your mind about moving it. Many mountains need to be

climbed, not moved.

Faith is like electricity: we may not see it, but we use it a lot.

Presumption may get you to the foot of the mountain, but faith will get you

to the top.

Presumption will only take you as far as you can see, faith allows us to go

places where we cannot see.

I have one life and one chance to make it count for something . . . I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.

President Jimmy Carter

St. Augustine once said:“Faith is to believe what you do

not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not

seen.”

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect

wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity

of the sea.

They will get the vision to build it; they will have the faith for what is

needed.

Faith has to see what sometimes doesn’t exist yet.

Character is the foundation in which faith can grow.

Having faith to see past all of life’s problems to the goal toward which we are heading, is a huge character quality. People who

have this faith tend to go far in life and usually smile along the way because they can see the

result of their labors.

If you feed your faith, your doubt will starve to death.

How many times do we feed the negative?How much energy do we spend on

things that bring us down?

How many times have you been told,

“I know it’s right, but it just won’t work?”

Doing what is right, and having “faith” that things will come out the

way they are supposed to, goes against the culture that we live in.

We want things now, we need them today! And we will do whatever it

takes to get what we want. What we should do is always do what is right and have faith that what is right will

work for you.

What do you need faith for?

A better Job? Do you have faith that you can get the job you are desiring to

have?A better marriage? Do you have faith that if you do what is right and just that you could save your marriage?

A walk with God? Do you have faith that as long as you do what He says,

He will see you through?

A wise man once said that enthusiasm is nothing but faith with a tin can tied

to its tail.

Anytime you get excited about what is going to happen, faith is being

initiated. Most people have faith for a lot of things, but when it is hard to

have faith, then the character quality is being born.

When everything else fails, faith is born.

Before you try to use your faith to move a mountain, you may want to try

using your faith to keep a job.

Before you want to use your faith to have nice things, you may want to use your faith to give away what you have.

Then see if it’s faith!

A person’s faith is not judged by what he says about it, but what he does about it. When you cease to use it, you can lose it.

Faith without works is like a car without gas. But if you have faith that what you do is for the right purpose and a just cause. Then the gas will

always be there for you.

I have met a lot of people that had faith for God to give them a new car, but lacked the faith to believe that God would pay the payments every

month.

Can we now understand why faith takes works on our part?

Steps to faith

1) Belief: The more you practice good character, the more you will see the

outcome. The more you see the outcome, the more you will believe. You cannot have faith without truly

believing, and you can’t believe unless you practice your faith.

2) Confidence: When you don’t know the end of something, have confidence in what you do know.

3) Actions: The evidence of your faith lies in your actions. Once you have confidence in your

belief, take action on it. Do what you know is right. True faith will activate confidence in what you

believe.

Five keys to building faith

1) Embrace Truth

2) Recognize Potential

3) Act on Truth

4) Stand Strong

5) Do Not Worry

Group

What is it that you have worried about when you should have had

faith? How could you have practiced more faith in that

situation? Give an example of a person with the character quality

of faith.