Diving Deep into Faith

By Kate Williams

Writer Kate Williams provides scriptural, faith-based keys to build up your faith in God and serve him on a deeper level. Most Christians live on a hit-or-miss or must see it to believe it faith. God wants us to have full trust in his ability to take care of us in any situation. Learn through Gods Word how to build your temple that houses Christ in you and trust him in every situation in your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490816807

Kate Williams

I am a student of life. I love to study and teach. I started my education in Fort Fairfield, Maine, but did not finish my high school education until 1995, when I graduated from Woodstock High School with courses from Woodstock Community College in Woodstock, New Brunswick. Then I went on to graduate from the University of Maine in Presque Isle with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and MHRT-2 certification in social work. I minored in English with a concentration in literature. I continue to study and teach Bible classes at our church. Because I am addicted to the Word, I research all the time and search for new things about the Lord. I am writing constantly and feel that the Lord has brought books into my heart to give to the world. I currently reside in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, and spend my days looking after children in my home and counseling people on God’s Word.

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Copyright © 2013 Kate Williams.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version Bible (KJV).

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1681-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1682-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1680-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921427

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/19/2013

Dedication

First and foremost, I want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for putting the insights, thoughts, and ideas in my heart. Without them, there would be no book. Second, I would like to thank Pastor Rushton for giving me his sermons to review and to use as a tool for writing this book. I also want to thank the people behind me that helped make this book a reality. Finally, I want to thank the church in River de Chute, including Pastor Claude Smith, for being a praying church and having a heart after God. I also want to thank my family for all their support and love. God bless you all.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1   Victory Is Mine All the Time

Chapter 2   Turn It Around

Chapter 3   How to Bind the Strongman

Chapter 4   Freedom from the Expectations of People

Chapter 5   Focusing Your Faith

Chapter 6   Putting Legs on Your Faith

Chapter 7   Provision Comes from Faithfulness

Chapter 8   Let God Do What He Does Best

Chapter 9   Being Made Whole

Chapter 10   From Faith to Fear

Chapter 11   From Fear to Faith

Chapter 12   From a Stretcher to a Stepper

Chapter 13   Putting It All Together

Preface

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

—Romans 10:17

A few years back, a little church had been praying for the Lord to revive their church and to bring in unsaved loved ones and backsliders. This church had seen the winds of revival before, but somehow it was diminished over the years. Disappointment and discouragement were the order of the church. No matter how much their hearts longed for what they once had, it still was gone. Oh, there would be twinges and it would look like the breezes of change were coming. But then the pastor would be gone, along with his vision, and the church would be back to square one. The people would get a word from God, but through their discouragement, the word would be forgotten and the winds of the Holy Spirit would stop blowing.

The church hit rock bottom when the last pastor left; they did not know what to do. God sees the heart of man, and he saw this little church’s heart. It was a giving church that had a heart after God. God saw it just needed to have faith built back to give the people strength to move forward in Christ. Therefore, in the absence of a pastor, God raised an ex-pastor who loved this church to come as an intern to encourage the little church on how to pray for what they needed. For a little over two years, this little church prayed that the Lord would send the right man to them. They wanted to be a church that is on fire for God and seeing new souls come in and loved ones saved. They wanted revival back in their church. They wanted to move forward in God’s plan for them individually and as a corporate body.

In the two years that this church prayed, God began to move on the people. He restored unity to them; you have to be in one mind and one accord in order for the Lord to start moving. Then the day came that a letter arrived at this little church. A man of God was expressing a desire to come and be the pastor. He came with a vision—he wanted to see a move of God within the church and in the surrounding area. The church was in a pivotal place because the population of the surrounding area was huge. The area included two counties, and it sat on the border of Canada and the United States. God knew what he was doing when he allowed a work to be pioneered there.

The church that I speak of is in River de Chute, New Brunswick, Canada. The pastor that came to our church is Shane Rushton, and for the last few years, he has preached a faith message. God has used him to strengthen the people of my church. They now are seeing their loved ones come in, and backsliders and the lost are finding salvation. It is a growing church. God is so good.

Pastor Rushton is six years into his God–given, faith-based message. He continues to build faith into his congregation by building up the temple that we are in Christ. You start with Jesus as the cornerstone and you build using building blocks of faith found in the Word of God. This builds you up and disciples you so you are able to go into the world and preach the gospel to others. God is opening doors daily with new people and families saved.

When I went to write this book, I asked Pastor Rushton if I could use some of his words from his sermons. He gave his blessing. This was another answer to prayer. I have had this book in me for several years and now the doors are open. I often sit in amazement about how completely God answered our prayers. The King James translation of Isaiah 40:31 says, But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up as wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. I believe this Scripture refers to what happened at our church. We waited on the Lord, and he is restoring us to be strong in him, living a life of faith.

Revelation about Faith

I often wondered why God has this pastor preaching on faith all the time. Pastor Rushton said he was going to preach faith until there is a move of the Spirit. Well the Spirit is moving and he is still preaching about faith. It got me curious. Why faith? He has not preached on love or any of the fruits of the Spirit.

This question has caused me to dig deeper into the Word of God and find out more about faith. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 it says, And now abideth faith, hope and charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love). I asked the Lord why faith, hope, and love were the top three of all the fruits of the Spirit. I feel the Lord answered me about this. Luke 18:8 states, I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? This is a powerful statement. Why is it so important that the Lord would want to find faith in action when he comes back to take his people home? It is because faith may not be the greatest fruit of the Spirit, but you find faith in everything you do. Faith is the muscles on what makes everything work. Love is the greatest because without love, faith moves nothing. Love is the ultimate expression of God’s loyalty, purity, and mercy, which he extends to his people.

In order for faith to work, you have to love the person. Galatians 5:6 tells us that faith works by love. That is why love is the greatest; without it, there is no salvation. John 3:16 says, For God so Loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. It was because God loved us that he acted on that love.

Corinthians 13 also mentions hope. The Bible shows us that hope is having confident trust (faith) with the expectation of fulfillment. Our faith is built on the hope that there is an eternal life and a reward for our trust in God and his Word. Without hope, we would not build our lives based on Christ. We would not care, because life would be meaningless. As 1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. Paul knew that love, hope, and faith were the characteristics of an effective Christian. As Christians, we need to operate in all three.

Faith is the action that puts the three together. Once you truly love, then hope will thrive and then faith can act on the first two. Let’s take an example. Let’s say there is a sister in your church who is struggling to make ends meet. She has two small children, and her husband is gone. She does not make enough money to pay all her bills and put the basics in the house (food, shoes, clothing, etc.). You see your sister struggling. The love of God will make you love her and understand her. Hope will help you pray for her future and believe God can turn her situation around. Then God says, Go and take her some groceries and give her one hundred dollars for paying bills. You act on your faith, knowing that you love her and want to see things work out. You think that what you give will be a help, so you act on what God has said.

Faith is the action of love and hope. This is what God wants his children to demonstrate. It is his greatest commandment. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second greatest commandment is to love thy neighbor as you love yourself (Mark 12:29–31). We are to love one another just as the Lord loves us. And we are to act on that love. This is faith.

That is why the Lord asked whether he would find faith on the earth when he returns. He is looking for people who are so in love with him that they will withstand all that comes against them (1 Timothy 4:1) and will love others and step out in faith to show that love through action. Romans 1:17 says, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ When you trust in the Lord, you are made right with God from the time you come to Christ until your life on earth is finished. We are made right by faith and faith alone.

Christians Must Build Faith

I remember that when I first started to walk with Christ, I thought I understood what it meant to walk by faith. It wasn’t too long before I became confused. I had all the faith in the world in God’s Word that he would do exactly what he said he would do for others, but I questioned whether God would do it for me.

I had been raised in church, where I saw miracles happen, and some happened to me. Even as an adult, however, I was a baby Christian, and I truly did not understand battles of the mind. I would get so scared when things went wrong. I would pray and cry but fail to give it to God. Ministers would tell me to give it all to God. I thought I was doing this. I would get confused with the Scripture and wonder how others got through. I would look at ministers who seemed to have no problem with their faith, and their lives