--PRE-SERVICE PRAYER--

Focus: Let the Word of God Work In Your Life

Foundation Scripture: James 1:22-24 NLT

Prayer Points:
1. Meditate On the Word
2. Trust the Word
3. Pray the Word
4. Transformative Sunday Services

--MESSAGE--

Now Faith...

Introduction:
What is faith? Who has faith?

The foundation upon which we may walk in the power of God and relay in His living principles as found in the Bible is faith.

God enables us to engage HIM on our journey called life, help us navigate the tough waters, and ultimately declare HIS glory and reunite with HIM in Heaven.

"It shall be done..." = ginomai
ghin'-om-ahee

A prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be (“gen” -erate), that is, (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literally, figuratively, intensively, etc.): - arise be assembled, be (come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, be done, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.

"unto you."
Greek: humin = to, with, or by you

Notice that HE does not say that it shall be done “for” you in the KJV. He empowers US to take back, make right, correct, redeem our Righteous Rights by faith.

In other words, it will start as a seed and it's up to you to finish, grow, generate what you're believing for.

A Simple Faith Success Strategy

1. Who are you? A wife of a son of the prophets; 1 of Elisha's servants dies. He knew her as well as she knew him. She knew where to turn in her time of needing answers, she tapped into her relationships.

2. Consequences does not have to bind your future or cause you to forfeit what God has for you.

3. Are you committed? Elisha wants to help but will require her participation.

She was in a hard place and in debt. As a result the threat of enslavement was eminent.

Vs. 1 - creditors coming for payment... The, "...it is what it is..." attitude. No, in Christ, it is what you SAY it is.

If you don't exercise your faith and stand for God's best, you will become a slave to circumstantial living.

4. Are you capable? He asked, "...what is in your house?"
Taking inventory of who you are, your motivational gifts, your talent, abilities & passions, your personality profile...

Let's look at what you have instead of what's missing.

He asked what do you have, not telling her what she will need.

If you see yourself deficient, then so will everyone else. You must consider yourself as a gift, with purpose, advancing not only yourself but mankind & pleasing God.

But literally, what's in your house?

What do you need to purge, don't need, haven't used, didn't even know that you had that you can Repair? Create? Rebuild? Restore? And sell?????

Vs.2 – 7 KEYS TO OPERATIVE FAITH

1. FAITH RECOGNIZES VALUE

· [2] Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what have you of sale value in the house? She said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.

· Elisha is trying to change how she thinks. She thinks she needs something on the outside but Elisha wanted her to recognize that she had something within her own house.

When we don't recognize what we DO have, we magnify what we DON’T have.

What you do not have is not nearly as important as what you do have.

God is not trying to work with what you don't have but with what you do have.

2. Vs. 3 – FAITH STARTS WITH A PLAN
What attracts prosperity?
Value
Plan-a set of actions that have been thought as a way to do or to achieve something.

3. FAITH REQUIRES ACCESS..Vs. 3b Don't borrow a few.

It's ok when you're borrowing from those that you know and are cool with. But what about those that you're not. Now you have to evaluate the relationships that you have. How have you treated people in the past?

To attract prosperity (health, wealth, peace, etc.), you have to increase capacity.

Have the boldness to follow God's instructions. It requires audacity to follow God.

In order to increase your capacity you'll have to step out of your comfort zone.

4. FAITH REWARDS DILIGENCE. Vs. 4 - shut the door. Stop the distractions that can delay or affect the process. The chief cause of delay or abandonment are the distractions of life. Learn to give things attention that they need, then get back to business or make them(distractions) a part of the process.

5. Vs. 4-6 – FAITH FUNCTIONS IN MULTIPLICATION. Create structures whereby there can be levels of multiplication. No structure. No understanding of their value. No capacity.

See, the supply was increased in the pouring. When you give, serve, share, grow from what you have, God will multiply it!

6. Vs. 7 – FAITH HONORS WORTH
Love your neighbor as yourself, not instead of yourself. The act of serving others by making a product or service profitable and helpful to others.

7. Vs. 7b – FAITH’S POWER RESTS IN SEEDS "...and live thou and thy children of the rest."
*Before any of this happened, this woman was married to a man of God who served Elisha and feared the Lord.
*He was 1 of the 7000 remnants that had not bowed his knee to Baal.
*He had a field. They used their craft to make supply for one another.
*They had to develop their own community.
*He, perhaps, also gave to Elisha liberally because she was really comfortable approaching him.
*So not only did the debt get paid, but there was enough for them to live off of the rest.

4 levels of learning scripture:
Simple meaning
Intended meaning
Deeper meaning
Hidden meaning

Woman = church
Dead Prophet = Jesus
Elisha = God