Faith that Works

Guest (Male): You're listening to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast. Thanks for joining us today. Faith that Works is our current series taught by Reverend Paul Cannings. Why is God pleased when we exercise our faith? God wants us to believe His word and trust Him more. When we take Him at His word and make choices in life believing what He says, God always comes through for us. Exploring how this is clearly taught in the book of James, Pastor Cannings brings us this message titled Faith Rewarded.
Dr. Paul Cannings: I haven't met anybody who didn't want to grow spiritually or wanted to see God powerfully move through them or wanted to experience God intimately where they know and sense His discerning power, His wisdom, His strength when they're weak, in times where they're in pain still having strength and peace to make it through. Experiencing God in the sense that when walls are not coming down, they could find a way to work through the situation without it tearing them down. All of these things take place because we choose to put our faith to work. If we don't put our faith to work, then we will not be able to work in the power of God. You find that throughout the scriptures. Walking around the walls of Jericho, how does that take down a double reinforced wall? What sense does that make to walk around a wall and blow a trumpet and have a worship service outside the walls with a commitment from God to take you through the walls and to overcome giants? Because of faith, God demonstrate Himself powerfully. It takes something to put your foot in water when God is saying He's going to open it and not until you put the foot in the water of the Jordan did it open. That's what God calls for each and every day. He would say crazy things like, "Don't worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself. You just focus on today and keep your focus on what I'm telling you to do today." God knows, wait a minute now, tomorrow there's surgery, tomorrow some bills are due, tomorrow I have to go and deal with a situation at my job where I pass or I get fired. God, what are you talking about? Don't worry about tomorrow. If worry hits you, He's going to say pray without ceasing and therefore approach Him with supplication so that the worrying is dismissed by your faith. This is the kind of thing that God says that from a human perspective makes no sense. Then He doesn't give us an out. He says in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 34 through verse 39 that if I choose not to walk in that direction, I move towards destruction. That's what He literally says to the folks. It's why He finishes talking like that in chapter 10, then He talks about faith in chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews. In other words, there's no going back. He even reiterates that when you look at the armor that is in the front of the soldier. There's no armor in the back. If you turn around and run from your trials, you're on your own. The darts will hit you in the back. So that's why it's to destruction. He's saying there's no way but to go forward. You're saying, "Wait a minute, I just use my common sense; it's worked in the past." He says there's not a good end to that in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 17 through verse 21. If a person keeps using their common sense, the life of God eventually does not prick them. Instead of experiencing God, they experience their experiences from the past. They experience their own understanding because of their level of education or proficiency on a job. They experience what they believe parenting is from their parenting experiences of the past or from their parents to them. Instead of experiencing the limitless power of God, they experience the limitations that that brings. Understand, there's no way backwards; there's only a way forward and there is no way to do nothing. There's no way to just use common sense. The only way to deal with the trials that the folks in this book of James is dealing with, He challenges them that if they're just a hearer of the word, they have just really gone to church and arrived at nothing. That's why He is saying to get the church dealing with trials that God is going to not take away. He wants to perfect you through them. Chapter 1 verse 2 through verse 4, He's telling you to count them joy because in Hebrews chapter 12, He says this is the way of Him loving on you. How does that make any sense? Again, you need faith because the Bible is saying just like a parent love on their child, God loves on us because He is our Father. Anybody that chooses to abide in Him, He is a vine dresser. So at the end of the day, when I come to these trials, count them joy. Really? Are you serious right now? He says yes, because when I'm thinking of it through faith, I will operate in this way. There's no way in our Christian walk but to go forward with this mindset because I'm not going to achieve no spiritual growth in my life. When I'm facing trials and I'm facing difficulties, there's no joy. There's no peace. I can't love people that are enemies. I cannot long suffer. I cannot find any strength to bear up for a long period of time if the Lord choose to let the trial go on for long period of time. How am I going to find strength when it looks so hopeless at times? If I don't seek to develop and to grow spiritually, yes, miserable life I walk into. Can't find peace, can't find wisdom. If I choose not to do faith in applying myself to making decisions and I use common sense, in James chapter 3 He's even saying in verse 13 through verse 18, that could lead to demons influencing my life. There's no way but to do faith. Applying faith could take these different steps. He says there's times when all I could do is walk by faith and not by sight. I can walk worthy meaning I choose to just apply God's word and let Him have the results no matter what takes place. Number two, I could stand. When I stand, it's because there's so many darts coming at us. I would put on the breastplate. I will commit to live righteous. I'll commit to live by the shield of faith. I commit to use the sword of the spirit and no matter what, I'm going to stick with facts. I'm not going to speculate on stuff. I'm not going to try presume this can happen. I'm going to keep on the belt of truth. Then I'm going to walk with the shoes of peace. I'm not moving in any direction with any attitude to harm anybody, to do any kind of evil to anyone. Unlike the soldier who wears that armor as a Roman, I am going for peace. Understand, He's saying when the darts are coming, there's one trial after another trial after another trial, that's when you stand and put on the armor. Walking right, I'm not going to walk away from doing right. I'm going to keep what God's word is. I'm going to apply it, trusting Him. Then there's times when, oh yes, my faith is so strong like you see in the book of Hebrews chapter 11. These folks are moving and achieving great things for God. So by chapter 12, I can run with my eyes fixed on Jesus. That can happen as well. This is the only motions that I can have when I apply myself to faith because sometimes all I can do, Paul would say, is it's so much pressure against me, I am pressing towards the mark. I am pressing; I'm keeping the reward in heaven that I can have a crown of righteousness. I'm keeping the reward in heaven fixed in my mind that I can have a crown because I made it through trials. Even though I can't understand what to do because trials are there, He says I can press towards the mark. I can keep pressing every day to hold His word and do what He says because I refuse to lose my rewards. This is the way He is saying because James is writing to a group of people who was dispersed everywhere. And they are running from trouble only to end up in trouble. No matter how long I Pastor them, no, you are not running from anything. We either going to stand, we either going to walk, we either going to press, or we going to run. But we are not in any way backing up or we are not walking away from any trials. It's not happening. We only have those four things we could do. We could walk, we can run, we can stand, or we can press. But there's no other way. Pastor, this can happen. No, there's no other way. The other way is not a way. And that's why James is approaching people who are hurting and broken. James is saying because of how you've approached the issues you're facing, you're not experiencing the powerful, life-transforming, character-development, productive results of faith. Here's how it works. He says in verse 18, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." We dealt with faith and works yesterday. So now we are going to deal with putting them together and then we're going to move forward from there as to how this becomes very productive for your spiritual walk. Please remember their environment. They had Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, high priests, elders. All these people who considered themselves to be people of knowledge. But there's no character development. When times get tough, they are hopeless. When times get tough, they nail Jesus to a cross. James is saying, "Come on now, you used to live in Jerusalem. Didn't you see a group of well-knowledge people who knew who Jesus was put Him on a cross? What did Jesus do wrong? He's doing good every day. There's no hospitals and He's healing people. Why would you take that away? Why would you kill this man?" Knowledge alone, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1 through 2, lead to the very attitude they had: arrogance. So He's teaching them with that backdrop and the trials they're going through and the attitude in which they're facing their trials and the knowledge base He knows they have. But He's saying you've got to take the faith. Notice He didn't say word. Faith comes by hearing. You have to take this word with a commitment to do something about it. It is a deep conviction that there is no other way to go. It is a full surrender that this is the only place to move forward in. It is an intense trust that this is the only thing I need to do. The only results that are going to take place, and as a result of that, I'm walking this way. That mindset is faith. But when you have that mindset, you have to go to work. I'm going to put a lot of energy towards getting to the goal line. I don't care what it takes. I can get the play in the huddle. I don't care what the defense is doing. I'm going towards the goal line because I know that He who is in me is greater than He who is in the world. And I'm more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So because of that, I'm putting in all my energy, focused with a commitment to faith, focused on a goal that God has set for me. That's the works that faith controls, drives, and empowers to bring the results that we need and desire and must have. I pray that's the way we would stay focused.
Guest (Male): Amen, Pastor Cannings. Faith is central to the many choices that we make in life. This series as well as our other Power Walk resources are all available online at powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. You can also write us at P.O. Box 920517, Houston, Texas 77092. When you contact us, would you prayerfully consider becoming a Power Walk partner? As a Power Walk partner, we request your prayers for our ministry and a minimal monthly financial contribution to help us, especially with our media outreach. To sign up as a Power Walk partner, you can call us at 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402. And now here's Pastor Cannings once again with a special message.
Dr. Paul Cannings: Power Walk Ministries is excited to have the partnership with Central Baptist Church and Mars Hill Network for a conference we are doing on September the 19th at 8:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon. The conference cost is minimal. It's $25 that includes lunch. We would love for you to be there and be a part of what God is going to do through this partnership with Central Baptist Church and Mars Hill Network and Power Walk Ministries. It will take place at Central Baptist Church. We would love for you to be there. We need for you to go to the Central Baptist Church website in the Syracuse area, or you could go to Power Walk Ministries website or Mars Hill's website and there will be a link over for you to learn more about the classes that are being offered. We look forward to seeing you. It's going to be an exciting one-day conference where we all learn together for God's glory. Join us September the 19th at Central Baptist Church. See you then.
Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. That's powerwalkministries.org. Remember, applying our faith in God, whether in major circumstances or in small matters that we face, will truly transform our character and how we handle our circumstances in life.