THE LAW OF BELIEVING

(Part Three)

** Important: It is best to study all 3 parts of these teachings in sequence to receive the most from this subject. First, read part 1, then part 2, then part 3.

We, as Christians, should now begin to understand the meaning and importance of God's great Law of Believing. We are what we believe and we can only go where our believing takes us. It's a spiritual law that cannot be broken. We should know that there are TWO SIDES to believing -- positive and negative. On the positive side, we have Confidence, Trust, and Faith. On the negative side, we have Doubt, Worry, and Fear. Believing = Receiving. While the world will instill doubt, worry, and fear in our lives, the WORD OF GOD will put CONFIDENCE, TRUST, AND FAITH in our hearts.

We should know that FEAR IS THE BELIEVER'S ONLY ENEMY in it's least common denominator and that fear DOES NOT come from God as stated in Timothy.

II Timothy 1: 7 -- For God hath not given us the spirit of fear [cowardice]; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

In Part Two, we learned that fear is caused by 1) IGNORANCE or 2) WRONG TEACHING and is overcome by INSTRUCTION OR RIGHT TEACHING from the Word of God. If you are having a problem remembering these truths, you need to review Part One and Two of this series on The Law of Believing before proceeding any farther.

Now in this concluding Part Three, we are going to examine what happens to fear in a person's life AFTER they are born again of God's Spirit and AFTER they renew their mind to the Word of God. Also, we will take a look at some examples of believing that are illustrated throughout the Bible.

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Let's begin with the record in John 20: 19 where the disciples, also known as the twelve apostles, on the day of the resurrection, were assembled behind closed doors, FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS. Remember, this was before the day of Pentecost and it was not yet available to be born again of Holy Spirit.

John 20: 19 -- Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

But what happened to these same men 50 days later? Under normal circumstances, no adult changes drastically in forty or fifty days. But Acts Two tells of normal human beings who were full of fear 50 days before and now have become men of great boldness and conviction. WHAT CAUSED THIS CHANGE?

Acts 2: 4 -- And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This verse tells us that all these men were filled with the holy spirit -- they were born again and were now body, soul, and SPIRIT. Now observe the change in their behavior as compared to when they were full of fear only 50 days earlier.

Acts 2: 14 -- But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

Not long ago, they were behind closed doors for fear of the Judeans but now Peter stood up with the eleven and spoke to the Judeans without fear, but with boldness. Where did he get that boldness? What changed him from a man of fear to a man of great confidence?

Acts 2: 22, 23 -- Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Not long ago, Peter would certainly never have said this, but now that fear is gone. Why? What happened? What brought about this change?

READ ACTS 3: 12 - 15. [Did you read the verses?] This is another example of BOLDNESS. Peter was no longer full of fear.

Peter and John were so bold (fearless) that they were taken into custody and when they were released, WHAT DID THEY PRAY FOR?!!? READ ACTS 4: 23 - 29. Let's look more closely at verse 29.

Acts 4: 29 -- AND NOW, LORD, BEHOLD THEIR THREATENINGS: AND GRANT UNTO THY SERVANTS, THAT WITH ALL BOLDNESS [confidence] THEY MAY SPEAK THY WORD, [emphasis added]

Can you imagine that? They just got our of prison for being so bold speaking the Word of God and WHAT DID THEY PRAY FOR??! THEY PRAYED TO GOD FOR MORE BOLDNESS TO SPEAK THE WORD. They didn't pray for a vacation or a holiday. They were no longer full of fear and behind closed doors. To accomplish anything for God, you must get rid of fear. Fear defeats, encases and enslaves people -- it binds people up and keeps them from being their best for God.

Proverbs 29: 25 -- The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Fear is darkness and darkness cannot stand light. Light always dispels darkness and the light of God's Word in your renewed mind will drive the fear out your mind. We must remember that it is the introduction of light that dispels darkness, not the dwelling on of darkness. God does not care, nor does He even remember what you did in the past. He is concerned about where you are right now and where you want to go with Him. So FORGET THE PAST. It is a trick of your personal adversary to have you dwell on a negative past. Introduce the light and power of God's Word and it will drive these thoughts out of your mind. I must have repeated the following scripture, that I learned by heart, over and over in my mind, thousands of times:

Philippians 3: 13 -- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, FORGETTING THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [emphasis added]

Our past is our 'old man' and he is full of fear. Put on the 'new man' by renewing the mind to what God says and to how God says we are to live. If He created life, I am sure He knows the best way to live it.

Acts 4: 30, 31 -- By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Fifty days ago, they were full of fear. Only one thing changed in their lives. On the day of Pentecost, they were born again of God's Spirit and FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST. If you want to get rid of fear, frustration, and anxiety, you must be born again of God's Spirit and filled with His power by renewing your mind to His Word. This is what changed Peter and the rest of the Apostles and this is the power that will change your life.

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Now, let's look at a few examples from God's Word that emphasize believing. There are many examples where believing is required especially in the area of healing. For anyone to ever be healed, believing is absolutely required. Let's go to:

Acts 14: 8 -- And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:

This man definitely had a need and the next verse explains what Paul perceived about this situation. Paul was spiritually sharp and was skilled at operating Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, and Discerning of Spirits. Paul knew that if this crippled man was to be healed, HE [THE MAN] HAD TO BELIEVE.

Acts 14: 9 -- The same [the crippled man] heard Paul speak: who [Paul] stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith [pistis - believing] to be healed,

Paul's eyes were fixed upon this man and he was able to perceive that the crippled man BELIEVED TO BE HEALED. The man was finally at the point in his life where he completely believed that God would deliver him. He had no doubt -- none. He wasn't condemning himself -- he wasn't dwelling on his negative past -- he wasn't full of fear -- HE SIMPLY BELIEVED AND, IN TURN, HE RECEIVED.

Acts 14: 10 -- [Paul] Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

It is absolutely essential to understand that if Paul saw that this man was negative and full of unbelief, he would have never ministered healing to him. We need to get to the point in our lives that we simply BELIEVE the Word of God and act accordingly. THEN, we will see positive results.

Now here is a major point about this record of believing and subsequent healing. Do you know the exact point when this man was healed? It was when he made the effort by his believing to stand up. He was not delivered until he actually made the physical effort to stand. He acted [BELIEVED] like he had it and then it came to pass. God wants us to act first and then we will see results. And remember, the only thing that builds believing in a man or woman's life is the Word of God rightly divided living in the heart of that person. Everything else builds a counterfeit form of believing called mental ascent that will always let you down just when you need it the most. God's Word says that when we put our trust in Him, we will never be disappointed in our expectation.

Romans 10: 11 -- For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed [disappointed in his or her expectation].

Another similar record of healing is in the gospel of Mark Chapter 3:

Mark 3: 1 – 5 -- And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

In verse 5, the man was healed WHEN HE STRETCHED IT (his arm) FORTH. Why did the man stretch forth his arm? BECAUSE HE BELIEVED. That's all that God requires. These are great records illustrating the importance of believing. There are many others.

Take a few moments and read the record in Matthew 13: 53 - 58. Here we see that Jesus Christ DID NOT do many mighty works in his own home town. WHY? Because of the people's UNBELIEF. They saw Christ as the carpenter's son. They threw the past in his face and in turn, they chose NOT to believe. Christ tried to teach but they simply would not believe. Christians run across this situation often. Get away from the unbelievers -- they will only deter you IF you allow it. You'll only waste your time hanging around unbelievers and that is what the world wants you to do. God's Word wasn't written for the unbeliever -- but for the believer. Weed out the unbelievers from your life and watch your renewed mind walk with God grow and flourish.

Throughout all of God's Matchless Word, there are almost countless examples of The Law of Believing. There is power in believing to which you and I as born again believers have easy access. God has given us this law to enable us to overcome our shortcomings and difficulties bringing deliverance and victory to our lives. THIS POWER IS FROM GOD who is everywhere present which means He is with you right now. To manifest the more than abundant life, we must know and receive His power. Therefore, we must effectively learn how to operate this most dynamic Law of Believing. The Law of Believing brings phenomenal results to all those who apply and practice the principles set forth in God's Word.

The Word 'believe' is a verb and connotes action. When you believe the Word of God and ACT on it, it will always bring positive results. This is the LAW OF BELIEVING and it is this action which will bring deliverance and victory to your life in every situation.

MARK 9: 23 -- JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, IF THOU CANST BELIEVE, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVETH. [emphasis added]

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[This concludes all three (3) parts of THE LAW OF BELIEVING. I urge you and pray to God for you that you can learn how to operate this law effectively in your life and walk with God. It is a principle of such importance that you must learn to master it. God bless you richly in the name of our powerful, risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ -- he’s coming back. In the meantime, work these three teachings and don’t forget to hang up that CHART FROM PART TWO AND STUDY IT EVERY DAY.]

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