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Mind Games, Part 3: I Lack Faith

"I don't want to live. I feel abandoned. I lack faith. I don't need God." If you've ever found yourself thinking these thoughts, you've probably found yourself in the midst of a mind game.

\xa0\u201cWithout faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.\u201d Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)\xa0

\u201cFor by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.\u201d Romans 12:3 (NIV)

\xa0\u201cBecause of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.\u201d Matthew 24:13 (NIV)

\xa0\u201cAll these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.\xa0 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.\xa0 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.\xa0 Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.\u201d Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIV)

What is Faith? \xa0

1. Faith is Believing when I don\u2019t see it.

\u201cNow faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.\u201d Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

2. Faith is Obeying when I don\u2019t understand it.

\u201cIt was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood.\xa0 He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before.\u201d Hebrews 11:7 (NLT)\xa0

\xa0\u201cBy faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.\u201d Hebrews 11:8 (NIV)

\xa0\u201cDon\u2019t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was declared right with God because of what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?\xa0 You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. \xa0His faith was made complete by what he did \u2013 by his actions.\u201d James 2:21-22 (NLT)

3. Faith is Giving when I don\u2019t have it.

\u201cBy faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.\xa0 By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.\u201d Hebrews 11:4 (NIV)

4. Faith is Persisting when I don\u2019t feel like it.

\xa0\u201cBy faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king\u2019s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.\u201d Hebrews 11:27 (NIV)

\xa05. Faith is Thanking God before I receive it.

\xa0\u201cBy faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.\u201d Hebrews 11:30 (NIV)

\xa0\u201cOn the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!\u201d Joshua 6:15-16 (NIV)

\u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.\xa0 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\u201d Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

6. Faith is Trusting if I don\u2019t get it.

\u201cThey were all commended for their faith yet none of them received what had been promised.\xa0 God had planned something better\u2026\u201d Hebrews 11:39-40 (NIV)

For more information on the vision of Freedom Church, please visit our website at www. freedom-church.org.