384 Sermon Illustrations on Faith

1. My faith has found a resting place –

Not in device nor creed;

I trust the Everliving One –

His wounds for me shall plead.

Chorus

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea;

It is enough that Jesus died,

and that He died for me.

2. Enough for me that Jesus saves –

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him –

He’ll never cast me out.

3. My heart is leaning on the Word –

The written Word of God;

Salvation by my Saviour’s name –

Salvation through His blood.

4. My great Physician heals the sick –

The lost He came to save;

For me His precious blood He shed –

For me His life He gave.

[Tune “No Other Plea”]

\bold{The Men in the Furnace}

The people who lived in Jerusalem had been taken captive by King

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The King had taken the strongest,

most intelligent and the best looking of the captives to live in his

palace in Babylon where he fed them the best of food, educated them

and trained them to work for the King throughout the lands over which

he had made himself king.

Four of the finest of these captives were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach

and Abed-Nego. These four had refused to eat the rich food and wine

that the King provided for them but rather ate a vegetarian diet and

drank milk or water. These simple foods allowed them to develop and to

be stronger and more intelligent than all of the other young men in

the King's domains. In addition, they prayed three times a day to the

God of all creation, the Lord God, and read His word, the Holy

Scriptures, daily. These men were devoted completely to God and as

true believers worked very hard for their master the King. The one

thing that they refused to do, however, was to worship King

Nebuchadnezzar's many gods which were presented in the form of idols.

Because the four young men were such hard and willing workers the King

did not insist that they give up their worship of the God of all

creation, the Lord.

One day, after the King had made many conquests of nations and lands

the King decided to declare himself a god and to have all of the

people worship him as god. He ordered the building of of a great

statue of himself which was 90 feet or about 30 meters high. This

statue was made of gold and cost a great deal of money. The King had

the statue erected on the plains of Dura which were outside the city

of Babylon The King then ordered that when the music of the horn,

flute, harp, lyre and psaltery was played every person in the world

was to fall down on his knees with his head to the ground in worship

of the golden statue. Since Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego worshipped

only the Lord God of all creation who has ordered everyone in the

world to worship Him and Him only, they could not worship the golden

statue without making the Lord God unhappy. They therefore refused to

fall down and worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar.

Some of the people who did not like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego

went to the King and said, "O King, live forever! You have made a

decree that everyone in the world is supposed to fall down and worship

your statue whenever the music of the instruments of worship is

played. There are three men in your kingdom who refused to fall down

and worship your statue. Neither do they worship your gods although

you have set them over your affairs in the province of Babylon."

This made King Nebuchadnezzar furious. He ordered the three young men

to appear before him and demanded, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and

Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods nor worship the gold image

which I have set up? If you refuse to fall down and worship my statue

I'll have you thrown into a furnace of fire, and where is the god who

can deliver you from that oven?" Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego

replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar we cannot obey your command. Our God is

able to deliver us from the burning furnace. Nevertheless, even if He

does not deliver us from the furnace we shall not fall down and

worship your statue since we worship the Lord God and Him alone do we

worship."

King Nebuchadnezzar was extremely angry and ordered the furnace to be

fired seven times hotter than usual and to throw the three young men

into the flames. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- Nego were bound with

ropes before being thrown into the blazing fire. The temperature of

the furnace was so hot that all of the men died from the heat when

they opened the furnace and threw in the three young men.

When King Nebuchadnezzar later looked into the furnace he exclaimed

in amazement, "Did we not cast three men, bound, into the fire? "

The King's men answered, "Yes, that is correct, and the men who threw

them into the flames died because of the great heat."

"Look!", the King exclaimed I see four men, loose, walking in the

midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. The form of the fourth man

is like the Son of God!"

Then King Nebuchadnezzar went to the mouth of the burning, firey

furnace and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, servants of the

Most High God, come out and come here!"

The three young men came from the midst of the fire and stood before

the King. Everyone was astonished because not only had the three young

men survived the fire that had killed the men who threw them into the

furnace, but there also was not the smallest odor of fire or smoke on

any of their clothes. Neither was their hair singed nor their garments

affected in any way.

King Nebuchadnezzar spoke, "Blessed is the God of shadrach, Meshach

and Abed-Nego who sent His Angel to protect and deliver His servants

who trusted in Him. These young men have not agreed to worship any god

except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people,

nation or language who speaks anything against the God of Shadrach,

Meshcah and Abed-Nego shall be cut into pieces and their houses

burned, because there is no other God who can deliver like this."

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego worshipped and praised The Lord God

for delivering them from the burning, firey furnace, and they

continued to worship the Lord God all of the days of their lives. King

Nebuchadnezzar furthermore promoted the three young men and gave them

great authority in the land of Babylon where they lived out their

days.

This story is part of the Virtual Church.

I hope that someday soon you'll come to the tea my husband, Dave, and

I serve in the victorian-style house we built near the Cajon Pass in

Southern California. When you arrive, you will be welcome to browse.

Surely someone will notice the unusual frame around the photo of a

handsome young man with twinkling eyes, black hair and a dashing

mustache. The young man is my only child, Bill. The frame is a

Victorian-era mourning frame. The crosses carved into the wood are

appropriate because of Bill's faith; the anchors because he was in the

Navy. Bill died five years ago during Operation Desert Storm, when he

was 28 years old.

Bill and I were not only son and mother, we were best friends. Perhaps

because his father left us early on, we relied on each other a lot. We

also had fun. Bill had a sharp sense of humor, and I loved his jokes.

Sometimes he made me burst out laughing with just a look. He was also

protective of me. When I had trouble getting out of a snowy driveway

while we were living in Michigan, my little boy looked at me seriously

and vowed, "When I grow up, Mom, I'll get you snow tires."

Snow tires weren't necessary when we moved to California, where I

met and married a wonderful widower,

Dave Kincaid. Bill loved him, and

the three of us became a team. Life was suddenly the way I had always

dreameded it could be. My son had a brilliant mind and enjoyed

working withelectronics. The Navy provided him with the perfect

Bicareer. Although what he was doing was often top secret

A and he

could tell us little, he seemed to enjoy his work. Hewas based in San

Diego, two hours away, and many times the phone rang at our home in

Apple Valley, with Bill say

I he

ing, "Mom, it's me. I'm coming home on leave, and bringing a buddy!"

That same afternoon, he would stick his head into my vintage-clothing

store. Mom. This is my friend Joe. We'll see you at home for supper!"

In the summer of 1990, he re-enlisted. The Persian Gulf conflict was

heating up. Bill spent the week before he left finishing all the

projects he had started around the house.

For some reason, he made

sure his papers were in order, and said a special good-bye to his

girlfriend. At midnight on the eve of his leaving, I found him still

working on a new electric-eye light over the garage. "Bill, don't

worry about it," I said. "You'll be back in no time." But he insisted

on installing it for me. He called every Sunday, and things always

sounded fine. So I thought nothing was strange that August Friday

when

I looked through the picture window as a van pulled

up in front of the

house. A repairman, probably, I thought.

The van doors opened and several men got out, Navy men: an officer, a

chaplain and an enlisted man in his dress whites~there's only one

reason that a configuration of Navy personnel comes to your house. I

panicked. I started pacing up and down the hallway, shouting, "Oh, no!

No, no!" Dave wasn't home; I felt so alone.

The doorbell rang. Still I.paced, somehow thinking that answer, it

wouldn't be true. Then I heard the knocks, I knew I had to go. I

opened door and said to the solemn-faced officer, "Don't you me what

you're going to tell me!" 'I'm sorry, ma'am," he replied, "I have

to."

Bill was dead. My only son was gone. As an officer was telling me what

details he could, a strange thing happened. I felt a warm pressure,

like someone laying a hand on my shoulder. And from behind me, I heard

the words, "He's all right". An unexpected calm descended and carried

me through the next few days and the funeral.

There comes a time after a personal tragedy that's especially hard:

After all the fuss, everyone else's life goes back to normal, yet

yours remains shattered. The devastating news of my son's death kept

coming back to me in different ways, each one as if I were hearing it

for the first time. As brilliant as Bill was, he had an absent-minded

habit of losing his sunglasses. When the Navy returned his personal

effects-a shiny new pair of sunglasses on top-I wanted to scream. Now

I had Bill's sunglasses, but I didn't have Bill.

I closed my store in Apple Valley. I put my antiques and clothing

collection into storage. Time stretched on unbearably. Even my husband

could not comfort me. Nothing mattered anymore.

One day I decided to take a drive, just to get out. "Use the Nissan,"

Dave said. "I had new tires put on." I got in the car and took off

alone. As I drove, I turned to God in anguish, "V\'hy?' I asked. "What

plan of yours is so important that you had to take my only child?" I

wondered if God cared that my heart was broken, my life in ruins.

Then, as I approached the Cajon Pass, there was a loud pop. One of the

tires had blown.

I managed to steer the car off the road. Traffic WL heavy; I was lucky

I hadn't caused an accident. I went a call box and asked the operator

to contact my husband. Then I walked back to the car for a long wait.

One thought was in my mind; If Bill were here, he would help me. If

Bill were here . . . I started to cry.

"Excuse me!" I heard a voice say and I wiped away my tears. Across a

barbed-wire fence was a wide-open bumpy field. There sat a small car,

and in front of it a young man waved at me. He looked a lot like Bill.

"Can I help you?" he asked as he hopped the fence easily. "I didn't

want to startle you."

I looked at his car strangely placed in the field. Why hadn't I

noticed it before?

"You need help," he said, inspecting the blown tire. "Let me take care

of this."

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"Around here."

"I could have sworn I knew everyone." Especially someone who reminds

me so much of Bill, I thought.

The young man took the lug nuts off the tire and removed it. "I'm

going to have to get this patched," he said. "There's a garage over

the hill. It won't take long."

He put his sunglasses on the hood next to me. "So you know I'll be

back." He winked and hopped across the fence to his car. As he drove

into the distance, I wondered how his small car could handle the rough

field.

Before long, he was back. "You sure can hop a fence," I said. He

flashed a big smile, and as he put on the patched tire, we talked. I

wound up telling him about Bill's death, and how hard it was to get

through.

"Yeah, I know," he said gently, "It's rough."

The young man finished tightening the nuts, looked up at me, and said

with authority, "Remember, your son is fine." Instantly I was bathed

with the same sort of peace as the time I had felt the hand on my

shoulder and heard

the whispered words, "He's all right." I felt as though I had been

given a gift.

When Dave arrived, I introduced the two men. They shook hands, then

Dave gave me a bear hug. For a split second I buried my face in his

neck. We both turned to wave good-bye to the young man. But, to our

amazement we found he wasn't on either side of the fence. There was no

car in the field.

Dave and I looked into each other's eyes, both of us trying to take in

what had happened. "Bill's okay," I said, breaking our silence. "He's

in Heaven, and he's fine."

Neither of us had any doubt who the mysterious young man was. When we

returned to the dealership where Dave had bought the tires, the

manager shook his head in confusion. "There's no reason this tire

should have

blown," he said. "I don't get it." We did.

The heavenly reassurance didn't take away the ache of not having Bill

here on earth, but the sense of peace, of being loved and cared for,

stayed with me. I realized I had to make a conscious decision to get

past my grief and go

on with life. And I knew which choice God, and Bill, would want me to

make.

Shortly thereafter, Dave and I bought property near the Cajon Pass

and built our house, along with a workshop for the hats I make, and a

small "museum" for the antiques

and vintage clothing we can't fit in

the house. And I began giving teas, for a dozen or so people at a

time. I dress in Victorian clothing, with a neat Gibson girl hairdo,

to entertain my guests. It's fun to follow the customs as if we're

actually having tea one hundred years ago.

When my guests ask about Bill, I tell my story. I'll never forget one

young woman who came with her mother. They made it clear that they had

come only to see the antiques; they sat off by themselves. But as I

was explaining about the mourning frame, I saw the young woman,

Maureen, listening intently. About a month later, a beautiful woman

called out to me when I was downtown. "Hello, Mrs. Kincaid!" she said.

"Do you remember me?"

"Maureen?" I asked, incredulous.

"I have to thank you," she said, "and explain. Not long before the

tea, my fiancee died. I thought I would never accept it. But when I

considered what you said-that we have to make a conscious decision-I

realized that if you could do it, I could too!"

God had sent his angel not only to show me he cared, but so I could,

in turn show others I understood, and cared. That seems to be the

angel's message: God loves you. Pass it on.

Chicken Soup for the

Christian Soul

Somewhere we have read a story like this. A traveler upon a lonely

road was set upon by bandits who robbed him of his all. They then led

him into the depths of the forest. There, in the darkness, they tied a

rope to the limb of a great tree, and bade him catch hold of the end

of it. Swinging him out into the blackness of surrounding space, they

told him he was hanging over the brink of a great precipice. The

moment he let go he would be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. And

then they left him. His soul was filled with horror at the awful

doom impending. He clutched despairingly the end of the swaying rope.

But each dreadful moment only made his fate more sure. His strength

steadily failed. At last he could hold on no longer. The end had come.

His clenched fingers relaxed their convulsive grip. He fell--six

inches to the solid earth at his feet. It was only a ruse of the

robbers to gain time in escaping. And when he let go it was not to

death, but to the safety which had been waiting him through all this

time of terror. --James H. McConkey

Among those who served in the court of Alexander the Great was a

famous philosopher who had outstanding ability but little money. He

asked Alexander for financial help and was told he could draw whatever

cash he needed from the imperial treasury. When he submitted to the

treasurer a request for an amount equal to $50,000, he was promptly

refused. The treasurer had to verify that such a large sum was indeed

authorized. But when he asked Alexander, the ruler replied, "Pay the

money at once. The philosopher has done me a singular honor. By the

largeness of his request he shows that he has understood both my

wealth and generosity."

People who exercise great faith by asking God to provide for their

needs demonstrate a similar understanding of His vast wealth and

goodness.

When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it

was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands

the ship was becalmed, and it was slowly drifting shoreward unable to

go about and the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast. The

captain came to Mr. Taylor and besought him to pray for the help of

God. "I will," said Taylor, "provided you set your sails to catch the

breeze." The captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by

unfurling in a dead calm. Taylor said, "I will not undertake to pray

for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails." And it was done.

While engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his

stateroom. "Who is there?" The captain's voice responded, "Are you

still praying for wind?" "Yes," "Well," said the captain, "you'd

better stop praying, for we have more wind than we can manage." And

sure enough, when but a hundred yards away the cannibals were cheated

out of their human prey. --Oriental Missionary Standard

Gypsy Smith in one of his sermons tells of being in South Wales and

lodging in a house on a side of a lovely mountain in the Rhondda

Valley. One morning he received a letter from a man who said he had

heard Gypsy preach three months before. He had never had a day of

peace since, for it had revealed to him his sinful double life, and,

though he had abandoned it, he could not find peace. "Do you think

there is hope, that God will have mercy on me?"

Gypsy laid down the letter and watched the snowflakes dancing

before his window until he imagined one paused midway in air and said

to the mighty mountain opposite: "O mountain, I want a place to rest.

If I fall, can you bear me?" and the mountain answered: "Little

snowflake, I have my roots in God. Fall on me, and see."

Then Gypsy penned this parable to the man, and later a letter came

saying. "I am on the mountain, and the mountain bears." Can a mountain

bear a snowflake? Venture on God. He made the snowflake and the

mountain, and will make a new creature of you if you will trust Him.

--Sunday School Times

A story is told that once the passengers of a vessel steaming along

the St. Lawrence River were very angry because, in spite of the fact

that heavy fog was encircling the boat, full speed ahead was

maintained. At last they went to the first mate, and complained. "Oh,

don't be afraid!" the mate replied, with a smile. "The fog lies low,

and the captain is high above it, and can see where we are going."

Are you tempted to complain of the way your Great Captain is

leading you? Believe that He can see the end of the way. Then,

declare, "Thou, Lord makest me dwell in safety." --Sunday Circle

In his book "Miracles in Black", Dr. John C. Wengatz tells of

an African convert who was left at a new mission station to

carry on the Lord's work with a cannibal tribe. It was the dry

season when Joao Mbaxi took over, but soon the tropical rains

would be coming. Month after month went by, however, without a

cloud appearing in the sky. Then came the time for the normal

dry period. By now everyone was suffering, and many were on the

brink of starvation. In all the years they had worshipped their

ancient gods, the rains had never failed them, and so Joao was

told that he must leave the country and take "the white man's

God" with him. The courageous Christian refused to go. Then,

flushed with anger, the chief sullenly warned, "If your God is

as good as you say and so powerful that He rules the sky, why

doesn't He send us the needed showers? If it doesn't rain by

sunrise tomorrow, we will drink your blood and eat your flesh!"

Recalling the Biblical account of Elijah, Joao went to his hut

and prayed for divine help with the same urgency as that of the

ancient prophet.

Meanwhile the members of the tribe waited for the dawn when the

Christian leader would become the victim of their horrible feast.

Just before daylight, thunder was heard in the distance, lightning

flashed across the sky, and abundant rain refreshed the entire

region! As a result, the believer was able to continue his work for

Christ. Elijah's God still lives! Let us therefore face our moments

of crisis with faith instead of fear. Those who pray like the prophet

of old will find the Lord pouring out His blessings with the same

plenteous supply!

A study by the Laboratory for Statistical and Policy Research at

Boston College makes a good observation. A devastating flood hit

Toccoa Falls, Georgia, in 1977, killing 39 and causing $1.5 million in

damage. The researchers compared the survivors of that Bible college

community with those who lived through similar catastrophes in four

other states.

The report stated, "On the whole, the people at Toccoa Falls came

out very well. They were in better mental health than those in

communities who weren't hit so hard. Their very strong religious

commitment gave them an understanding of what happened."

Author Leslie B. Flynn gave this summary: "In other words, inner

strength from their Christian faith enabled the survivors at Toccoa to

fare better than others who suffered similar...calamities."

Sholem Asch in his book "Kiddush Ha-Shem" tells of an

incident that happened during the terrible massacre of Jews in

Russian Poland in the seventeenth century. Men, women, and

children were slain; families were divided and destroyed. Only

death seemed active. One of the survivors was walking down the

streets in the denuded, deserted town, trying to understand the

meaning of it all. As he passed the market place, he saw merchants

with their booths already set up, selling articles of

food and clothing. In one booth an old Jew sat in rags. The

strange thing about it was that his booth was completely empty

of food or clothing, absolutely nothing to sell. And he sat

there. In amazement the survivor went up to the man and asked,

"But your booth is empty. What do you sell?" The old Jew turned

and looked at him with a sad smile and said slowly, "I sell

faith. I sell faith."

Evangelist Billy Walker told a story about the city fathers of New

York as they contemplated the future growth of the city. They laid

out

the streets and numbered them from the center outward. When they

began, there were only six or seven streets. In their planning maps,

they projected how large they thought the city might grow.

Reaching beyond their wildest imagination, they drew streets on the

map all the way out to 19th Street. They called it "Boundary Street"

because they were sure that's all the larger New York City would

become. But history has proven them to be shortsighted. At last

count, the city had reached 284th Street -- far exceeding their

expectations!

We, like those city fathers, sometimes set the boundaries too close

in our spiritual expectations.

One day John Wesley was walking with a troubled man who expressed

his doubt as to the goodness of God. He said, "I do not know what I

shall do with all this worry and trouble." At the same moment Wesley

saw a cow looking over a stone wall. "Do you know," asked Wesley, "why

that cow is looking over the wall?" "No," said the man. Wesley said,

"The cow is looking over the wall because she cannot see through it.

That is what you must do with your wall of trouble. Look over it and

avoid it." Faith enables us to get above circumstances and look to

Christ who is over all, blessed forever. --Wonderful Word

When Farragut - that noble man who succeeded because he believed

that he should succeed - was talking with the commander of the fleet

off Charleston, who delayed and delayed making an attack with his

whole force of monitors, and who finally gave it up and never brought

ion a battle, this commander complained that the government did not

give such and such arrangements and combinations, that he had not this

advantage and that he lacked that advantage. And when he got through

his story, the old hero Farragut said to him, "You have not told one

reason." "What is that?" said the man. "You did not believe you could

do it." That was the story in a few words. When Farragut meant to

run the forts on the Mississippi he believed that he could do it, and

he did it; and when he wanted to run the fire in Mobile Bay,

desperate as it was, he said he could do it, and he did it; and it was

th e power of his faith that carried him through.

{from a sermon on Faint-heartedness, by Henry Ward Beecher}

Faith is central to all of life. For example, you go to a doctor

whose name you cannot pronounce and whose degrees you have never

verified. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it

to a pharmacist you have never seen before. He gives you a chemical

compound you do not understand. Then you go home and take the pill

according to the instructions on the bottle. All in trusting, sincere

faith!

"Faith is the bunk," said a skeptic. "I only believe in the things

I can see."

Yet in the previous week he had often pressed the light switch

without checking to see if the wires to his house were up or down. He

had asked the gas station attendant to put ten gallons into his car

and hadn't bothered to make sure that ten gallons had actually gone

into his tank. He had dropped an important letter in a mail box, and

hadn't waited around to see if any mailman picked it up and didn't

throw it away. He had flown to a city halfway across the country and

hadn't checked the pilot's credentials. He had ridden up and down the

elevator without checking to see if the cables were frayed.

There is a man living in the city of New York who hass a house on the Hudson River. His daughter and her family went to spend the winter with him, and in the course of the season the scarlet fever broke out. One little girl was put in quarantine. Every morning the old grandfather used to go and bid his grandchild goodbye before going to his business. On one of the occasions the little child took the old man by the hand, and, leading him to a corner of the room, without saying a word she pointed to the floor where she had arranged some small crackers so they would spell out, “Grandpa, I want a box of paints.” He said nothing. On his return he went to the room as usual. His grandchild, without looking to see if her wish had been complied with, took him into the same corner, where he saw, spelled out in the same way, “Grandpa, I thank you for the box of paints.” That was faith.

- From {The Way to God}, by D.L. Moody

Michael Faraday, the great scientist, was taken ill. When it became evident that the sickness that had fastened itself upon him would soon result in his death, a group of fellow scientists came to see him -- not so much to talk about science as to talk about death. One of them said to him: “Mr. Faraday, what are your speculations about your future?” With evident surprise to them he replied: “Speculations! I have none. I am resting on certainities.” Then he quoted II Tim. 1:12: “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

________

“Choice Illustrations” W.W. Clay, p. 63

=================================

Another version by Gerald Rodgers:

The name of Michael Faraday is known to scientists and students everywhere. He was a British physical scientist whose discoveries contributed much to our knowledge of electricity. The modern world has deified science-physical science. But we must never forget that all scientific investigation is based upon the premise that for every effect there must be a cause, and that the universe is governed by laws. All experiments are based on the laws we are continually discovering, and only a pseudo-scientist would claim that we have reached the end of our discoveries. Where would we be if we had no faith in the trustworthiness of physical laws? We would never entrust ourselves to an airplane.

When Faraday was dying someone asked him, "Mr. Faraday, what are your presumptions, your hypotheses now?" "I do not entrust my head to presumptions at this moment, but to certainties," he replied. "'For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day' " (2 Timothy 1:12).

When I was in my mid-teens, I sometimes wondered if my faith was real. I had sincerely placed my trust in Jesus Christ, yet the injustices in society and writings of unbelievers raised doubts in my mind. I didn’t dare mention this to anybody. However, I repeatedly committed myself anew to Christ and to His teachings for my life.

Since then, many have told me that they are troubled by the description of faith in Hebrews 11:1. To them it defines faith as absolute intellectual certainty — something they do not always have. But in its context, this verse explains both what faith is and what it does. It affirms the certainty that comes as we continue in our commitment to trust Jesus and His Word. As we do, we become assured of the reality of God and the heaven that awaits us.

To test the validity of this statement, consider the steadfast faith of elderly believers who have continued trusting Jesus through great trials, sorrow, and pain. They will tell you that Jesus has become so real and precious to them that they are absolutely sure of Him and the truthfulness of His promises.

Don’t let times of doubt discourage you. Keep trusting and obeying the Lord Jesus and His Word. As you do, your confidence will grow. — HVL

There can be those times when our minds are in doubt,

Times when we ask what our faith is about;

But we can believe Him, we know that He cares—

Our God is real, as the Bible declares. —Fitzhugh

Feed your faith and your doubts will starve.

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #9940]

Three men were walking on a wall, Feeling, Faith, and Fact. When

Feeling got an awful fall, Then Faith was taken back. So close was

Faith to Feeling, That he stumbled and fell too. But Fact remained

and pulled Faith back, And Faith brought Feeling too.

Mr. Moody said in his Christian Convention at Northfield: "We want

more Christians like the Irishman who, when asked if he did not

tremble during a certain storm when he was standing out upon a rocky

eminence, said: 'Yes, my legs trembled, but the rock didn't and

because my feet were on the rock I felt safe.'"

- {The Sunday School Times}

The poet put it this way:

Doubt sees the obstacles . . . Faith sees the way: Doubt sees

the darkest night . . . Faith sees the day: Doubt dreads to take

a step . . . Faith soars on high, Doubt questions . . . "Who

believes?" Faith answers . . . "I."

Faith is the master builder. It has built every bridge across

every chasm; every city on the wide-extended plains; every institution

of learning whose doors are flung wide open to hungry minds; every

church through whose gates of glory the worshipers come into its

courts of praise.

The word of faith is, "All things are possible." The strong point

of faith is that it connects itself with the power of God that can

find no difficulties.

- Paul W. Powell, {Basic Bible Sermons on Handling Conflict,

}(Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992) 43-44

Blow the trump and ring the bell; Dress it up and make it sell; Fill

it with the rich and well; And count the heads. We're doing well!

But where's the faith?

Read the creed and get it right; Hold it fast with all your might;

Close the door and bolt it tight; We've no need for further light!

But where's the faith?

Build the church and make it grow, Cushioned pews in classic row;

Made for comfort we love so. Come in, relax, enjoy the show! But

where's the faith?

In the sickroom on the bed - Invalid, helpless, but not dead - Hear

her praying through the pain, "May my suffering be your gain."

There's the faith.

Here a loving mother gives, With all the reason that she lives, To

strive against unnumbered odds And bring her children to know God.

There's the faith.

'Surprising where the faith is found; Not where reigns the world

renown, But in the din of work and strife, Where the Cross meets

daily life. There's the faith.

- Shelby Christian Church, Versailles, IN.

Decades ago when T.W. Hunt was about to become a leader at a boys camp in Spain, he asked God to give him the type of biblical faith Paul, Timothy and Peter possessed.

“I expected to get zapped and then drive into camp with that same kind of faith they had in the New Testament,” said Hunt, one of the great prayer teachers of this generation. “But it didn't happen like that. God did give me faith, but it took years and years. And he did it by building five conditions into my life.”

Hunt said you should write these five conditions of faith down and put them in your Bible and pray about each one:

1) For Christians with faith, PRAYER becomes their very breath.

“You cannot help praying. Many times I've missed meals, and I hate to tell you this, I've even missed classes because I was praying,” said the former music professor at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth.

2) Christians with real faith see life from a SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE.

“You wake up in the mornings thinking about Jesus.”

3) For Christians with biblical faith, Christ is the source of their JOY.

“Joy in the Bible is not happiness,” Hunt said. “When the Bible talks about joy, it talks about joy in the Lord. Most people think joy is when you get credit for good things, but let me tell you, if God gets all the credit, there will be great joy.”

4) Christians with real faith keep their EYES ON THE LORD, not just what they are praying for.

The problem with some churches today, Hunt said, is that members don't let God take over. They don't keep their eyes on him. “They say, 'We know what to do. We're trained. We have methods, money and buildings.’ Some of the churches I go to, I even wonder if God is there.”

5) Christians with biblical faith know JESUS IS REAL IN THE PRESENT.

“Most of us think of Jesus in the past or future, and that is important. But the most important thing about Jesus Christ is what he is doing right now. Jesus is real right now.”

Hunt said once he realized God was giving him the faith he asked for so many years ago, he also discovered it was a package deal.

“I began to realize that along with faith came two other things I was not expecting -- trust in the Lord and hope.”

Faith brings with it trust in the Father and hope in him -- not just hope he will fulfill specific wishes, Hunt said.

“Hope is never followed by the relative pronoun, THAT,” Hunt said. “It is always hope in God, not hope THAT it won't rain or THAT I won't have cancer.”

A Christian falling on hard times may have a difficult time with faith and hope, he said, “but he can still trust in the wisdom of God.”

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #16465]

There's a tight rope streteched across Niagra falls. A crowd has gathered

and a man pulls a unicycle out of a box. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have

your attention! Let me see a show of hands: how many of you believe that I

can ride across the Falls on this unicycle and safely reach the other

side?" The crowd, eager to see the feat, raises their hands and responds

enthusiastically. "We do! We do!" The man replies, "Wait! That's not all!

Another show of hands: how many of you believe I can ride safely across

while balancing someone on my shoulders?" The crowd waves their hands and

shout, "we do! We do!" The man says, "Great! Now, one more question:

whichone of you volunteer to be the one on my shoulders?" The hands

quickly dropped and silence.

Did they believe? Maybe to one degree or another, but they did not have

faith. They were unwilling to put their trust in the man. Saving faith in

Christ is a faith which actively places its confidence in Chrsit, even

placing oneself at risk to do so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#2

Do you believe in parachutes? I suppose you do. You believe they exist. But

that's not what I mean. There's a difference between believing something

(or Someone)exists and putting your confidence in it (Him). One who has

seen a parachute knows they exist, but has never put his confidence in one.

Trying one on while standing on the ground isn't faith either. Going up in

a plane intending to jump out with a parachute on is not faith in the

parachute either. Opening the door at the moment of truth and gazing

outside to the ground in not faith either. It is only when one jumps out

the door, counts to ten, and pulls the ripcord that he has actually put his

faith in the parachute.

Many of you believe parachutes exist, but only a few have actually put your

faith in one. Many people in the world say they believe God exists, but

only few put their faith in Him for salvation by doing what He says.

My Source: GarysList Post from Jon Quinn on October 10, 1998.