A Heart of Faith

A HEART OF FAITH!

Proverbs 4:23-27, 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, and Psalm 84:10-11

Well good morning. It’s great to see you all here today. Thanks for making TFC and the worship of God a priority in your life. I am convinced that God is going to speak to you today and encourage you in your walk with him. 

Well, I thought I’d begin this morning with something funny — maybe it will bring a smile to your face and some joy to your soul.

SOMETHING FUNNY:

I heard a story recently about a woman who got on a plane to fly to another state to visit her family. When she settled into her seat, she pulled out her Bible and started to read. 

Well, the man sitting next to her — was astonished. For a few moments he just watched in total disbelief. And then finally, he asked her, “You don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?”  The woman replied, “Well, yes! Of course I do. This is my Bible, it’s the Word of God — and I believe everything that’s in it.” The man laughed out loud, and then asked, “Even that story about that man who was swallowed by a fish?” 

The woman responded, “Well, yes! That’s the story of Jonah.” Again, the man was in disbelief. After a moment he asked her, “Well, how could he have stayed alive all that time in that fish’s belly?”  The woman thought for a moment and said, “Honestly sir, I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to ask him when I get to heaven.” 

The man sneered — and then said, “Well, what if he’s not there?”  To which the woman replied,“Then I guess you’ll have to ask him.”

INTRODUCTION:

We’ll, this morning we’re going to talk about FAITH again! 

Last week I challenged you to begin seeing your life, your circumstances, your job and families, your health, and those opportunities that arise before you through EYES OF FAITH! While its important to have good vision and see things in the natural — its even more important to have good vision in the supernatural. And that’s what FAITH is…seeing things from God’s perspective. 

Last week I challenged you to reject fear and trust in God. 

God calls us to live with a confidence in His power, presence, and provision. And He wants us to look to Him to lead us, guide us, and supply us with all we need to live a life of holiness unto Him.

As we discussed — there are many ways we can describe or define faith. But this week I want to offer you another definition — another way to think about faith. This one comes from author Philip Yancey — who said, 

“Faith is believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse!” 

Isn’t that the truth? Sometimes things just don’t make sense to us when we are headed into them. But if we keep our eyes on God — and we keep believing in His goodness and His faithful work in our lives, when he delivers us, or provides for us, or guides us through the challenge — when we come out on the other side, we discover once again that GOD IS GOOD! And that TRUSTING IN HIM WAS WELL WORTH IT! And that’s faith — believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse!” 

Well, last week we discussed what it means to have EYES OF FAITH — but this week, I want to talk to you about having a HEART OF FAITH. 

To help you remember this message, I’ve asked our ushers to pass out a small gift to each of you. I hope you like YORK PEPPERMINT PATTIES — because that’s what I’m giving you. But the real reason, is because they’re shaped like hearts! (So, take one, and eat it. And if your counting your calories — well, these are calorie free. To believe that will take some FAITH.)  🙂

So, today I want to talk to you about having a HEART OF FAITH. Because . . . 

A HEART OF FAITH will help us to PRAY BIG PRAYERS! 

The writer of Proverbs cautions us to guard our heart when he writes:

²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Again, he says “guard your heart!”

Today, I challenge you to guard what comes into it — but also be mindful of what flows from it. May your heart be filled with and function in faith. I long for you to have a HEART OF FAITH. A heart that leads you to trust in God — and EXPECT GOD’S BEST!

Did you know that the bible talks a lot about the heart (over 800 times). And when it does, its not just speaking of our emotions or feelings. It’s often speaking of the center — or core of who a person is. When the Bible talks about the heart, it is usually referring tothat inner place that defines us: our mind, our passions, and our will.

God focuses on our HEART so much, because our HEART ultimately determines how we think! And how we think shapes who we become. and how we live. 

Let me put it another way. A HEART OF FAITH is of utmost importance . . . because:

• Our heart will establish our beliefs.
• Our beliefs will establish our theology.
• Our theology will establish our habits.
• Our habits will establish our experiences with God!

This morning I want to share a couple of thoughts from scripture with you. And not so much an expository look at one passage, but more of a survey of scripture as it applies to the heart. As I’ve studied this week, I come to discover that there are a couple of defining marks of a heart that is set on trusting god.

If you possess a hearth of Fatih — it will lead you to:

1. PRAY BIG PRAYERS!

You must be bolder and dare to trust God in BIGGER WAYS! 

Do you remember the prayer that Jabez prayed in 1 Chronicles 4? He asked God to stretch him in every direction. To bless his life and make him a blessing to others. He wanted to experience a BLESSING to match his POTENTIAL. 

In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 we’re told:

9 There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

What an amazing little story. First of all, you can’t miss the fact that his birth had been one of pain — he arrived at this point in life through great difficulty. Even so, God was with Him — and so he prayed, “bless me and expand my territory.”

And God did! Maybe you’ve been through great pain, challenge, hard times and rough circumstances.If so, be like Jabez — and pray a big prayer.Allow your HEART OF FAITH to lead you to ask God for greater things!

I dare to pray huge prayers.  Maybe it would make more sense if you think of it this way: Supersize your prayers! If you’ve seen the commercials and billboards for McDonald’s lately — you know that they’ve just super sized their BIG MAC. Because it wasn’t big enough, they now have a GRAND MAC! If it’s good enough for McDonald’s — then it’s good enough for you! It’s time you allow your HEART OF FAITH to supersize your prayers — and expect God to come through for you!

Maybe you need to pray something like this:

“God, I’m asking You to not just supply my needs but to bless me beyond measure. Bless me so much that I won’t be able to contain it. And as you do, empower me to be a blessing to others.”

Maybe you should pray something like this:

“God, I’m asking you to restore my marriage. Allow it to thrive. Help us to become happier and more fulfilled than ever before!” 

Or maybe you need to begin praying:

“God, restore my joy! Let me laugh again. Heal my broken heart. Give you a new lease on life. Help me. Deliver me from this pain and set me free to live for you!”

Or maybe you need to pray:

“God bless my children. Allow them to excel in everything they do. Keep them faithful to you — and give them a position of greatness where they can influence many for you!”

I encourage you to PRAY BIG because that’s what a HEART OF FAITH will produce in you.

Jesus said, “according to your faith it will be done unto you” (Matthew 9:29). If you will pray bold prayers, and put your faith in God — He will do big things in you!

But the converse is true as well. And so, if you pray without faith — and you ask God for a little, that is what you’ll receive! 

Faith operates on that supernatural principle of SOWING AND REAPING. If you so with seeds of doubt you’ll reap the fruit of that prayer. But if you’ll pray with seeds of faith — you reap the bountiful harvest of that prayer! If we can learn to pray bold prayers, filled with great expectation, then God will begin to do big things in our lives! (And in our Church)! 

I’m reminded of the prophetic verse in Psalm 2:8, where God instructs King David saying: 

“Ask Me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance.” 

As David discovered, being a child of the King of Kings has its privileges. Ask your Heavenly Father for what you will, and in faith, believe, and it shall be done!

Listen folks, we’ve been beat down bysmall thinking and little faith for too long. It’s time for us to ask God for greater things. It’s time for us to dream bigger and pray with greater boldness! 

I invite you in the days to come, to join with me in asking God to do the miraculous:

• Ask Him for those hidden dreams planted in your heart. 
• Ask Him even for the unspoken hopes and silent desires that might otherwise never come to pass in the natural. 
• Ask him to restore the broken ties between you and your family. 
• Ask him to heal your disease and give you a life free of illness. 
• Ask him for increased giftedness and abilities or maybe the a mind to conceive better thoughts. 
• And ask Him to bring your dreams into reality.

I believe God wants you to rediscover the joy found in faith — so, dream big and free your heart leap within you! 

A HEART OF FAITH will always lead you to PRAY BIG PRAYERS.

And likewise, a hearth of Fatih will also lead you to:

2. EXPECT GOD’S BEST!

When you have a heart to please God and to live in faith, then you overcome the fear of circumstances and begin to expect God to care for you from the depth of His love. 

Get rid of that mindset that views God as some COSMIC TASK MASTER who wants to watch humanity fall under the weight of some LEAGAL BURDEN to be perfect. Instead, begin to see God for who He is — our gracious and loving Heavenly father who longs to shower you with His favor and blessing. 

When you view God in light of Hebrews 11:6, you’ll come to know Him as

“a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

So look to Him and expect His best. And if you’re struggling with this right now — and you’re not sure if God really wants to answer your prayers and sow GOOD THINGS into your life — then just consider the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 84:10-11 (ESV). As he acknowledges, 

10 “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

When you seek to trust in the Lord — and you FILL YOUR HEART WITH FAITH IN HIM . . . when you have the courage to face your challenges with a sense of confidence that GOD IS both GOOD and ALL POWERFUL, then as His Word declares, you will not be disappointed, because the Lord will not withhold any good think from you!

He will certainly meet your needs, but that’s not all — He will exceed your needs and bless you in ways than you’ve ever imagined. 

I know that many here today have been through some hardships and challenging times in the past. Maybe your challenge was an economic challenge — maybe it came through the loss of income or a job, or an investment failed and with it — you felt panic deep within your heart as you watched your wealth diminish before your eyes. 

Or maybe your challenge has been a relationship challenge — where you witnessed the failure of your marriage. And as it crashed and burned, you felt your heart skip a beat as the pain of loss and emptiness set in. 

Or maybe your challenge has been one of sickness and failing health. Maybe you used to be known for your great strength — but in recent days you’ve become known by your weakness. And with it, you’ve felt your joy escape and your heart become heavy.

Or maybe your challenge has been one of loneliness or emptiness. Maybe you to be filled with laughter and were the life of the parry— but now you feel empty and dry inside and have lost all interest in life and faith.

Whatever the challenge you’ve faced (in days gone by), God wants to encourage you today.  He wants to remind you that your life is not over, all hope is not lost, He is able to restore and replenish and revive your life. So hold your head high as He fills your HEART WITH FAITH once again! He fills you with a faith to believe — and faith to behold His goodness and His glory!

Be encouraged by the words of Psalm 30:5 (ESV). It tells us to,

4 “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

The psalmist reminds us that God’s favor is ever-present — and it lasts a lifetime. Even when life is hard and challenges are great. 

While we all face heartache and heartbreak — God declares that though our “weeping may last through the night” — our “joy comes with the morning.”

For that reason, it’s so important that we never abandon a HEART OF FAITH — because this could be your day! 

• This could be the day that you awaken to discover the answer you’ve been praying for!
• This could be the day you see your health turn around. 
• This could be the day your finances increase — and you receive that promotion or raise that you’ve been praying for.
• Or this could be the day that you meet find that peace that you’ve desired for so long. 
• This could be the day that God brings you the friend, or companion you’ve dreamed of.

All I’m saying is DON’T LOSE HEART! This could be your day! While weeping last through the night, JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!

You know what’s so unique about the morning? The darkness is dispelled by the light! What loomed over you in the shadows is changed into hope and life and wonder in the light. And what is true in the natural is also true in the spiritual. God has not left you — and I believe He’s about to awaken some of you to something new and more wonderful than you’ve ever dreamed!

A HEART OF FAITH WILL ALWAYS LEAD YOU TO: 

Pray Big Prayers & Expect God’s Best!

CONCLUSION

I recently read a story about a man and woman who were celebrating their love and wedding anniversary together in Hawaii. 

The man was a good man — and he had achieved a fair amount of success in life. But if he was honest, he would tell you that he had begun to coast along. He had quit striving for greater things in life. He had long quit seeking to accomplish anything new for God or his church, or his family. He believed he had already achieved the extend of his dreams and reached the limits of his life. Well, one day, a friend was driving the couple around the island, showing them the sights. They stopped to admire a gorgeous house set high on a hill. The property was replete with beautiful palm trees and lush green gardens in a picturesque, peaceful setting with a panoramic view overlooking the ocean. As the man gazed at the magnificent home, he commented to his wife and friend, “I can’t even imagine living in a place like that.” Right there, something inside him said, Don’t worry. You won’t. You will never live in a great place like that.

Dreaming big will always require you to see through the eyes of faith. And as talked last week — that’s really what faith is. It’s choosing to believe for God’s best. It’s choosing to view life and it’s potential from God’s point of view.

It’s seeing things from God’s perspective!

Sometimes, the barrier to experiencing God’s best is a barrier in your heart — or mind. 

It’s never God’s lack of resources or even your lack of skill or giftedness that prevents you from achieving greater things for His glory. Sometimes its your own wrong thinking that limits you and keeps you from God’s best.

Some of you may know the name William Carey. Carey wasborn in the late 1700’s in England. By way ofprofession, hewasa self-taught shoe cobbler. Not a very impressive job. But he who had a HEART OF FAITH — and he dreamed of taking the gospel of Christ to India. When he began sharing his dream with others — he was met with doubt and disbelief. Some even called him a “miserable enthusiast” and told him that God would never use him to reach the lost of India. While this was incredibly discouraging, Carey never lost his joy and overcame setback after setback. He refused to believe the negative voices — and wouldn’t allow fear or doubt to root itself into his heart. For years he prayed and held on to the belief that God would use Him. In time, Carey made it to India, and went on to learn many Indian languages and eventually translated the Bible into nearly 40 different Indian dialects. He also founded a Christian University that exists to this day, and through it all — he was able to be used by God to win countless numbers of people to Jesus.

Carey’s motto was this, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God!”

As we close this morning, I challenge you to embrace that motto for your life. Dare to believe God for greater things. Pray big prayers and expect God to come through for you in BIG WAYS!

I realize that FAITH is always the hardest in the waiting. And some of you have been waiting on God to BLESS your life, and HEAL your bodies, and STRENGTH your walk and devotion to Him for a long time. But DON’T LOSE HEART! And DON’T GIVE UP! KEEP BELIEVING! Reject fear and doubt and unbelief. Guard your heart and refuse to listen to negative voices and nay-sayers. Remain optimistic and full of faith in Jesus. Trust in the Goodness of God. And PRAY BIG PRAYERS — then AND EXPECT GOD’S BEST! 

INVITATION FOR PRAYER

As we prepare to close . . . I want to invite you to come to the altars again this morning. And if you need prayer, or you want to be encouraged, or you want someone to just stand with you today — then this is your moment! We are a church of FAITH! So come, and let’s pray together and for one another before we go. 

So, let’s pray! And as we do, let’s remember what Paul said in Ephesians 3:20.

20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)

CLOSING PRAYER