THE POWER OF FAITH

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“By faith…quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”

Hebrews 11:34

There are two sides to everything: black and white, hot or cold, day and night, big or small, rich or poor, and so on. The Scriptures present the benefits of faith for those who have made faith their own: “…whose weakness was turned into strength…” It is as if you could make fire out of ice, or light from darkness, or an abundant harvest from the desert.

The Apostle Paul said, “…when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Before his conversion, he had worked hard to gain himself a position of influence with a great reputation in society. He counted one of his privileges as having been mentored by one of the most renowned teachers of that time, Gamaliel. Paul also obtained his Roman citizenship, which was a difficult thing to gain especially since he was a Jew by birth. Furthermore, he was a true Pharisee who surpassed most of his contemporaries. He was very aware of his genealogical lineage; he came from the tribe of Benjamin. He was well respected as a religious leader. Because of the zeal and dedication that characterized him, Paul was considered as a man without reproach. However, when he met Jesus as His Savior, it was as if his previous life imploded and everything that he had created for himself suddenly counted for nothing. Now he had only Jesus to lean on.

In the blink of an eye, all the things that Paul had once fought for and had conquered became meaningless. Nevertheless, all of his dreams, yearnings and desires to see his nation redeemed were in fact made a reality on the day of his conversion. He finally understood that Jesus was everything and that through Christ his life was fulfilled. In his letter to the church at Philippi, the Apostle said, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christand be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:7-9).

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Some time ago, a woman came to our meetings. She was suffering from serious emotional disturbances that put her on the brink of madness. The Lord worked in her life in a wonderful way. She was completely healed, restored and blessed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Once she had received this miracle, this is what she said, “If I stayed on my knees for the rest of my life, this would not be enough to express my gratitude to Him for all that He has done in my life.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“Knowing Jesus is more valuable than life, riches, fame, and power.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Two.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: Joshua 22-23; Psalms 80
    • New Testament: Mark 4:1-20; 1 Corinthians 7:17-40

THE POWER OF FAITH