God’s Keeps His Appointments:

You may recall how that Jesus of Nazareth met the Samaritan women at the Jacob’s well and how that He introduced her to the ‘living water,’ speaking of His Spirit that could indwell her if she only knew who He was. That encounter was what I call the Samaritan women’s ‘divine appointment’ with the Son of God, the Savior Himself. This was no accidental encounter, for Jesus had sent his disciple away and was waiting for her to come to the well to draw water.

Now also we need to acknowledge that each of us as genuine believers likely have had one or more divine appointments. We likely can point to in our memorable life experiences that opened our hearts and led us to finding genuine relationship with our Lord. These usually came to us in a time of trial, difficulty, or other situations that had brought us low. These times were used of the Lord to make us receptive; first to bring us the realization of our need to for God, and then to receive and have genuine relationship with the Him in the person of the Son.

Before coming to the Lord most believers formerly had an innate inner sense that nagged them for years, as it does all humans, even without our realizing what exactly they sought. That innermost sense was brought to the fore and when our ‘life questions’ crystalized as they were exposed through the life-trial(s) we faced. We now know the difficulties that brought this inner search to a head were actually “working for the good” in our Christian lives. Such realizations are revelatory and from God, they were not from our self or a figment of our imagination. They were of God who was been working in our lives through “all things” – as He does through ALL the good, the bad, and the ugly! This is confirmed by Paul’s words below:

“And we know that ALL Things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” - Romans 8:28-29 (KJV)

Such honest revelatory moments in our lives were faith producing and all of this is preparation for us to one day hear the good news of ‘the gospel of the grace and love of God.’

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son [at the Cross], that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have [His] everlasting life. John 3:16 (KJV)

This kind of experiential revelation knowledge is substantial and in itself is evidence that is sufficient such that we then can then stand upon it in times of trouble. Such divinely revealed knowledge received by us personally is forever unforgettable, real, and substantive… for only then can we can then wisely choose to believe because of what we now ‘know’ of God through our growing relationship with Him.

Then, even after we initially believed to be saved, we all should have more and more revelatory appointments as we approach His written word, the Bible, while relying upon the “Spirit of truth” to meet us in the word. Thereby, more and more we gain revelatory understanding of God’s eternal plan and program for us and for all humanity. And as we gain more understanding of the truth, we gain more faith in the truth of His word as evidence that we can securely stand upon in our daily lives as we encounter even more “ALL things.”

This then is real faith based upon truth that we’ve personally come to “know.”

Blind Faith:

In contrast with real faith based upon knowledge of the truth that we’ve come to “know” by experience of the Holy Spirit revealing His word to us, there is the ‘blind faith’ that manmade religion solicits of us based upon tradition, and denominational dogma. It seems that ‘blind faith’ describes most of today’s Christendom. The picture of ‘blind faith’ is like the unsure blind man who walks across the road without his stick. Jesus explained what happens to religions ‘blind’ followers who are led by ‘blind false leaders,’ both fall into the ditch.

“Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” – Luke 6:39

I would like to advance in my own understanding of God, so as not to create roadblocks and ditches for myself and others. Our faith needs to be enlightened not ‘blind.’ The faith of a genuine believer ought not to still be blind faith of any sort, but rather a faith held with great confidence.

“In whom we have boldness and access [to relationship with God] with confidence by the faith [we’ve gained] of him.” - Ephesians 3:12 (KJV)

How could we as believers ever share the truth of what sustains us in times of trouble and all the day long until we have confidence that was gained in relationship with Him.

“And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house [under house arrest], and received all that came in unto him, ³¹ Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.” - Acts 28:30-31 (KJV)

Faith Requires Knowledge!

There are twelve definitions of faith in the Webster’s dictionary and not one requires someone to believe without knowledge. Faith can only come from having heard some information and understanding it, to then trust in it. Faith requires knowledge of the truth! Paul says a similar thing here

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Rom 10:17

Faith in God comes from hearing His word, understanding it, and believing it to be true. If I do not know what to believe and why to believe it, then my faith is ‘blind’ and useless to me before God.

Lacking this explains the broad swath of pathetic Christendom today. This is why Paul wrote the following:

“Study [the word of God] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Faith Is Evidence!

Faith is not the ‘thing’ that is unseen, faith is the evidence of the things not seen. Faith is the substance of what we do not see. Someone who hopes there is a God because they cannot see him does not have faith. Genuine faith in God exhibits proof and evidence for what we don’t see.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Heb 11:1

As Christians we hope for things unseen because of our faith in the evidence in which we trust has become a confident expectation that it is true or will happen.

Example: Salvation, resurrection, forgiveness, justification, and eternal life are all based on the evidence explained in Scripture that is ‘rightly divided.’

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV)

Without Scriptural evidence our faith is ‘blind,’ it is but an imaginary wish. Sadly, for most Christians, their Christian faith is a ‘giant wish that their heart makes’ based upon the widespread ignorance in Christendom today. It is not based upon the truth that Paul calls “sound doctrine.”

Strong Faith:

Faith should be placed in something trustworthy. If the evidence is short of truth and unreliable then our faith will be or later becomes weak in the face of the trials of life. Faith is strong when the evidence we stand upon is clearly seen and understood.

God’s truth is witnessed by dozens of prophets over the course of 1,500 years with detailed accuracy, his miracles were witnessed by thousands, and his resurrection witnessed by hundreds. God’s explanation of good and evil, sin and righteousness, and love through the death of Jesus Christ demands that the hearers receive the valid Scriptural information by faith as being true, or deny the Scriptural validity and lack faith. It is one or the other, there is no room for ‘blind faith.’

Faith requires evidence of what came to be by hearing and believing the truth; “faith cometh by hearing the word of God.”

Only when our weak blind faith is replaced by a substantial or considerable faith will it work effectually in us to meet the demands of life in this fallen, sinful, unjust, world.

I suggest that all of us start learning what we believe and why, then we will be established in the faith, thereby having effectual faith in Jesus Christ “according to the revelation of the mystery [God’s, now revealed, secret plan.” (Rom. 16:25)

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my [Paul’s] gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [God’s formerly secret plan], which was kept secret since the world began,” - Romans 16:25 (KJV)

That mystery now revealed is that we can receive the literal life of the resurrected “Spirit of life in Lord Christ Jesus” into our human “spirit of man” and become eternally “one spirit” with Him.

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit [with the Lord’s spirit].” - 1 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)

God’s desire is that all men would believe to Receive the Word of God that worked effectually in these Thessalonians:

“…when ye Received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as It Is in Truth, The Word of God, which Effectually Worketh Also in You That Believe.” – 1 Thess 2:13