Faith: Parts 1-4

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

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

Faith is both substance and evidence ... Faith is a result of that which we have heard from God by HIS Spirit ... and that which we believe.

Faith is shown by that which we believe.  We don't even have to speak what we believe.  Our actions show what we believe.

Faith is always two parts:

First we must hear from God by HIS Spirit.

Then we believe what we have heard.

We begin with two examples:  Noah and Abraham and we see exactly the same thing as we consider these examples of faith.

Heb. 11:7 ... By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

The first thing that happened is God spoke to Noah.

Gen. 6 ... And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  15And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of:


God spoke directly to Noah.

God spoke directly to Abraham ... Heb. 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

First God spoke directly to Abraham ... After God spoke to him, he obeyed.

Gen. 12 ... Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; 

First God chooses to speak to us ... Then we believe and are changed and obey what God has said to us.

It is a very personal thing and it is directly from God to each of us.  You may think God didn't speak to you directly.  But if you belong to God HE did.  HE put HIS truth directly into your heart so you can believe.  When God does this you are HIS chosen, HIS elect.  This is the New Covenant.  Heb. 10 ... This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.  18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.


When we belong to God, God speaks directly to us by HIS Spirit in form of thoughts or God might speak to us through dreams ... or God could just put truth directly into our hearts so we KNOW ... we just KNOW ...

Mt. 16 ... When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist:  some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

God spoke directly to Peter.  We know God spoke this to Peter because Jesus stated "flesh and blood" has not revealed this to you but "MY Father" which is in heaven.

There are times God puts information directly into our heart.

The New Covenant:  God says ... For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:   11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Heb. 8

It is not that someone else teaches us.  God puts HIS truth directly into our hearts and minds.  This is the New Covenant.

No man teaches us these things.  God teaches us.

God chooses us as HIS people and reveals HIMSELF directly to us ...

We might hear another person speak things of God, but we recognize what he is saying is of God because God has already put these truths into our hearts and into our minds.

Several years ago, God gave me the following dream.  There was a war going on.  And the problem was everyone on both sides looked the same and we couldn't tell our "army" from the other "army."  So God gave us a password.  When we spoke that password we knew which people were in our army.

That "password" is the Word of God and understanding of the Word of God.

Church people usually do look the same and even say the same things.  But I have found many church people do not understand me when I speak a scripture.  They just stare at me in a blank way.  They are not really of God though they think they are of God.  But those who are of God understand me when I speak to them.  By this we know one another.

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We are blessed above all people because we have been chosen by God and HE has revealed HIMSELF to us.  We can speak of HIM to others but we cannot reveal HIM, only God can reveal HIMSELF.

Thus Jesus said:  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.  Jn. 6:44

God draws the elect to HIMSELF.  We might speak words of God but God opens the ears of those HE chooses.  They come because of HIM.  Salvation is of God and not of ourselves nor by the will of man.

Man wants to believe in himself.  But each of us who really belong to God know that at some point God opened our ears and revealed HIMSELF to us and we knew HIM then.  Others around us might not have heard but we have.

And at this point we are given HIS Spirit that we might know things of God.  We cannot know things of God by our own reasoning.  It is the Spirit of God who reveals things of God to us.

I Cor. 2 ... But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

We can relate this way:  We meet an acquaintance in the grocery store.  That person says something.  That person does not know what we are thinking but we know.  The spirit inside us knows what we are thinking.  And it is the same with God.  Only the Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God on any issue.  And the Spirit of God reveals the thoughts of God to us by the will of God through bringing those thoughts to our minds or by putting them directly into our hearts when we belong to God.

Therefore Jesus explained that the Spirit of God does the following ...

- teaches us all things (spiritual and secular)
- reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us (scripture/dreams/ideas)
- guides us into all truth
- shows us things to come

Jn. 14:26 ... But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

Jn. 16:13 ... Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  

And we are sealed with the Holy Spirit when God reveals HIMSELF to us.

Eph. 1 ... In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.  13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

No man can do this for himself by his own will ... Romans 9 tells us this.  Man can want to be of God.  Man can try to be of God by following various rules.  Man can be baptized in water by his own will and by the will of those in the church group and still not be of God.

We are only of God when God reveals HIMSELF to us by HIS own will.  No man can reveal God to us.  Only God can open our ears so we can really hear and know HIM. And when this happens to us, we are blessed by God as Jesus said Peter was blessed for flesh and blood had not revealed Jesus to Peter.  God revealed Jesus to Peter.  Neither can flesh and blood reveal Jesus to us.

And by this Jesus would build HIS church, by the word revealed directly to the individual by God.  And the gates of hell would not be able to stand against that word revealed by God by HIS Spirit.

Faith starts by God opening our ears and by HIM revealing HIMSELF (truth) to us.  After this we believe what God has said directly to us and we obey.

You must hear first from God.

It is not that you hunt a scripture of your own mind and flesh.  That can be your own will wanting something and you try to justify what you want by scripture when you hunt that scripture by your own mind.  But when you commit the matter to God and from your heart really desire HIS will to be done and then are reminded of a scripture, you have both the will of God and the power of God in the matter at hand revealed by the Spirit of God as HE reminded you of that scripture.

You cannot give yourself the Spirit of God.  Only God can do that.  Then faith can come but it starts with that which God does when HE chooses to do it.  The church is the elect of God.  Therefore salvation is of God, by the will of God, and not of our ourselves.

This is what Paul explains in Romans 9 ... For HE (God) saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath HE mercy on whom HE will have mercy, and whom HE will he hardeneth.

Acts 2:47 ... And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.


Faith:   Part 2

Heb. 11 ... By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 

Several years ago I visited a Sunday school class in a church.  Pastor was teaching above scripture and he asked:  Did Noah condemn the world?   Immediately I replied, "Yes".  The people in the class seemed shocked.  I said:  Noah condemned the world because he believed God and the world didn't.

Anytime we believe God we condemn those who do not believe God.  Grounds are set for the judgment seat of Christ for then God can say Noah believed what I said and he was a person as others yet he believed ME and you did not believe.  Thereby those who believe and act on any scripture by their action condemn those who do not believe. 

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Concerning faith, first God speaks.

God speaks in various ways to us:  thoughts, dreams, scripture

The devil can also bring thoughts and scripture.  We recall that the devil tempted Jesus by speaking scripture to Jesus.  But Jesus knew the voice of God and when the devil tried to misuse scripture Jesus countered each of the devil's presentations.  

Mt: 4 ..  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written,  He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.  8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 

I don't recall any place in Bible where devil sent dreams.  That leads me to believe the devil cannot speak through dreams.

At one point I studied the use of dreams in Bible.  I am persuaded that God uses dreams today as a means of showing us truth about people and what they are doing or what they will do (unless they repent) ... and dreams show us things to come ... and sometimes our ways are changed because of dreams ... sometimes dreams confirm to us the way we are going ... I believe all dreams are from God... although I might not understand the dream at the time the dream comes ...

Thoughts can be from God by HIS Spirit ... thoughts can be from devil.  The devil's thoughts can seem like good idea.  Sometimes the thought is very obviously from God.  Other times we aren't sure.

Before we act by faith, we have to determine if that thought is from God, especially when we have reason to question the direction provoked by the thought.

If we are engaged in any form of strife (or envy) we are in danger of opening doors for devils to bring ideas to us.

James 3 ... Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.  16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.  

17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 

Probably the easiest thing to do when we are in doubt, is to ask God to confirm the thought or the idea, if it is from HIM.

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One of the more common errors concerning faith comes by failing to consider the following:  Is this the will of God for my life?  All that really matters is the will of God.

Unfortunately often that is not even considered.  Church people want something.  They pray to get what they want.  Some are taught to hunt a scripture to "stand on" , to justify what they want.  And to hold fast to that scripture in faith until they get what they want.  This seems like faith, but it can be the wrong direction if we fail to consider "is this the will of God for me" ...

I made that mistake when I was a new Christian.  I wanted to marry.  All my church friends and our prayer group earnestly prayed for me to have an husband.  I found a scripture to "stand on", to justify my getting an husband ... Isa. 34:16 ... Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate ... This scripture was not given me by the Spirit of God rather I searched and found it because that seemed to justify my request to God.

One woman in the prayer group said something about the will of God ... but then she added, "Of course it is God's will for Joan to have an husband."

But my best friend at that time prayed concerning this and she heard the following from the Spirit of God concerning my marrying.  "My grace is sufficient for thee."  After that Donna stopped asking God to give me husband.  She told me about this but my personal desire for husband was such that I didn't focus on that which Donna heard and I continued for many years searching for husband.  Finally I knew that was not the will of God for me and I would not be marrying as most people do.  Now I believe with all my heart that was ordained by God for me.  I even thank God that I didn't marry, remembering that Paul said those who marry will have trouble "in the flesh" (I Cor. 7) and I have an assignment from God for the church which would not be compatible with marriage for me.

Basically, before we ask God for something, we need to check with God concerning HIS will in the matter.

So many people are interested in their own will when they pray.  And often their faith is damaged because they pray for something which is not the will of God for them, and then when they fail to get what they want they suffer loss of faith in God, loss of faith in scripture, loss of faith in prayer ... all because they misused everything and failed to consider "what is the will of God in my case."

A church person was trying to get a job and he asked me to pray that he got that job for which he was applying.  I told him I would not pray this for I did not know if it was the will of God for him to get that job.  I told him I would pray for God's will in the matter to be done.  He did not get that job.  The wrong job can damage a person.

We must base our faith on that which God has said to us by HIS Spirit.  For then we know the will of God when the Holy Spirit shows us.  (I Cor. 2)  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

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In each case of faith in the Bible we will see that faith came by the will of God, by God revealing HIS will by HIS Spirit.

Heb. 11 ... By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

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In 1980, I was asleep in the night and was awakened by a loud trumpet sounding voice speaking three words to me:  Hartford, Seattle, KWJS  (I believe this was the voice of an angel of God speaking to me.)

I jumped out of bed and wrote, on a note pad, the three words spoken.  It was obvious to me the word KWJS was call letters to either radio or TV.  I found it was radio.  I asked God:  "Are you telling me to go on radio?  I wouldn't know how to do that."

The Holy Spirit spoke the following gentle thought to me immediately:  "Call the radio station manager."

I called the radio station manager as soon as the business office opened that morning.  I said to the manager, "God might be telling me to go on radio.  How would you do that?"  He replied:  "Make an audition tape 29 1/2 minutes long and if the content of the tape fits into our broadcasts we will offer you a contract."

I had a cassette recorder in my apartment so I got a tape and sat down immediately and recorded a message and sent it that morning to the radio station manager.

Within one week, I was on radio broadcasting exhortations to the church.

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Concerning Noah:

Genesis 6 ...And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

... Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

... The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
 
13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  15And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he

Here we have the basic pattern of faith.

God chose to speak to Noah and instruct Noah.  Then Noah did everything God told him to do.

As I read the above, I noticed how specific God was in HIS instructions of exactly how to build the ark.  And notice that Noah did exactly what God instructed.  Noah didn't make the ark an inch smaller nor an inch larger.  Noah didn't say to himself "bigger is better".  Noah knew God is perfect.  So Noah did "according to all that God commanded him."

I thought of how much work Noah had to do in building the ark to specification ... in gathering all those animals and creeping things ... and and in stocking food supplies.  And no doubt people would be watching Noah as he did these things.  It would become a big event for the village as Noah built this ark and as he gathered all these creatures and put them into the structure.

None of us want to be a side show.  None of us want to be mocked by onlookers or family.  And often we know this is going to happen to us when we speak what we hear from God and when we do what God shows us to do.

Consider Joseph.  He had a dream and he told this dream.  And as a result his family mocked him and tormented him.

But by faith, Joseph told the dream.

Gen. 37 ... And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 

9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.


Faith in God causes us to speak that which we have heard from God.  Certainly, in some cases, we know hatred or negative things will happen when we share what we have heard from God.  But we share it, enduring the shame, because we believe we have heard from God.

My favorite aunt was a Church of Christ member all her life.  This church group was one that would not speak of "supernatural" experiences with God.

At one point, I was visiting my aunt and I had the thought (which I believed to be from the Spirit of God) to tell my aunt about my being taken into heaven twice.  Certainly I didn't want to do that!  But because I believed I was directed by the Spirit of God to do it, I told her the following:  Shortly after I was born again, I was asleep in the night and I was "transported" into heaven.  I was in a room with God, and with the Holy Spirit, and with Jesus.  (I didn't see them. No man has seen God.  But I knew they were there with me.)  At that time, I was "merged" into the body of Jesus, made one with The Word of God.  It was wonderful!

The next morning, I was driving to work and I passed a church building and there was a funeral.  A funeral.  Oh how great.  A funeral.  To me this meant someone leaving this earth to go to God.  I'd just been there the night before and nothing on this present earth could equal what I had experienced in heaven.  (Obviously I was changed forever and set on fire for the Word of God. and for things of God.)

Then I told my aunt, And a few days after being taken into heaven, the exact same thing happened to me a second time.  I was asleep in the night and was transported into heaven.  I was with God, with the Holy Spirit, and with Jesus.  At that time I was merged into the body of Jesus ... made one with the Word of God.

I was very shocked at the response of my aunt after I told her this.  She had sort of a dreamy look on her face and she said to me ... Something like that happened to me once ... and it was all golden.
(My aunt had always been very different from everyone else.  Now I knew the reason she was different.)

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Genesis 7 ... And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.  3Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.  4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 
5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

Again, same pattern of faith ... God speaks ... Noah believes and obeys, following the instructions without adding to or taking away from the word.

...And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

...and the LORD shut him in.


...And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
21And all flesh died that moved upon the earth

... Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. (approximately 7 months)

Genesis 8 ... And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 
4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 


6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.  8Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.  10And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
13And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried
 
Although Noah knew the earth was dry, he did not go out of the ark until God spoke and told him to go out of the ark.


15And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 17Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: 19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 


Again we see the pattern of faith:  Noah waiting until God spoke.  Then Noah did what God told him to do.

...  and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.   22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 

Genesis 9 ... And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Everyone around Noah was blessed by God because of Noah's obedience to God.

We, who belong to God and hear HIM and obey HIM, are blessings every where we go.  If we choose to do business with a company, and that company treats us well, God blesses that company.  But if we are treated poorly, I feel certain that company curses themselves though God repays us for their ill treatment.

Deut. 28 ... And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  6Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  9The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.   12The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 14And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

Is this the same in NT?  I asked God.  And immediately I was reminded of the following NT scripture:  Gal. 6 ... Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.




 Faith:  Part 3


Abraham is a great man of faith and a wonderful example of faith at work.

From the time God revealed HIMSELF to Abraham, Genesis 12, to the end of his life on this earth, Abraham chose to believe God.  Even when the situation was impossible, Abraham chose to believe God.  So much of faith has to do with recognizing it is God when HE speaks and choosing to believe what God says even over the things that our senses tell us.

Impossible situation ...  God told Abraham HE would make his seed "as the dust of the earth" if a man can number the dust of the earth.  Gen 13:16 ... But at that time, Abraham didn't have any children by Sarah.  She was barren. And they were both very old, in their 90's.

This is an impossible situation for man ... but it is not an impossible situation for the God who created heaven and earth and all things.  And when God speaks something, we can know that thing is going to be done.

Genesis 15 ... After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 
4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 
5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 

6And he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.


Faith is believing that which is not seen by natural eyes.

But when God speaks it to us, we can safely believe that which God has spoken will happen.

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Today God speaks to us through scripture, through dreams, through thoughts brought by the Holy Spirit.


Isaiah 46 ... I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.



Several years ago, while I was living with my mother, God gave me a dream.  The next time my mother fell it would be the end for her.  From that point on, I watched her carefully when she got into the car or when she moved about.  For I knew if she fell again it would end her life.  This is what God showed me.

When my mother was 97 she fell in her bedroom in the night.  I was awakened by a strange pounding noise.  I went into her room and she was on the floor, beating against the wall.  I knew this ended her life.  She was taken to hospital and they operated on her hip which was broken.  She lived 2 more months but to me she died when she fell that second time.  I even went to funeral home after she fell and arranged for her funeral while she was in hospital.  To me she was dead for that is what God showed me in the dream and that is what would happen.

Faith in God sees this way.


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Genesis 17 ... And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 


We today, who are the children of the promise, the children of faith, are that seed of Abraham.  Through all generations since the time God promised this to Abraham, there has been a line of God, seed of God, children of the promise.  Today we, who believe, are that seed of Abraham, seed of the promise of God to Abraham.  Heb. 11:40 ... they without us should not be made perfect.   Through us, that promise made to Abraham is fulfilled for we are that promised seed.


Romans 9 ... For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 

Genesis 17 ... And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.  17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 
22And HE left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 

Now God is about to reveal to Sarah what HE is about to do.

Genesis 18 ... And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.   6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.  7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. 

Notice Abraham gave the best he had to God ... fine meal ... tender and good meat ...


9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 

By this, these men reveal they are not natural men.  How did they know the name of Abraham's wife?  But from the beginning verse, it certainly appears that Abraham recognized that these men were not natural men.

Genesis 18 ... 10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. 

And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 

13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 
14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? 

At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 
15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And HE said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Sarah laughed ... she didn't see how such a thing could be possible ... But after God said to her, "is anything too hard for the LORD", Sarah believed God.  We know she believed because of that which is written about her in Hebrews 11 ... Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 

Genesis 21 ... And the LORD visited Sarah as HE had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as HE had spoken. 2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 

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When God shows us something, that is what will happen.

Several years ago, I had a dream:  The earth slipped on it's axis.  People were terrified.  The politicians and religious leaders were meeting to see what could be done about the event.  A TV newscaster was trying to tell what had happened and he was so frightened he couldn't continue the TV report.

In another dream:  There was an established piece of land.  All of a sudden, one entire piece broke and slid away.  Then another went, then another, then another, then another ... And I heard these words, "It will be alright through January but in February it will break loose."

These dreams will happen.

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 A common error concerning faith ...

Our faith must be based on that which God has told us by HIS Spirit.  Our faith must not be in what we want to happen.

Pam Padgett told me a story about a man where she once worked.  An accident happened to his son.  The man reported they were all believing for God to heal his son.  The son died.  Their faith was based on that which they wanted to have happen for if God had told them their son would be healed, he would be healed.

When such a thing as this happens it can destroy so much and shake the people involved even more than the death for this strikes at the foundation of God HIMSELF and if we lose that we lose everything.

Our faith must be in that which God says about the issue.  So many people put faith in what they want to have happen and often they look for a scripture to justify what they want.  When they do this their faith ends up being in their desire.  But it seems their faith is in God.

Unless it is the Spirit of God who reveals the end of the situation, then we are on very shaky ground.

I have a friend who has ALS.  This is a disease where there is no hope according to doctors.  Certainly I prayed for him.  I had an open vision about him and I believe what God showed me is that this man will die before the rest of us.  In the open vision, he was on a golf course totally whole.  He was going ahead of us but he was so excited and jumping up and down.  He was signaling with his hands and arms to us telling us to come on ... everything was wonderful. 

A mutual friend said to me, "Don't you think this is showing David is going to be healed by God?"  I replied:  "David is dying.  But he is alright in death."

I would like to see David healed by God.  But the only thing I can afford to believe or report is that which I believe God showed me.

Our faith must be in God, in that which God reveals about the matter at hand ...

Another situation:  I have had several dreams about a woman where I played bridge.  I cared very much about her well being.  But God has given me one dream after another showing me she is getting worse, not better.  In one dream, she was like a dwarf and very fat.  She could hardly walk.  In the most recent dream, she had heard something I said, a Bible teaching.  And she threw up her hands in disgust and turned her back toward me and walked away.  This is what I must believe about her because I believe God is showing me this.  If I believed what I wanted to believe I would deceive myself.  It is very foolish to deceive yourself by what you want. Our faith must be in what God tells us and not in our own wishes. 

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So we focus on that which God tells us through scriptures, through dreams, through thoughts sent by HIS Spirit.  We can believe that for it is truth and it will happen.  And after we hear what God has to say, we believe and we act according to that which we have heard from God.

This is faith in God.


 Faith:  Part 4

Genesis 22 ... And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.  

7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?  8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 

15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;  18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 

Again we see the pattern for faith in God.

God spoke ... Abraham believed it was God speaking to him so Abraham obeyed.

Also we see in verses 6-7 that Isaac was old enough at this time that he could carry the wood and also we see Isaac was old enough to both speak and reason out the situation.

And Abraham was honored by God because Abraham obeyed even unto death of his most cherished son.  And in Hebrews 11 we see Abraham's reasoning of the situation ...

Heb. 11:17 ... By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.


In OT being raised from the dead was rare and not known by most people, but being raised from the dead is a fundamental principal of the NT Christian faith.

Paul said ... I Cor. 15 ... But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Because we believe God will raise us from the dead, we do not approach death as people of this world.  That is because we have faith in that which the Bible teaches us about God raising HIS people from the dead and we have assurance that we belong to God and are HIS people.

I Thess. 4 ...  13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:and the dead in Christ shall rise first:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

But Abraham knew this concept of God raising a person from the dead and had great faith that God could do this for Isaac.


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Concerning Abraham:

God said ... Gen. 18:19 ... For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 

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

When there is real faith, there is both substance and evidence.  Faith is evidence.  For when we believe something our actions show that is what we believe.

If a person comes to us saying, "I believe God will heal me, pray for me."  That person shows he does not believe God will heal him, for if he believes that, why would he need us to pray for something "already done" ... for faith and belief accepts that which is believed as "already done".

Many church people think they have faith in God but often their faith is in their pastor, or their church, or even in themselves as they find scripture to "stand on".

Back in the 80's, Vinita Copeland, Kenneth Copeland's mother told me this story.  A child in their family was dying.  Many were standing around the child quoting various scriptures.  Vinita said, "But the child was dying."  Vinita said she left the room, got on her knees and began to talk to God, pleading with God for the life of the child.

Jesus said ... Jn. 5:38 ... (Ye) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

No man can keep alive his own self ... But God can.  God kills and God makes alive.  HE is God and not we ourselves.  So we don't tell God what to do.  We plead with God.

God pronounced a sentence of death over the child David had with Uraiah's wife.  II Sam. 12:14 ... Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.   David shut himself away and fasted and prayed for the life of the child.  David's servants were concerned about David.  Then the child died and the servants were really concerned about what David would do.  II Sam. 12 ... But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 24And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.



God does what HE wills.  We can plead with God but God does as HE wills.

God sent Jonah to tell the great city of Nineveh that it would be destroyed.  The people were terrified and fell down in sackcloth and begged God not to destroy them.  God held back the planned destruction.

Unless God chooses to tell us what HE is going to do, we, like sheep of the pasture, do not know what will happen.

Paul was on a prison ship and a very stormy sea arose.  The ship was in great danger of being destroyed.  But God told Paul what would happen.

Acts 27 ... And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 19And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 20And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
21But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 23For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

This is faith:  Paul heard from God and believed that which God told him, and he told the others what God had said.

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Moses was a great man of faith.  Several times Moses went to Pharaoh and each time Moses told Pharaoh what God was going to do unless he, Pharaoh, let the people of Israel go.  Moses boldly spoke of what God was  doing to do.  These were not idle words.  Moses had heard from God as to what God would do.   But certainly it took faith for Moses to tell this to Pharaoh.  (What if it didn't happen?  He would look a fool.  This is the main temptation that comes to us to try to turn us away from sharing with others what God has done.)

Ex. 7 ... And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 15Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. 16And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. 17Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. 19And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.  20And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.


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Faith is very simple.  Faith is hearing from God ... believing HIM ... and acting according to that which God has shown you.

But it always starts with God ... Thus we have faith "in God", in what HE has shown us about the matter.