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            Our faith is connected to our future because only by faith will anyone enter Heaven.  Being inspired by the Holy Spirit, to put a believing faith on the Atonement Blood of Christ is paramount.  Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Believe in your heart that Jesus can save your soul.

            Salvation is a gift of God through a believing faith in the Blood of Christ—a faith that truly believes and trusts Him for every life issue.  Maintaining this position of trust on God, and keeping our faith on the Atonement Blood of Christ, is our responsibility—it is our choice and our decision when confronting any matter involving faith in some thing or some One!

            Eternal life is our goal and entire focus, so an enduring faith to assure that destination is vital.  Believing faith in Jesus is linked to receiving eternal life.  Every human soul will spend eternity in one of two places—either extreme happiness in Heaven; or extreme torture in Hell—both are a choice; and both are endless.  Believing in what the atoning Blood of Jesus did for us—is the most important issue we face.

            Heaven is promised when a believing faith is on the Atonement Blood of Christ.  Accepting His sacrifice to change our heart is a right start, but that seed of faith must develop and grow.  Luke 3:9 “Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which fails to yield good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire.”  If the spiritual fruit of trust on God is not seen, Jesus would have to say Luke 13:27, “I know you not”—because it is a sin not to trust God in faith.

            The Christian life is a daily struggle against “spiritual forces of evil” Ephesians 6:12.  We fight an enemy who is determined to destroy our soul.  We must be willing to learn, and ready to believe that Jesus has the power to heal, deliver, and save—He said Matthew 28:18 “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”  Believing that is the key to victory.

            The Atonement of Christ paid the price for every sin we ever committed, so we can claim what God has promised—the healing of our body—without medication; the provision of daily needs—without government money; the protection from harm—without firearms; correcting injustices—without a lawyer; and the saving of our soul—by believing faith in Jesus Christ.

            To accept the forgiveness of Jesus, is to extend forgiveness to everyone else.  Matthew 6:15 “If you do not forgive others their offences, neither will your Father forgive yours.”  The apostle said Colossians 3:13 “Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also must forgive.”  Faith in Jesus means following His instructions “Forgive, and you will be forgiven” Luke 6:37.

            God’s Truth of the Bible is available for anyone to read, believe, and practice by the power of His Spirit.  The devil works incessantly to draw people away from faith in God, because he wants to destroy their soul.  Matthew 13:19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.”

            Faith in Christ results from loving God in our heart.  John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”  Heaven is the gift for all those who believe in faith on what Jesus did on the cross.  Faith and the future are connected.  Not many enter Heaven, because not many trust in faith on the Blood of Christ.  Many will try but do not enter because they did not Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” 

            Our love for God must be real, and our faith in Christ must keep His Word in our heart. 1 John 2:5 “Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected.”  Believing in and trusting on Jesus’ Blood sacrifice for sin, enables God to Jude 1:24 “Keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory.” 

            Accepting Jesus into our heart, means we are believing in His resurrection power to heal our body—without drugs; to supply daily needs—without stored cash; and to avenge our wrongs—without retaliation.  John 14:23 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” 

            This new life of believing faith in Jesus takes place on earth, because it cannot happen in the next.  Our sin nature must be removed from our heart here; and the divine nature installed in its place before Jesus returns.  Until we admit our rebellious attitude, and allow God to give us a believing one, we are on a crash course to destruction.

            Satan deceives millions to think that spiritual growth is not necessary, but God says it is necessary.  John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away.”  So 2 Peter 3:17-18 “beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

            Many are religious-looking on the outside, but spiritually-corrupt on the inside—with no faith and no trust on God for anything.  Spiritual growth means spiritual lessons learned on how to trust God.  Romans 12:2 “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”—then God can begin to do the spiritual work.  Philippians 1:6 “He who has begun a good work within you will go on to perfect it in preparation for the day of Jesus Christ.”

            There is a beginning faith; and there is a continuing trust on the Atonement Jesus made for everyone.  When we commit our life to God, tests of our faith will be met.  Every insult; every offense; every difficult person or situation, is a spiritual-growth opportunity that will work for our spiritual good, if we allow God to use it to conform us to the image of His Son.

            Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!”  Being willing to believe is a crucial step—then the Holy Spirit inspires faith.  1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him”—only a spiritual mind understands spiritual truth.

            If we believe the words of a trusted friend—how much more should we believe the words of a faithful God—many times more!  John 14:1 “Ye believe in God, believe also in me.”  Allowing God to replace our rebellious and mistrusting heart, with a believing and trusting one, is critical.

            “The sinful [carnal] mind is hostile to [enmity against] God.  It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so” Romans 8:7.  The reply of the Hebrews, is the reply of the believer.  When they were given an easy way out, they rejected it, and chose the strait gate of faith and trust on God.

            These men faced the same devil, and they felt the same fear, but they had the choice to trust the same God unto victory through faith.  They said Daniel 3:16-18, “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

            Their decision to trust God in faith enabled Him to quench the effects of fire in seconds.  The protection was incredible, but God created fire, so He controlled it.  Believing faith in Jesus, because He paid for our sins on the cross, enables us to act in faith on His promise to deliver. 

            Abel offered a blood sacrifice and was accepted; and Abraham would sacrifice his son and be righteous, because they both were inspired in faith to believe God.  Anyone can have the same faith they had, because we can trust the same God they had.

            It is by faith that a believer in Christ rejects the financial plans of the world—pensions, welfare checks, Social Security payments, lottery winnings or any other money stored away to be trusted on later—and is willing instead, to trust God in faith for the needs of each day.  It is by faith that the believer in Christ rejects medication, drugs, pills, or prescriptions—and is willing to trust God in faith for the healing, health, and protection He promises.  It is by faith that a believer does not own a home or real estate, but trusts God each day for the money to pay the rent and all other expenses.

            Faith in Christ means following His teaching on financial trust.  Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up stores of wealth [treasures] for yourselves on earth,” because 6:21 “Where your wealth [treasure] is, there also will your heart be.”

            Faith in God means not putting faith in things—like hand guns, burglar alarms, insurance policies, and other such plans, but we do place ourselves under the Blood to protect us from harm, injury, or loss.  Believing faith trusts God for the ability to work—no matter what wages are paid, or how little co-workers do.  We work for the Lord—not for the boss Ephesians 6:7.  The process of becoming like Christ begins, when we give our life to God without compromise.

            The first thing is repentance before God; then confession to God; then a willingness to forsake our past sins with the help of His Spirit—putting a believing faith in the Atonement work of the cross.  The task of perfecting our faith, is in the hands of the Author of life—Hebrews 12:2.  If we trust God for our health, healing, protection, and finances on earth, then we can also trust Him for the future in Heaven.

            God’s gift of His Spirit is given to those who are willing to believe; He then abides within to remind us, and to inspire us to trust in faith on the Atonement Blood of Christ.  God will perfect our faith—a faith that is directly connected to our future in His kingdom. 

            2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.”  Faith and the future are forever linked to believing trust on the faithfulness of Almighty God!