PRAISE REVOLUTION: FAITH

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen

- Hebrews 11:1 -

FAITH has it's anchor in the unseen realm. It lives from the invisible towards the visible. FAITH actualizes what it realizes. The Scriptures contrast the life of FAITH with the limitations of natural sight. FAITH provides eyes for the heart. FAITH sees. It brings His Kingdom into focus. All of the Father's resources, all of His benefits, are accessible through FAITH. In fact Hebrews 11:6 tells us that: " Without FAITH it is impossible to please God." God is very committed to teaching us how to see. To make this possible He gave us the Holy Spirit as a tutor. The curriculum that He uses is quite varied. But the one class we all qualify for is the greatest of all Christian privileges - PRAISE and WORSHIP. Learning how to see is not the purpose for our PRAISE and WORSHIP, but it is a wonderful by-product. In fact we all need to exercise FAITH to PRAISE GOD. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that: "Without FAITH it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exist and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." We read in Hebrews 11:30, "By FAITH the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days." I believe it was the "SHOUT OF PRAISE IN FAITH AND OBEDIENCE" to God's command that the walls came tumbling down. I believe Paul and Silas though chained in pains in the prison cell exercised FAITH that resulted in an earthquake and the opening of the prison cells.

PRAISING GOD IN FAITH AND OBEDIENCE brings us into the realm of the miracles. This realm is called the Kingdom of God. The throne of God, which becomes established upon the PRAISES of His people, is the center of that Kingdom. It's in the environment of PRAISE and WORSHIP that we learn things that go way beyond what our intellect can grasp - and the greatest of these lessons is the value of His presence. David was so affected by this that all his other exploits pale in comparison to his abandoned heart for God. We know that he learned to see into God's realm because of statements like, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." The presence of God affected his seeing. He would constanly practice recognizing the presence of God. He saw God daily, not with the natural, but with the eyes of FAITH. That priceless revelation was given to a WORSHIPER. The privlege of PRAISE and WORSHIP is a good beginning place for those unaccustomed to addressing some of these kinds of themes found in Scripture. It's in that wonderful ministry that we can learn to pay attention to this God-given gift: the ability to see with the heart. As we learn to PRAISE and WORSHIP with purity of heart, our eyes will continue to open. And we can expect to see what He wants us to see.

An extract from : When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson