Faith Is to Speak What God Speaks

    I've been struggling this week. And this struggle made me honest with God about where I was at.  In the Morning Revival which is like a weekly devotion published by Living Stream Ministry the verses were on Ephesians Chapter 1. When it got to Ephesians 1:19-23, I realized I had to either believe what I was reading or say it was true for every other believer but me, and somehow that didn't sound right.  These verses are actually part of the Apostle Paul's first prayer in this book.  Verse 19 really spoke to me:  And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies. 

     These verses made me want to check out what Witness Lee shared on these verses when he gave the Life Study of Ephesians in 1978.  I was in college at the time and actually got to attend this sharing. These Life Studies are  packed with biblical background, Greek meanings, illustrations, and insight that's based on light that's been passed down since Martin Luther.  So, of course, I didn't remember much and wanted to re-read a few of the messages.  This excerpt from Message 16 inspired me because it showed me that everything was going to hinge on what I spoke.  The power in verse 19 (which in Greek is the word dynamo) is toward us who believe.  So the question  most of the time is what are we going to believe--all the facts of a situation or the facts in the word of God?  Here's the excerpt:

"What we say is what we believe.  If you say you are weak, it means that you believe that you are weak.  ... Do not underestimate the significance of your speaking.  Whatever God speaks comes to pass.  In principle it is the same with us.  To have faith is to speak what God speaks.  ... Ephesians 1:22 implies that all things have been subjected under our feet, and we must believe this.  If we do not, we rebel against the word of our Father.  Our Father cannot lie; whatever He says is true.  Hence, we must take His word and believe it.  Forget your feelings, your condition, and your situation.  Do not say that a difficult situation cannot be under your feet.  The truth is we are far above all and that the divine power has subjected all things, including every difficult situation, under our feet.  ...Forget everything and simple take the word, believe the word, and declare the word" (Ephesians Life Study, page 144-145).  

This really goes along with the song Lord Now I See that I found last week on Youtube--it's in one of our songbooks.  It's a song that makes you realize that sometimes it's not easy to believe, but the Lord is always reminding us no matter what's going on to still believe in Him.  So faith is really just speaking the truth in the word of God in the face of everything that might even contradict it in your environment.  I'm practicing to do that right now. 
                                                               
                                                                    Lord Now I See