We’re going to continue teaching on the Cycle of Faith this week and we’re going to pick up where we left off last week. Believers need to operate in the full cycle of faith. If we don’t we may short circuit our faith from working. Last week we said that faith has eyes, it sees things a certain way. It also has a mouth, it says things a certain way. And it also has actions, it will act a certain way.

I. Faith will see the end result, before it can manifest in this natural realm.

A. God has designed His Word to create an image in your heart.

1. As you meditate on His Word, the Word will began to form an image in you heart

a. That image will be exactly what His Word says.

i. If you’re meditating on healing scriptures, those scriptures will begin to form an image in your heart of you being healed. (Or walking in divine health.)

ii. If you’re meditating on scriptures of prosperity, you’ll begin to see yourself as prosperous.

2. 1 important thing about faith is that faith sees the unseen.

a. We have all heard (Hebrews 11:1) which says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

i. But I like to put it this way, “Faith brings substance to things hopes for.”

b. When you’re looking through the eye of faith, you’re looking beyond the problem, beyond the circumstance and seeing the answer, the promise of God.

i. Jesus did that exact thing. In (Hebrews 12:2) it says that, “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”

ii. The cross looked like defeat, but Jesus saw beyond the cross and saw the end result. Victory over Satan.

3. Jesus saw beyond the problem.

a. The story in (MAT 14:14-21) where Jesus told the disciples to feed the 5000 with 5 loves and 2 fish, He looked beyond the lack and looked to heaved, and everyone one ate.

b. He saw beyond the problem and saw everyone eating until full.

i. He saw all of this through the eye of faith before it happened in the natural.

4. (Psalm 34:19) Says, “Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”

a. We need to see that the Lord is delivering us out of all the problems, and bringing us into victory.

II. The 2nd portion of the Cycle of Faith is that Faith will also Speak the Image.

A. Look at 2COR 4:13.

1. When you see the image inside you and believe it, you will speak it automatically.

a. Be careful to conceive the right kind of image in your heart.

b. Jesus said in (Matthew 12:34-35) “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

i. You’re going to talk about the image you have on the inside, either good or bad.

ii. If you have a failure image, you will talk failure. If you have a poverty image, you will talk poverty.

iii. Whatever it is that you say, good or bad, the words you speak will play a very important part in causing that image you have to come to pass.

c. Mark 11:23

B. If bad things are happening to you, and you don’t know why, listen to what you’re saying.

1. We have an example of that in NUM 14:27-28. (Turn there)

2. This is the story of the 12 spies that went into the promised land.

a. This was the land that God promised them.

i. 10 of the spies came back with a report that they could not take the land, so they began to murmur against God.

b. In (V 27) when He says, “The Israelites murmur against me” that means, “They have complained, they began to grumble or to speak against the Lord.”

c. Really they were speaking things that were against His Word.

i. In other words they were speaking things that were contrary to the Word. (Saying things that were opposite to His Word.)

d. Then He goes on to say in (V 28) that the things they have spoken will come to pass.

3. The Israelites spoke out defeat.

a. Look at NUM 14:2-3.

b. Why were they speaking out words of defeat?

4. They had the image of failure and defeat in their heart and they spoke it.

a. Look at NUM 13:30-33.

i. The Image that they had in their heart was that of defeat and failure.

ii. Because of the image they had, they spoke it out.

iii. They had the wrong image in their heart, so they spoke out the wrong thing.

b. They didn’t receive the promises of God because of what they believed in their heart and because of what they said.

5. Joshua and Cable were different. They had a different image in their heart and they spoke out something different.

a. In (Numbers 13:30) it says, “Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

i. He saw that the land was theirs.

6. Look at NUM 14:6-9a.

a. In (Numbers 14:8) He says, “If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land.”

i. The word “DELIGHT” means “TO TAKE PLEASURE IN, DELIGHT IN, OR TO BE PLEASED WITH.”

b. What is it that causes the Lord to delight in us or to be pleased with us?

i. (Hebrews 11:6) Says, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him].”

ii. We can also take the opposite of that and say that “Faith is pleasing to God.”

c. In (NUM 14:8) Joshua said that we will receive the promise if the Lord delights in us.

i. Then in (Hebrews 6:12) it says that it’s “Through faith and patience that we inherit the promises.”

ii. Joshua said that we can’t receive the promise unless the Lord delights in us.

iii. Paul said the way to receive the promise is through faith and patience.

iv. That tells me that faith in God is what the Lord delights in.

d. What Joshua was saying is that “If we have faith, the Lord will give us the promise.”

7. If we go back to (NUM 14:9a) we’ll see something else that Joshua said.

a. NUM 14:9a. Notice Joshua said, “nor fear the people of the land.” (NKJV)

i. Not only is fear the opposite of faith, but it also reveals to us the image that we have in our heart.

ii. It’s not an image that God has given us.

b. When that fear or that image is in our heart, we’re going to speak it, and it’s going to have a very important part in coming to pass in the natural realm.

III. Look at JOB 3:25.

A. Fear is an image of failure and defeat.

1. When you have fear in your heart you’re going to speak in out.

a. The image that Job had in his heart and the word that he spoke, came to pass.

B. Sometimes people say, “I just can’t make good confession.”

1. If that’s all you’re trying to do, you’re right.

a. You can’t cure the symptom without curing the cause.

i. Jesus said, in (Matthew 12:34) “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

ii. You can’t just change the symptom of what’s coming out of your mouth, you’ve got to change to thing that causing it. (The image that is in your heart.)

b. You can change your words, but you have to change the image in your heart 1st.

C. Many times’ people will try talking faith without having conceived an image in their spirit 1st.

1. They don’t see any results.

a. They say, “I’ve confessed that I’m healed, but I’m still sick.” “That faith confession stuff doesn’t work.”

b. They’re still sick because they didn’t conceive an image of being well, 1st.

2. (Proverbs 23:7) Says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he.”

3. Confession is vital, but only part of the full cycle of faith.

a. You’ve got to change the image that is in your heart, and you do that by meditating on the Word of God.

b. Begin to see things through the eye of faith.

c. See things the way that God says you are.

WOLCC SUN AM 11/20/94

I. Once you have begun to speak the image that is in your heart, you need to begin to act accordingly.

Faith# 7

I. Once you have begun to speak the image that is in your heart, you need to begin to act accordingly.

A. Peter saw himself getting out of the boat and walking on the water to come to Jesus.

1. He had to see himself doing it before he could even consider it.

2. Then he spoke it.

a) In (Matthew 14:28) Peter said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”

b) When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter began walking on the water.

c) Peter’s faith saw, spoke, and acted.

(i) But Peter allowed the circumstances to change his image.

(ii) When he got his eyes on the circumstances, on what his physical eyes could see, he began to sink.

B. When the circumstances are against you, you have to be bold with your actions.

1. Turn to LUKE 5:17-20.

a) These men took their friend to Jesus for healing.

(i) After conceiving an image of getting their friend to Jesus, they made the journey, carrying him on a stretcher.

b) When they reached the building where Jesus was preaching, they found it was full of people, and they couldn’t get in.

(i) Instead of saying, “Sometimes that faith stuff doesn’t work; we tried our best, but can’t get in.”

(ii) It says that they sought MEANS to bring him in.

c) They didn’t look at the circumstances, they SAW, SPOKE, then ACTED.

2. Those men were bold with their faith, they ripped of the roof to get their friend to Jesus.

a) In (V 20) it says, “And when he saw their faith.”

b) He saw their faith and their actions, and healed the man.

C. The action does not prove that you have faith.

1. But if you have that KNOWING on the inside that God is doing something in your life, you will act as boldly as needed to get your miracle.

D. Let faith take its full cycle.

1. Once you see an image, don’t let anything stop you.

a) Start speaking it, and then take action.

2. If there’s obstacles in you way, don’t give up.

a) Jesus will see your faith and meet your needs.