'Wholly' Faith: The Watch Letter

Yesterday, during service Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn said the devil is afraid of us believing God more than just when "things go right" or we get a blessing.

As soon as I read that note from the message, this scripture came to mind: (1 Peter 5:8) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

The devil is seeking who he can devour. That means he knows he can't devour everyone. He knows he can't devour those who take God at his word and believe him every day. He's afraid of our faithfulness. What he is seeking is to catch us off guard. That's why the scripture says to be vigilant and sober. The devil knows he cannot enter our territory when we are believing God at his word every day and when we are living his word every day because that is when we are in the sacred place. That is when we are under the shadow of God's wings.

Chief Apostle Gunn also said yesterday, we've got to learn to stand (in God and on his word). We cannot stand without choosing to believe him at all times. He taught us that truly what is being faithful to God is choosing to be led by and obey his Holy Spirit every day no matter what may come. That's faith!

But if we choose to only have faith in God when we want or need something or pretend to live out his word just to get what we want or need then the devil knows that our territory will not always be protected because the faith we portray to have is conditional. And the truth is our conditional faith is not faith at all.

The devil is a liar but he is not ignorant. He knows the word. He knows the power of God. So, that means he also knows an imposture. He knows those who are only seeking bread and miracles and those who are thirsting after God's righteousness and desiring to serve him sincerely. He knows those who have greasy palms and closed fists and he knows those who have willing and giving hands.

I looked up the word faith in the dictionary. The first definition says "complete trust or confidence." Complete means whole, fully executed, and carried out. If our faith is not whole, fully executed, and carried out every day we make ourselves vulnerable to the adversary who is a predator. Which makes sense because faith that is not whole is broken and broken fences allow any intruder to come in.

It has often been said that fear is the opposite of faith. And predators smell fear. They seek those who will succumb to them because of fear. The devil is no different. So when we can not wholly and consistently believe God no matter what we face and no matter what we have or don't have, then even when we believe him after the blessing comes, we will find ourselves right back in fear after that "new car smell wears off."

Yesterday during service, when Apostle Tee was ministering before the word came forward, she said don't just wait for your breakthrough to lift your hands and to glorify God. She said don't magnify what you're facing, magnify God. We owe it to praise him and believe him now. He is worthy of our praise and faith all by himself. Not just because of what he can do for us but because he is God. His authority, his power, his love, his sacrifice, his faithfulness, and his word is enough.

Also, during service, Chief Apostle Gunn taught about the Prophet Elisha and the many testimonies of what God did through him (Read 2 Kings 4-8). Elisha told the people how and when the famine would come. He told a family who believed him. But some did not believe and mocked what he said. One of the king's officers questioned God's ability to do what the prophet said, which was that God would provide overflow. As a result, when the prophecy was fulfilled, he could only see it with his eyes but would not partake in the blessing God sent to bring the people out of famine. What if the officer had chosen to believe God's word every day? It would not be foreign to him when the prophet spoke what God would do amid such a hard thing. It also teaches us to stop going by what our eyes can see. What if the reason the officer could only see the promise fulfilled and not partake in it was that he could only go as far as his eyes would take him? I don't want that to be my testimony or yours.

Chief Apostle Gunn tells us, "This is just a rehearsal." Rehearsal is a synonym for practice. We can practice trusting God and living before him every day. If we can't believe him now, if we can't praise him now, if we can't wait on him now, if we can trust him now, how do we expect to do so when it's time for the rapture and his return and when it's time to be with him forever? For our eyes have not beheld anything more glorious and powerful than what will be seen during the rapture, when God's kingdom comes to earth and in Heaven. But if we don't practice looking to Jesus and keeping our eyes on the prize of knowing and being with God, we won't be able to receive or believe when it matters most.

Listen to "I Believe God" from a 2022 FORREAL RADIO Broadcast here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=5252703528272724&wix-music-comp-id=comp-kjfzbgmx