Faith

 "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciple." (John 8:31)

Faith can never be a possession. It's not something you stick in your back pocket and treat like your get-out-of-hell-free card. Oh, no! Faith is living, and like every living thing, faith needs food and what faith eats is exactly what begot faith in the first place - the word of Jesus... Faith needs food, or faith will wither, wilt and die, and faith eats the words of Jesus. Or if you think of faith like a plant, then the words of Jesus are its rain and sunshine. Take them away; deprive faith of them, and faith simply cannot go on. God gives faith, not God gave faith; there's a big difference!

Faith is always only a gift. Faith comes from hearing; He didn't say came from hearing, as though you heard it, and now you had it. No, faith comes from hearing, hearing from the words of Christ. So this word is constantly being spoken to us so that our faith continues. It's exactly parallel with- I can't say I breathed, so I don't need to breathe anymore. I ate, so I don't need to eat anymore. I slept, so I don't need to sleep anymore. No, these are gifts you constantly need to receive to go on being. Just in the same way with the word of God in our lives, it is vital that we actually hear it.

In fact, the entirety of the sacred Scripture is Jesus' words inspired by His Spirit. These are not meant to be an occasional guest in your heart and mind. They are not presented to us as mere information; they are always a means of communion. He will come with His words and His Father and His Spirit..." If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)

Pr. Will Weedon