Only By Faith

Then Jesus said to him: Go your way; your faith has made you well… Mark 10.52

This was what Jesus said to all those who achieved the miracle they were seeking.

We can see that it was not Jesus who healed them; the faith they manifested was actually responsible for their healing. If Jesus were responsible for healing and salvation, everyone, without exception, would be healed and saved. But, since it is faith that heals and saves, only those who manifested their faith were healed and saved. So why did some receive and others didn’t? Because some manifested their faith, and others didn’t. The same happens today – this is how it worked in the past, and continues to work now.

The Lord Jesus wanted to make it clear that to receive what we want, it depends exclusively on the faith we manifest. The fact that you are a good person or that God exists is not enough for you to receive a miracle. We know that, when we do what is good, we will reap good fruit, and it is God who gives the blessing, but only by faith can we conquer what we need. Faith is the price to be paid to achieve what we desire from God.

Why do some conquer more, others less and some nothing at all, when they are all seeking the same God? The difference is not in the God they’re seeking, but the faith they manifest. Those who conquer more, manifest more faith, those who conquer less, manifest less faith, and those who don’t conquer anything, don’t manifest any faith at all. What differs one faith from another is not its size, but how it is implemented, how it is manifested.

Your blessing does not depend on God or somebody else. If it depended on God, He would already have given it to you from the beginning. And if it were up to somebody else, you would most likely never receive anything. But your blessing depends on you, it depends on the faith you manifest.

Faith, as well as salvation, is individual and nontransferable – not even God can do your part. Therefore, there’s no use relying on the mercy of God and waiting for something to fall out of the sky, or depend on someone else’s faith. Go by your own faith, to reap what you are willing to plant and to achieve what you believe you can achieve.

Now, go, because YOUR faith will save you.
Bishop Macedo

Fe

Então, Jesus lhe disse: Vai, a tua fé te salvou… Marcos 10.52

Essa era a resposta de Jesus para todos aqueles que alcançavam o milagre que tanto buscavam.

Podemos perceber que não era Jesus Quem os curava, mas a fé que eles manifestaram era a verdadeira responsável pela cura. Se fosse Jesus o Responsável pela cura e salvação, todos, sem exceção, seriam curados e salvos. Mas, como é a fé que cura e salva, só os que manifestaram a fé foram curados e salvos. E por que uns receberam e outros não? Porque estes manifestaram a fé, e os outros não. O mesmo acontece nos dias de hoje – é assim que funcionou, e é assim que continua funcionando.

O Senhor Jesus quis deixar bem claro que para recebermos aquilo que queremos, depende exclusivamente da fé que manifestamos. O fato de você ser uma boa pessoa ou de Deus existir não é suficiente para que você alcance os milagres. Sabemos que, se fizermos o bem, colheremos os frutos, e que é Deus Quem concede as bênçãos, mas somente pela fé conquistaremos aquilo que precisamos. A fé é a moeda de troca, o preço a ser pago para tomar posse daquilo que desejamos de Deus.

Por que uns conquistam mais, outros menos, e outros nada se o Deus que buscam é O mesmo? A diferença não está no Deus que buscam, mas na fé que manifestam. Os que conquistam mais, manifestam mais a fé, os que conquistam menos, manifestam menos a fé, e os que nada conquistam, não manifestam a fé. O que difere uma fé da outra não é o tamanho, mas o quanto ela é exercitada, o quanto ela é manifestada.

Sua bênção não depende de Deus nem de terceiros. Se dependesse de Deus, Ele já teria concedido desde o princípio. E, se dependesse de terceiros, você provavelmente nada alcançaria. Mas a sua bênção depende de você, depende da fé que você manifesta. 

A fé, assim como a salvação, é individual e intransferível – nem mesmo Deus pode fazer a sua parte. Por isso, não adianta se apoiar na misericórdia de Deus esperando algo cair do céu, tampouco ir na fé de terceiros. Vá na sua fé, para colher aquilo que você tem disposição para plantar e para alcançar aquilo que você crê que pode alcançar.
Agora, vai, porque a SUA fé irá te salvar

Taking The Good Part..m4a

Depend on who?

This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. 1 Samuel 1.3-5

Can a person be before God for a long period of time and remain sterile, not having a before and after to tell? Of course they can!

Notice that Ana went up every year to present a holocaust, which was double the portion her “adversary” Penina offered.

However, she would return angry, crying, and not eating. Do you know why?

First: She did not know how to identify her true adversary, who was not Penina, but her infertility, which was mainly why Elkanah had another wife.

Second: Hannah insisted on using her emotions, and God never changed someone’s life by the size of their pain, because pain has a size and dimension for man but not for Him, Who heals and delivers from any situation with the same ability. What makes a difference is the size of a person’s revolt.

Third: Her holocaust was twice as much as Penina’s, but it was given to her by her husband and not formed by her own faith; this is, she spent a long time hidden behind Elkanah’s faith, when she was the one that was sterile and, therefore, Hannah should have been the one to form her own sacrifice.

Friend, you can share a pain, but you can not share a responsibility, and you are responsible for changing the situation you are in, like what happened with Hannah, who only turned the tables when she decided to be independent and act with her own Faith.

So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 1 Samuel 1.9-18

The same woman that could not have one child, had six. It only depends on your faith, so stop being sterile!

God bless you greatly!
Bishop Macedo

Talents

Talents

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” (Matthew 25:14-15)

The man did not divide the talents according to the importance of each servant, the one who received five was not more important then the servant that received two, nor was the one who received two more important then the one that received only one. He divided the talents according to each ones capacity. But all were important before the man. God also acts in the same way! May it be a Bishop, Pastor, Assistant or soul winner… all have the same importance before the Lord.

“ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.” (Matthew 25:16-18)

The servants that received five and two talents left immediately to multiply the talents that were given to them. When God gives us an order, we should follow it immediately and not leave it for later.

The servant that received one talent despised what was given to him. He didn’t please his Master! He thought that it wasn’t worth sacrificing for something that wasn’t his. We should not despise what God has given us. We don’t work for man, everything that was trusted in our hands was given by God Himself. One day we will stand before Him to give account of these talents.

After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them. His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. But his lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25: 19-30)

Imagine the Lord Jesus asking each one of his servants what they did with the talents they received. In terms of responsibilities, some received more others received less, but in spiritual terms, God gave to all the same condition. ( The word, The Holy Spirit and the Name of the Lord Jesus) Since everyone has the same conditions, everyone will be charged equally.

The “good and faithful” servants will be approved. Being a Good servant is in relations to what we do for God, and being faithful is what we are to Him, our character! The are gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The gifts are tools that the Holy Spirit gives to His servants to be able to serve Him. The fruits come as a result of our communion wi

th God. They show the level of intimacy we have with the Most High and it reflects whom we are. The gifts are related to what we do and the fruits to who we are.

Everything we do for God increases our reward. From the harder things like saving a soul from hell, to the simpler things like praying for someone or picking up paper from the floor. Our reward is being adjusted and will be given to us when we go before Him.

The lazy and wicked servant is wicked because his intentions and character is wicked. He is last because he is irresponsible with what was trusted in his hands by the Lord Jesus. This servant does the work of God just to do it. They feel obligated to do it, they don’t do it out of love for the Lord. They start looking at man and forget that it was God who gave them that talent. 

This servant will not have an eternal reward, and he will go to a place of weeping and gnashing teeth.

Where do they take you?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55.8-9

God is in a higher place than us because His Thoughts are higher than our thoughts – this is a consequence. It is not the place where we are that determines our thoughts, but our thoughts that determine the place where we are or will be.

Not everyone in church has the Thoughts of God. On the contrary, most have the thoughts of the devil, because they have not been born of the Holy Spirit. And if this new birth does not happen, these thoughts will end up taking them out of church and into hell; in other words, to a place where they have been for a long time.

There are people who live in sin, but think of and desire to have a righteous life. Sooner or later, they will have an opportunity and begin to live a correct life, because their thoughts will take them there. On the other hand, there are also those who live a correct life but think of a life given to sin. In the same way, sooner or later, they will be living in sin, because their thoughts will take them there as well.

“Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass…” Isaiah 14.24

Which thoughts have you had? And where are they taking you – closer or farther away from God? To Heaven or to Hell? What will happen to you if you continue to have the same thoughts you have today?

Those who abandon the faith do not do so when they sin or leave the Church, but when they accept the first thought that goes against the Word of God.

An advantage for those who to trust

For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. Isaiah 64.4

God works in favor of those who wait for Him. To wait on God does not mean to sit around with your arms crossed, resigned to your situation; much less, to remain anxious, worrying whether God will actually do something about your problem. Those who wait are those who trust in God, and depend 100% on Him, placing all of their hope solely in Him.

Observe this marvelous and exclusive characteristic of our God: He works for those who place their hope in Him. He works for those who believe. This is extraordinary! God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of everything and everyone, chose to work for those who manifest their faith in Him. This is one of the clauses in the contract we signed by faith when we surrendered our lives to Him.

This statement may offend many religious people, but they can complain to the One who wrote the Bible. It is written and registered that He is this way. It is in His character to match each person’s act of faith with an act that only He can do. This does not diminish God; on the contrary, this only exalts Him.

Who else, having such power and authority over the entire universe, would make such a deal with man? This is why there is no other like Him. There has never been, nor will there ever be. And, because this is part of His character, our faith remains firm that, no matter what happens, nothing can stop us.
Even if we don’t have the necessary human conditions, even if the odds are all against us, even if the world hates us and no one wants to help us, we have the Almighty working in our favor. If – and only IF – we manifest this faith with actions that show our conviction. If there is doubt. If we do not give up. Then, yes, we will succeed. He does not work for everyone. He only works for those who surrender themselves 100%.

For those, He also says:

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not; I will help you.’ Isaiah 41.13

This word is more than enough to keep us fully confident. This dissolves any anxiety. Why should we be anxious? If God is with us, helping us and working for us, nothing prevents us from moving forward and doing our part, no matter what comes along the way.