Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to this broadcast of Power Walk. We're excited that you've joined us as Reverend Paul Cannings brings us part three in the series, The Impossible. It's all too common that we don't see a way out of the difficult situations we find ourselves in. Addressing his disciples, Jesus teaches about faith and forgiveness in Luke chapter 17. Pastor Cannings provides the application of this teaching to our lives in this powerful and challenging message titled, Pure Faith.

Paul Cannings: My son, who was playing college football at the time, came home and things were just intense. It was just a stressful, difficult time. He just was struggling and I said, "Let's talk about faith, because what you're dealing with seems to be so intense and impossible and difficult and stressful that the issue you're dealing with is faith." "Dad, dad, dad." He wants to go through this and look at it for all the different logical and psychological issues. He's a grad student now and all this stuff, very bright. And I'm saying, "No, no, no, let's just talk." So we were talking and driving at the same time and he says, "Dad, man, I'm hungry." I said, "Okay, no problem, stop." So we stopped and he ordered the whole store. My goodness.

When he went to the first window, he put in the order. He put in the order at the first window and I got quiet and just started shaking my head like, "My God, how could he eat that much?" He then goes to the second window. And when he gets to the second window, I said to him, "Why are you putting your hand out?" He said, "What are you talking about? I gotta get my food." "I get it, but how do you know they're going to give it to you?" He said, "What are you talking, Dad? I just ordered. Come on, man, Dad, what are you doing here?"

I said, "Son, you just ordered the food there. They didn't give you a receipt. All they did was give you their word. I paid for this. They took my money and then they sent you to the next window, and you believe them for what they said. And you so believe them for what they said, you are at this window. You're not only going to put your hand out to get the order, you're going to check the order to make sure it's right because you feel that they should do it exactly like they said they're going to do it. And you so have that in your mind that you could probably taste the food you ordered right now."

"And then you're going to sit back and eat all of that and you never looked in the back to see how they cooked it. You don't have a clue what they put into it. You just like the taste and you ate it." They said words. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, not their words, but the Word of God. It is an act. When you hear it, you act on it. And when you act on it, you can expect. So what is the difference in what I'm saying? Faith is what you hope for and is the evidence of what you can't see.

You couldn't see the hamburger being cooked. You can't see the fries being back there. You can't see all the stuff you've ordered, which is a lot. You can't see any of it, but you expect it to be there. You expect what they said to happen. And because you did, you are driving forward in anticipation about what you can't see. What am I saying that is different, son, than what Christ was trying to explain to the disciples? Yes, we are seeing a bunch more than they ever saw. We are seeing churches develop all around the world. We've got the entire Bible.

They don't have the entire Bible. We have even more than they had. The Bible literally will tell us in 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 4, "You have everything you need for life and godliness through the Word of God, everything." It can literally cause you to become just like Christ, like Paul would say, "I no longer live, it is Christ that lives in me." That's how much Word you have. We have more. How come in some cases we are doing less? Peter says, "Silver and gold have I none, nothing." And they still did all of this.

What does Paul have? He's making tents to do ministry because people don't like him because he once persecuted the church. How is he going to go to the same people and ask them for mission support? They did it because, fundamentally, they decided after the resurrection and Christ confronting them about their disbelief to believe. So today, in our third day of looking at how we can believe God for the impossible and developing the mindset for it, developing the focus for it, we have to continue in our discussion of the word faith.

Today, many people just drop that word out of the sky. I've been in ministry a long time and I've heard many people say things that just don't tie into the scriptures. He is saying faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. He defined it; we did that yesterday. How we defined it to make sure it stayed within the certain parameters that he's established. When we come to this issue of faith, as we discussed the beginning of it yesterday, there's some things that we must bear in mind now that keep faith pure.

What keeps it pure? Here is the first thing we have to see that keeps it pure. The first thing it says to the apostles in Luke chapter 17, verse 5. Luke chapter 17, verse 5, he says, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, increase our faith." The apostles, they are already saved, committed to him and to the agenda he's giving. These are men that are sent by God and it's obvious he puts his hands on them. And they're saying, the apostles said unto the Lord, here is the first thing: faith is the authority.

In order for faith to actually work, when we define what it is, now how do we get a mindset to it so that it stays pure? Remember, once I have a clear understanding of what the Word of God is saying, I'm just going to be a slave and go do it. That's it. I'm going to be a slave. Whatever God is saying, I'm not looking for him to go, "Oh, you're so wonderful, you're so great," which we're going to discuss later in this passage. No, God said for me to do it, I do it.

The word Lord here means the one who has all authority, all power and is the dominant person in my life to lead my life in whatever direction he wants me to go in because he not only has the authority, he has the power to get it done. So since, like a boss on a job who has already blessed you with a paycheck and may have given you a raise and promotions and now your family's depending on this income, and the boss says, "Do this," we say, "Yes, sir." Not so much because we may like the boss or say this boss is wonderful and give a clap of hands.

It is because we see what we need. And we understand that this person has the authority to give the direction or to release us because we choose not to accept it. Jesus Christ is saying to us he is the authority. He is more than a boss. He keeps the earth spinning, the sun shining. All earth operates by his word. Colossians chapter 1, verses 15 through 18 says all things are through him, for him, and by him. This is the God who sustains and keeps and he's saying to us every moment, while he's sustaining us and keeping us and watching over us, "Do what I say."

We first must, in keeping things pure and making faith work, when he speaks, he's not just the Christ who died for me and rose from the dead, which is awesome. He is Lord. That's why he brings a story to a slave, a servant, and a master later on that we'll get into, Lord willing, tomorrow and Friday. Here is the next thing we must see that keeps faith pure. Faith is an intense trust in God. And you've got to go to James chapter 1 to understand the contrast here. Because trust here means I'm totally going to rest on whatever he tells me to do that it's going to work.

I don't care if it takes 20 years to work. He said it's going to work, it's going to work. It's kind of like my son. He says, "Dad, could I go to the mall?" I said, "No." He says, "What's wrong with going to the mall?" I said, "Son, you have no money. You have no money. The purpose of going to the mall is to buy something and you have no money, so what's the point of going to the mall?" "But Dad, you don't trust me?" I said, "That's not the issue here. Do you trust me?"

That's the issue. When I say no, are you willing to trust that I'm making the best decision possible for you? See, that's how intense this trust is. It makes no sense to me to trust God in doing this, but because he said it, he's Lord. I intensely trust him. I may feel upset about it, may have to pray and ask God to hold me accountable for my attitude, may have to get an accountable partner and confess sins as James chapter 5 would later say, but not doing what he says is not on the table.

Or we're listening to all these different preachers and one preacher says this, another preacher says that. And we don't be like the Berean Christians and say, "Let me study this thing for myself. I'm going to get a Bible dictionary, a Bible concordance and I'm going to study this and ask the Spirit of God to teach me to believe, to learn to listen to who is going to guide me correctly." Ephesians chapter 4 says you can't be tossed by winds of doctrine and stay strong in faith.

He says, "For let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord, anything." Not going to happen. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. I'm not doing anything. So it's a waste of me saying I prayed for this, I'm asking God for this, but one day I'm here, another day I'm there. He's saying that faith is not going to produce anything because it's really not faith, because it's not a full surrender. It's not a full trust in who God is and what God is going to do.

So that's why it's an issue of a mustard seed. He's not into the quantity as he is into the quality of what I believe. Not the quantity. Right there in that marriage, when he says, "Love your wife unconditionally." "God, that makes me too vulnerable." Unconditionally love your husband. Submit to his leadership when he's not violating the Word of God. He's not making sense. Right there, that little mustard seed right there. That little one word that says commander. That little one word that says love. That little one word.

A doctor gives you the news. You've got cancer. What? God, I've served you. I've walked with you. I've been a good parent. I've been a good wife or husband. What are you? I've been faithful as a single. What are you doing? God, I served you. I also said there's a time to live and a time to die. Do you believe me? That mustard seed right there, right there. That's what we're talking about. Not that I believe in Genesis to Revelation and know every verse right away.

Am I willing when the ship is wrecked, Paul, and you're on the side of a beach and the snake bites you, will you still preach the Gospel? Peter, when they beat you because you just walked away from me and they put you in jail, will you still believe in me enough to come out of jail and go stand right there in the temple and preach because I said to you to go preach the Gospel? See, right there, Peter. I told you to go preach the Gospel.

I might not ask you to explain the whole Gospel message and how you're going to lead the church and all of that. That one situation that you're in right then, will you stay focused right there and get it done? He says that's all you need to make that into a sycamore tree. If you hold on to that and don't doubt and keep your faith pure. It's just pure because it's the true Word of God and you're not doubting. And you're going to hold to God right there and then in whatever situation you're in.

He's telling you you're going to search the scriptures. You're going to see from the scriptures and you're praying and you're searching the scriptures to make sure what you have is truth. Because the Holy Spirit is only going to ignite when there's truth, like gas to a fire. If it's not truth, he's not igniting. You're on your own, so whatever you're doing, you're in the flesh doing it, so you're going to wear out. So you have to make sure it's truth, doesn't matter how impressed you are with whatever preacher, whatever thing you've got and how great it is. You have to have truth and we define what truth is. He's saying right there, that's a seed that I can build from. And I can do everything else I need to do. Just right there, that seed. You must keep it pure. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. Faith as little as a mustard seed pleases God immensely, and it causes us to take large strides in living our lives by faith. And if you're listening and you're wondering what faith in Jesus Christ is all about and what it means to have a personal relationship with him, then give us a call at 281-260-7402. We'd love to talk with you. That's 281-260-7402. To obtain a copy of this series or any other helpful tools, log on to powerwalkministries.org.

Paul Cannings: Hello everyone, this is Pastor Cannings. It has been a pleasure coming into your home, maybe your car. It has been a blessing to serve you. And I hope that you will become a partner as we seek to continue to serve God in an effective manner. Many times he opens up so many doors, but what we lack is resources to get it done. Oh, you can't go through every door, but you know the ones that are a great fit for our ministry to touch lives. So I pray that you would become a Power Walk partner as we power walk together to impact lives. Thank you for listening. It's been a blessing serving you.

Guest (Male): That's powerwalkministries.org. And when you're there, look for Pastor Cannings' daily devotional, Power Up with Jesus. It will encourage you to exercise your faith day by day. And now remember, faith is a matter of letting go and letting God. Exercising mustard-seed-sized faith will enable you to see him moving on your behalf.