Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): You're just in time for today's Power Walk Ministries broadcast, as Pastor Cannings brings us the final message in this series, "Faith That Works." We easily put our faith in people and everyday ordinary things to benefit us. So, why don't we put faith in the Almighty God who loves us and is willing to bless us?

Through the examples of Abraham and Paul, Pastor Cannings drives home the point that life is meaningless without faith in God. Here he is now with the message, "A Friend of God."

Dr. Paul Cannings: A lot of times when we talk about our walk with God, we think about the time when we arrive in heaven with crowns, sitting on the throne with Jesus Christ, wearing a white gown, and enjoying our time in heaven, reunited with family members forever and ever. There's no more crying, no more weeping, no more mourning. Everything is wonderful. We think of those times many times and look forward to our reward.

But what about now? What about living now? To me, one of the greatest things to drive for in my walk with the Lord is to be called a friend. When we look at passages like James chapter 2, verses 22 and 23, which is what we're going to look at today, we forget that that is available to all of us. It's available to all of us to be called a friend of God.

In John chapter 15, he tells us how that works. If you abide in me and I abide in you, and you allow me to prune you, to mature you, to grow you—because I only discipline those whom I love—I will get to the point where I grant you the desires of your heart. Then I'll get to the point where our relationship becomes so knitted that I would become a friend. You'll become my friend. When you become my friend, I'll tell you whatever you want to know as I guide and direct your life. You're no longer following me like a slave, so I'm now a friend of God.

What the Bible is teaching us about Abraham here in James chapter 2 is not something particular to Abraham; it's something that is available to all of us. The question becomes, how do we get there as we learn how to make this faith work? Many people today would say they have faith that God is going to do this, and they have faith that God is going to give them a house, and they have faith that God is going to bless them with a car. They have faith they know he's going to heal them; they can just see it right now. We start crying out to these things that we're saying is faith.

The Bible is saying faith arrives when the first thing I do is accept that God's word is true. The Holy Spirit came to testify about truth. John 16:13 says the Holy Spirit is truth. Like water is wet, the Holy Spirit is truth. You can't arrive at truth without him. That's why John 16:13 says that. The Holy Spirit illuminates the word of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 10 through 15 says the Holy Spirit reminds me of the word of God. So when I am now in the Spirit of God, walking in the Spirit of God, the Bible is saying I'm now living in the truth.

When I'm now living in the truth, experiencing this life and life abundantly as God is talking about, that's why I can't just say that I have faith and it's not committed to the word of God that I'm going to commit to obey. It is when I start obeying the word of God that the reality of what it means becomes realized. It's the reality of what somebody's saying; that's what the word truth means. I can't experience the truth until I obey God. That's why it's not until a person obeys God that the Spirit of God triggers them and starts working out their salvation in fear and trembling, because he who is within us both to will and to do for his good pleasure makes it work.

When we come to this whole issue of faith, we can't just grab it from everywhere. It has to be a concrete situation where the word of God is speaking. I'm committed to take the word of God and apply it. That's why Abraham is justified by works. That's why if you have works but no faith, all you've got is works. If you have faith but no works, then you don't have faith at all, because faith is such a deep commitment to God. Once I hear his word, I feel deeply committed, deeply convinced, fully surrendered to go do it, like Abraham did with Isaac. That's what faith becomes when it's sincerely faith.

I have to base it all the time on what the word of God is saying. I can't just grab it out the skies and say, "God, are you going to do this?" God is not going to do it. We're on our own, struggling with the flesh, desiring something that he's not calling for us to desire. He says, "Abide in me," and if you don't, it comes to nothing. We can't just go read verse 7 and 8 and think God will grant us the desires of our heart. Verse 7 and 8 literally say 7 and 8, which comes after 1 through 6. We can't just go there; we have to focus on what he's saying first.

When we come to this whole process of faith, it leads to a friendship. When it leads to a friendship, one of the key things we discussed yesterday is that Abraham proves to us that it has to be a full surrender to the will of God for the purposes of God, and our life is lost. That's why he would say, when he's getting ready to die, he looks at the disciples and he says to them in John chapter 12, verses 23 through verse 26, "If a seed does not fall into the ground and dies, it does not produce a plant, a fruit, it does not produce anything."

Faith automatically drives us to give up our life for him. If a person tries to hold on to their life, it's common sense, not faith. If a person comes to God and chooses to do what God says, guess what? They're going to give up their life. They're going to end up denying themselves and picking up crosses. Literally, the cross of, "I've got to submit to a husband when he's not even saved. I've got to figure out now when he's speaking something that is based on the word of God and when he's speaking something that is not." Even though he may not be a Christian, if it's not violating the text, the Bible is still saying I've got to do that 1 Peter chapter 3.

That's why as we conclude today in this section of scripture, verse 22 of James chapter 2: "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works?" When you look at Abraham and you see what he did attached to Isaac, that's why you say immediately, "That's how faith works." Because only then did we know Abraham was fully a man, fully surrendered to God, totally going to do what God says when he's going to take the one child that God gave him after waiting 25 years. When is he going to have another child? He is yet to see this land that is a multiplicity of people because it's like the sands of the seashore.

His wife has gotten older. He's got all these different things happening. But in spite of this polytheistic system—gods everywhere, people worshipping all kinds of idols—Abraham listened to God despite the drama in his house, despite what age he's at, despite the promise of God he's not seeing. He still did what God said no matter how nonsensical it is, how impossible it seems, how inconsequential it may be, based on what God is telling him to do.

And that's why, folks, "Seest thou how faith wrought?" This is how we know the results of faith. This is how we know that faith actually works, and this is when the life of God becomes clear. Look at this verse: "And by works was faith made perfected." This is how Abraham became a finished product that God can highlight forever. He became a finished product because Abraham died and God lived through him. This is exactly what God is calling for.

Paul was a great example of this: "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain." If you plan to kill me, go right ahead. I'm going to get to heaven and get the crown of righteousness. I'm going to get a crown for being a good pastor to the churches that I planted, and I'm going to share a crown of life because I made it through trials. Then I'm going to share the throne with Jesus Christ. So, what is it that you're taking from me? Nothing. You can't take my life from me.

Paul was willing to full-focus on serving people that he had died. That's why Paul writes half the New Testament. That's not the person who was a Pharisee of Pharisees seeking to kill Christians. When God got his life and Paul fully surrendered to God, Paul ends up becoming a person that is like Christ. "I no longer live; it is Christ that lives in me." Yes, the Bible is saying he who began a good work will take it to completion.

So what God intended, in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 18 he says, "I'm going from glory to glory." I'm going from the Garden of Eden all the way to presenting the church as a radiant church. So whatever you were going to be if Adam didn't sin, I'm still going to present that to God. That's why you have to let me take you through this journey, because you really don't know who you are until you let the Potter have his free will in shaping your life.

The only way to do that is faith, because faith is a full surrender, like you saw with Abraham. Faith is a full surrender, like you saw with Moses. Faith is a full surrender, like you saw with Daniel. Faith is a full surrender to do whatever God says, no matter the challenges or the suffering. I've got to go do it. That's what faith is, and that's why faith brings out the person we need to meet. And that's why he says this: "And the scripture was fulfilled which said, 'Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called a friend of God.'"

Watch this carefully: "And the scripture was fulfilled." Whatever God has for you becomes the reality on one thing: I surrender, God. I surrender. Okay God, this is crazy. What does your word say? They had a lot of Bible knowledge, a lot of information. They had the best preachers, the apostles, James. But when it was time for them to be doers, they weren't doing. So they were not realizing God at his best in their life.

They were realizing themselves because they kept fighting for what they think, but they were not realizing how God was going to be for them no matter what. Whereas Abraham believed God. Because he believed God, the Spirit of God moved him to who the Spirit is like: righteous. Who Christ is like: righteous. Who God is like: righteous. Meaning he's going to have a desire, a passion, since he willfully decides to go God's way.

When he sees a full surrender to him, God now infuses into his life and begins to empower his life because that now is where God is the one who's doing everything through him, because he's fully exposed to God. That's why the word perfected here means complete. Abraham is now complete. Whatever situation you put in front of Abraham, he's going to be able to apply himself to it because the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit inside of him is driving him every day.

So no matter what you put in front of Abraham, he's going to do what's right. The folks here in the book of James, because they weren't willing to transition this way, whatever was put before them, they weren't doing it. They go to church but not applying it. The trials come, they give up. So there's no perfecting, no growing. When it comes to needing wisdom, they're double-minded. As a result of that, instead of experiencing the movement of God in their life, it's not happening. And that's why, folks, we must give up our life, pick up a cross, to gain what God has for us. When we do, we become so much like him. He says, "You're my friend." Would you be his friend? Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Will we live by faith for God's good pleasure? Even as our faith pleases God, let's not also forget that we receive the blessing from our acts of faith. Thank you, Pastor Cannings, for this series and all our other resources. Log on to powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org.

Or you can call us at 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402. Our mailing address is Power Walk Ministries, PO Box 920517, Houston, Texas 77092.

Dr. Paul Cannings: I praise God that this ministry has blessed many lives. It encourages us to keep going. I pray, folks, that you will partnership with this ministry by encouraging others to come and listen to us, by getting on our website, making purchases, by supporting our ministry. I guarantee you, it will go to the better use of God's kingdom resources to touch lives. That is our heart, because of what we felt God was calling us to is to touch lives. Share the word, pass it off, and pray for us regularly. God bless.

Guest (Male): When you contact us, pray about becoming a Power Walk partner today. We would appreciate your commitment to pray for us and for your financial support. Now, as we leave you, remember: we have a choice to hang on to our problems, resentments, helpless feelings, or we can face our Goliaths and allow God to fight for us as we put our faith and trust in him.