Real Faith for the Real World – Part II

1) Heart Faith- Real faith comes out of our heart (Rom 10:10),not our head or imagination.We also can’t live on another person’s faith. Faith is immensely personal (like your underwear)and we must each get and have our own.This is not like socialism. Everyone stands on their own.Our faith is as personal as our conscience and works in concert and conjunction with it. Faith is also a gift of Spirit that can be exercised all the time once received. But for it to grow and increase it must be regularly exercised!

2) Head Faith- This is in our heads not our hearts,a mental assent or agreement, coming out of knowledge. John Wesley once said that the devil has given the Church a substitute for faith; one that looks and sounds so much like faith that few people can tell the difference. He called this substitute “mental assent”. Many people will agree that the Bible is true, but they are agreeing only with their minds. That is mental assent and it is not what gets the job done. It takes heart faith to receive from God. How can a person know whether he has heart faith or whether he is just mentally agreeing with God’s Word? Mental assent says, “I know God’s Word is true. I know God has provided healing (or some other blessing), but for some reason I can’t get it; I can’t understand it.” However, real faith says, “If God’s Word says it’s true, then it’s true. It is mine, and I have it now. I have it now even though I can’t see it because God cannot lie.”

3) Herd Faith- Is “What does my fellowship group think?” “What do my friends think?” Groupthink is what psychologists call this go-along-with- the-herd mentality. It’s the reason one lemming can take a whole herd over a cliff! It’s true,”WE have the mind of Christ” but we can’t believe as a group based on one’s person’s faith until we have been immersed in it a long enough period of time that we take on that heart. This can be caught. For example students who go to Alabama a long time have faith that their team will win games based out of authentic experience. But when we are talking about faith in God,it is individualized, just like our salvation. We are personally responsible for it.

4) His/Her Faith- This is where we try to operate solely on someone else’s faith. Romans 1:12-Yes we CAN totally be encouraged and inspired by other people’s faith, but we still have to make it our own. I can’t vicariously operate in someone else’s faith when it comes to me.

5) Hallucinogenic Faith- This is born out of our human idealism, a fantasy created in your mind,even a delusion coming out of our imaginations, futility of our minds, wishful thinking. These must be thrown out and we must learn to believe out of our hearts! God has told us that without faith it is impossible to please Him. If He demanded that we have faith when it was impossible for us to get faith, then we would have a right to challenge His justice. But He has also told us how to get faith and has provided the way whereby everyone can have faith!
Look at the promises for those who believe.
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10 Promises to Real Believers: 

1. Mk 9:23-All things are possible to them
2. Mk 11:23- ALL THINGS granted to them
3. Jn 3:15&16,36;5:24Will have eternal life
4. Jn 5:24 Is not judged
5. Jn 6:35 Will never thirst
6. Jn 6:40 Raised up on last day
7. Jn 7:38 Out of him will flow rivers of living water
8. Jn 11:36 Will never die
9. Jn 12:46 Will not remain in darkness
10. Jn 14:12 Will do greater works than I do (Jesus)