Dian I know you are likely to think that my opening statement is a thoughtless cliché but…I know EXACTLY what you mean. I have been down this road more than once and I hope that my errors are not yours, but if they are you may find this post some tough pills to swallow. I say so often that the grace of God is not limited in the ways it finds souls and so I am writing a “how-to” post but giving a testimony of the problems I faced and the truths that were revealed to me by the grace of God. Nevertheless, truth without revelation from God is merely head-knowledge, so that even if you do realize the problem through this or some other post, book or even the bible, it is God that opens our spiritual eyes to the realities of JESUS. Let me begin by saying, faith is a funny thing. You know that, it (faith) is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. What does this really mean? The writer (of Hebrews in Hebrews 11) attempts to show us by many examples (given to him by the Spirit) what he means by the statement (faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen). Faith is active, that is, there is always activity associated with indwelling faith. For example, you have put a post on the forum, confident that God will speak to you through the body of Christ. I cannot see your faith, but this act is evidence of that faith. The works of God in our lives are only limited only by our faith in him; for instance, God could not have spoken t you through the forum if you had not enough faith to write this post.You clearly have faith but I did not have to read this post to know that (Romans 12:3For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed A MEASURE OF FAITH TO EACH ONE). Through faith, you forsook your old life, esteeming the kingdom of God to be a greater treasure than anything you could work for. Through faith you have continued through uncertainty this past year, not knowing where you are going, you must now look forward to a city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God.No one has ever done God any favors; it is God who works his grace through his children and servants. Dr Tozer gave an illustration in his sermon “On fashioning ourselves as Christians”, of a person who says, “I will go out and get a sun-tan” and he removes his clothes and goes into the sun and he tans his skin. The main point here was, it was not really he who tanned the skin on his body but it was the work of the sun. The sun will skin weather we want it to or not, it is only limited with how much skin we expose and for how long we will expose ourselves. Still it is not we who tan but the sun. In the same way, the tanning of the Spirit, which transforms us into the image of His dear Son is limited by our faith in him. You have, through faith posted on the forum and the responses you get will give occasion for the Spirit to “tan” you. This is an allegory because it is truly not you that is changing you own attitude but had you not faith your outlook would remain unchanged. Faith gives occasion for God’s favors, and the biggest favor of God is the kingdom of God. You must now look forward to a city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Although Heaven will be wonderful, this is not what I speak of when I speak of the kingdom of God.Our Lord describes the Kingdom of God in the Gospel: Luke 13:18-19 18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. The parable gives an illustration of man playing no role in the greatness of the tree, and the greatness of the tree being separate from the man, but it was still his. If he had not, by faith, cast the seed in his garden there would be no great tree in his life. In the same way, we play no role in the greatness of Spirit of Christ in us and we ourselves have no glory but that of Christ. What then is the kingdom of God? Luke17: 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. You are not the kingdom of God, nor are you commanded to be the kingdom of God. Your job is to accept the truths of the kingdom and let the kingdom establish itself in you. The Kingdom of God is in Jesus Christ and all things are to him, through him, and in him. Christ is the sum of ALL spiritual things, be they miracles or prophesies or prayers or love Christ is at the very center of all things that are of God. He is the right hand of God through whom all the works of God pass. He is the tree of life, which Adam rejected the one whom all major prophecy in the bible revolves around and the world could not take much more than 2 or 3 years of light and the world rejected him. As it is written:Isaiah 53:1-3 1 Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. The wisdom of the world sees nothing desirable in Christ, and will not plant the seeds of Christ in itself. Howbeit the kingdom of God is a peace that surpasses all understanding, and yet we seek peace from things which are concrete, things which are seen. What does our Lord say? Matthew 6:25-34 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.I write these things to my own shame…Are we going to plant the seeds of what Christ has said to us by faith Dian? Our prayers need to be more Christ centered, more Kingdom centered. We should not loose sight of what our religion entails:2Corinthians: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.This is how we water and plant seeds. To end of let me just say this, any watering or planting without Christ is dead work:1 Corinthians 3:5-10 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereuponJames