xjwsforChrist

QUENTIN SAID

"One can't function without faith."

Yes...they can. Many do so everday, they are the one's who have TRUST...their car will start in the AM. Wife will have supper ready after work, the Sun will rise in the East, not the West, and so forth.

I do my best to live by the scipture "..faith without works is dead" I DO NOT ascribe by the jw intepretation. That leads me to attempt to live , my life, according to the Law of the Good Samaritian.

My faith is based on nature and the natural order of things. You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar....
_________________
Vinegar tasts better in freedom
than honey in slavery

How can you unterstand a thing unless you know it?
How can you know a thing unless you understand it?

GLADIATOR SAID

quentin


Living in harmony with nature is nature and other humans is as good an aim as any.

'Love your neighbour as yourself' comes to mind.

HABUB SAID

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:43 am Post subject:
Heard today (on radio station) Christ is the author of our faith and he not only makes this faith possible but also produces the strength/growth of faith (I might have the 2nd part -growth- worded incorrectly as I was distracted and trying to catch bits/pieces) in each person. I'm pondering on this. Assuming Christ is the center of our life and we seek his guidance/direction would this also mean we accumulate this faith thru study, meditation.

Appreciate any comments.

Oh, I only place faith in God/Christ. Think I've done this most of my life --- just not strong enough.

TEC SAID

Like the verse... he waters the seed and makes it (faith) grow. Perhaps our faith also grows through experience, Habub, when we listen to Him, and see the results of his teachings and such. Especially love. Because the more we learn of Christ and God, the more we learn of love, and the more we strive to have that same love within us.

Peace,
tammy

CHARIKLO SAID

Habub, I'd say yes, but add to that prayer, and listening, just being quiet, and emptying ourselves before God.

LOZ SAID

I am trying to remember where the scripture is that tells us we can ask for more/stronger faith.

Loz x

AGUEST SAID





I think the rest of your comment, dear Q (peace to you and welcome back!) goes against your response. For example, as to others:




Then, as to yourself:



If you are equating faith with TRUST (as you seem to be doing here), then it is true that some don't have their faith (trust) in God/Christ... or perhaps any other... man OR spirit... or even idol... but they have their faith (trust) in SOMETHING.

Faith, however, is NOT simply trust. I trust my husband, my children, my friends and other loved one. I trust that my puppies will do many of the same things over... and over... and over........... and over (LOL!) again, because they really are creatures of habit. I can "bank" on some of the things they [will] do. BUT... I don't have my FAITH in them.

Because faith... is "the ASSURED expectation of thing hoped for, the evident demonstration of REALITY... though NOT beheld."

Thus, faith is believing in something/someone you CAN'T see... with your eyes (of flesh). I can see my husband, children, friends, puppies... the sun... nature... etc. I know THOSE can be trusted because of what I've SEEN... with my physical eyes. Or, were I physically blind, what others tell me THEY see with THEIR physical eyes. Faith, though, goes beyond that - it is trusting that one WILL receive what one hopes for, based the evidence one receives... which evidence DEMONSTRATES reality... even though one did not SEE that evidence with one's physical eyes. In other words, one was given some OTHER manner of evidence: a voice, a vision, a dream, a miracle related to something else that tells such one that thing THEY hope for WILL occur.

This is what faith is... and why I have my faith in God: because of my faith in CHRIST... who has repeatedly demonstrated to ME that his word IS bond, CAN be trusted... and so what he tells/shows me IS true. That what I hear/see from him is not [always] with my PHYSICAL ears/eyes is irrelevant: the evidence is still REAL... demonstrative of the REALITY. And so I CAN believe... know... that the thing I "hope" for... for example, being a part of God's kingdom... WILL occur.

The thing that many don't understand, however, is that, yes, God, Christ... and we, the Body of Christ... would LOVE for ALL of mankind to put their faith [in] Him/His Son... because of what He/that Son SAYS. But the reality is that faith is not a possession of all men; all men simply cannot bring themselves... allow themselves... to believe anything beyond what their physical eyes... or someone else's physical eyes... TELL them. They LISTEN... with their EYES... those of their PHYSICAL body... than those of his EARS... starting with the SPIRIT man he is!

The physical eyes, though, "talk" SO much... that for most the voice of the Fine Shepherd is drowned out. Think about all your eyes "tell" you - just look around. Your eyes are "telling" you of everything they see... and that's a LOT, isn't it? And so, because we're so busy listening to our EYES... we fail to hear... with our EARS. Indeed, as a man, I would wager that on many occasions you've been called (by a woman - LOL!), for example, while watching TV... and so you "can't" HEAR her. Why? Because your EYES are "talking" to you ("OH! He just got sacked! Did you SEE that??!!"... or "They comin' around the last stretch and Car No. 32 just inched forward... wait... wait... here comes No. 44!! OMG, he just took the lead!! The crowd is on its feet!").

For women, the "voice" of the eyes tend to say things like, "Oh, that's out of place... oh, look at that dirt/dress/pair of shoes, there... oh, she shouldn't have worn that... oh, she's gained/lost weight... oh, what is UP with her hair/makeup/saddlebags... oh, I don't like that color... oh, I NEED that new..." and things like that. Their EYES are talking... and that is what they're LISTENING to.

Rather than listening to the Christ. Because his voice speaks in a low-tone; he's not boisterous and so neither is his voice. He won't raise it above the "din"... WE must turn down the "volume" on the OTHER stuff.

That's why religion has so much "stuff" they want their members to SEE: elaborate churches, altars, robes, images, icons... decorative halls... uber-clean facilities... All appeal to the EYES. And so if you can speak to people's EYES... you can... yes... HYPNOTIZE them... and thereafter get them to listen to YOUR words! Isn't that the basis of hypnotism?

When you turn off the VISUAL "noise", though... oh, what you can HEAR!!

This world is designed to stimulate us visually. Because we are yet fleshly... and the visual appeals... to the FLESH! But those who belong to Christ were admonish to walk NOT by sight... but by FAITH. Because our EYE can be "wicked" - causing us to crave things we don't even need, and some to even takes steps to get those things even at harm to his fellow man! If our eye is SIMPLE, though...

You might recall who Christ told Thomas would be "happy" - those who SEE and then believe? No, those who BELIEVED... yet did NOT see! Why? Because the latter would be walking... by FAITH... and NOT by sight!

Is faith easy? No, sir, it is not. By no means. Again, we are yet flesh... flesh that belongs to THIS world... and so the desires of the flesh, which include the desires of the EYES... originate with THIS world. And the "ruler" of this world KNOW this. Remember, his own beauty was of such importance to him... that he turned HIS face AWAY from the One he SHOULD have been looking at... so as to gaze at himself. As a result, he did not STAND FAST [in Christ, the Truth]... and so became the "father" of the lie.

Eve's downfall was her EYES: she kept LOOKING at the fruit of the Tree (of the Knowledge of Good AND Bad)... and "SAW" that it was "desirable." Had she kept her EYE simple... she would NOT have been able to BE deceived. But the Adversary knew what she WANTED... because he saw what she kept LOOKING at... and so what kept "SPEAKING" to HER. He used what SHE showed to be a source of weakness for her - in short, he simply exploited HER desire!

If we understand this, though, how our EYES "talk" to us... that THEIR "voice" can not only drown out Christ's voice... but even other HUMANS' voices... then perhaps we can understand how our own eyes can be the REASON for our LACK of faith! This is WHY Christ said, "If your EYE is causing you to sin... pull it OUT!".

One doesn't have to pull one's eye(s) out, though, if one can understand how one's eyes "speak"... and learn to STOP LISTENING [through] them. Learn to "quiet" them... and listen to what the eyes CAN'T "hear", starting perhaps with the voice of other humans (the wife, husband, kids, boss, etc.)... and then perhaps with Christ... and perhaps even the MOST Holy One Himself.

Anyway, I hope this helps you... to perhaps understand the difference between trust... and faith... because they are not one and the same. Not really. Of course, you can always go the One who speaks "from the heavens"... and ASK HIM for [more] faith. Many did. I do, frequently (because it is one thing for which more IS better!). If you ask without doubting... and so having an ASSURED expectation... you WILL receive what you ask for. And if you ask in that One's name... you can be even more assured that you will receive it.

Again, peace to you!

A slave of Christ,

SA

PSACRAMENTO SAID




Hmmm...
I know we are to ask IN faith but for more faith?
The apostles asked from more faith:


Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.


It seems that Jesus is making the statement that you don't need MORE faith is you HAVE faith, REAL faith.

CHARIKLO SAID

I think that's right, Paul, remembering always that another side of faith is trust. So, we look. Away from ourselves and towards him. We try to be quiet, and to focus patiently on him, all the time trusting him.

That trust is repaid a thousandfold, and it brings an inner peace in contrast to the noise and clamour around us and often within us.

LOZ SAID

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:50 pm Post subject:
Paul, I know that the scripture is there, I've referred to it many times and its driving me crazy that I haven't found it yet, but I will keep searching until I do!

Loz x

HABUB SAID

Interesting about there being a scripture. I'll keep checking. Is it that one about add to your faith, endurance, long suffering, etc., --- something like that around those scriptures that talk about the fruitages of the spirit.

Appreciate all your comments/thank you. I've been really negligent and not making time about reading anything "spiritual" other than on JWN so you know I'm starving!

LOZ SAID

Hi Habub, no it's a definite directive to pray for more faith although those may not be the exact words. I seem to recall it was in Romans....grrr so frustrating! I've shared it with people who were struggling with their faith so often....

Loz x

HABUB SAID

thanks for info, Loz. Can't wait to find out. It is frustrating when you want to find/check out a scripture. I used to have notes in front of my NWT so I could find my fav scriptures and each time I'd start a new Bible (as witnesses seem to update their NWTs) I'd transfer all my notes. The dogs tore up my last two NWT Bibles and there was nothing salvageable. I really loved those notes and Bibles (not that I care to use the NWT ever again) because I could find scriptures that were important to me. DUH.
At least the miserable meetings and watchtower forced me to break in a Bible or two -- obviously, not enough.

YPPUPLLEH SAID

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:08 am Post subject:
Romans Chapter 14 and 15?
_________________
Love is a warm rubber puppy...

PSACRAMENTO SAID

Romans 14 is about doing things with faith and conscience (special days, eating certain foods, etc).
Romans 15 is about self-denial to help those weak in faith and so forth.