<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Martin Kim

Increase Our Faith

Dear Lord, I thank you for giving all of us a measure of faith.

Lord, help us to understand how it is that we can increase our faith.

Please prompt your spirit on us, speak to us, give us understanding.

I have this file at home where I collect my favorite prayer stories.

And I have a story about George Mueller here that I want to share with you.

When George Mueller reached the age of 70, instead of retiring, he began traveling internationally, telling people about God's faithfulness and his ministry with the orphanage.

And I wanna share with you this story as it was told by the ship captain.

We had a man of God on board, George Mueller of Bristol.

I had been on that bridge for 22 hours and never left it.

I was startled by someone tapping me on the shoulder.

"'Captain, I have come to tell you I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.

I have never broken an engagement in 50 years, he replied.

I answered, I am willing, but I am helpless.

Let us go down to the chart room and pray, said George Mueller.

I looked at him and I thought to myself, what lunatic asylum could the man have come from?

Mueller, do you know how dense the fog is?

How do you think this man of God responded to that question?

I asked this question to a group of young people, and this 1 young man said, fog?

Mueller, Do you know how dense the fog is?

My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life He got down on his knees and prayed a most simple prayer Oh Lord if it is consistent with thy will please remove this fog in 5 minutes.

Thou knowest the engagement thou hast made for me in Quebec for Saturday, I believe it is thy will.

When he finished, I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray.

And second, I believe he has and there is no need to pray.

According to the ship captain, the fog lifted just as Mueller had requested.

But the weather wasn't the only thing that cleared up that day.

The captain also reported that the event completely revolutionized the whole of my life.

"'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, "'for he who comes to God must believe that He is, "'and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

If we want to live lives that please and bring honor and glory to God, we must learn to live by faith.

First John chapter 5 verse 4, For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.

If we want to experience a victory in the Christian life, faith is so important.

Romans 14, verse 23, for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 2, for indeed the gospel was preached to us as it was to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

When we hear the Word of God, when we study the Word of God without faith, the Word of God can be unprofitable to us.

In Luke chapter 18 verse 8, Jesus says, when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?

The last days, faith is going to be a rare commodity.

I like the words of Hannah Will Smith in her book, The Christian secret of a happy life.

She says, our Lord asked the pathetic question, when the Son of Man cometh, shall we find faith on the earth?

He will find plenty of activity, a great deal of earnestness, and doubtless many consecrated hearts.

But shall he find faith, the 1 thing he values, more than all the rest?

It is a solemn question, and I would that every Christian heart would ponder it well.

Ellen White says, We may expect large things, even the deep movings of the Spirit of God, if we have faith in His promises.

You know, I believe some of the greatest sins that we commit, other than the sin of faithlessness, is the sin of prayerlessness and the sin of thanklessness.

Matthew chapter 13 verse 58 It says, now he did not do mighty works there because of his, because of their unbelief.

He's in his own hometown and in his own country he cannot do many mighty works because of their unbelief.

And I wonder if God desires to do more through you in your community where you live, in your home and in your church, but He cannot simply because of your unbelief.

Elham White says, every failure on the part of the children of God is due to their lack of faith.

But faith is much more than trusting God.

And I think it's hard in 1 sentence to say exactly what faith is.

I've got a number of definitions that I've collected, and I want to share these various definitions that I have.

And as I go through these definitions, I want you to ask the question, Am I living by faith?

By any of these definitions, am I living by faith?

By the way, it's been said that if you want to make God laugh, what can you do?

And all would include your own understanding.

In Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 it says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

And how often it is that we lean on our own understanding, we fail to trust Him, and therefore God is not able to show us His plans for our life.

I believe that if we were to forsake all and let God take control of our lives, He would show us a plan far better than any plan we could come up with for our lives.

Faith is also an acronym for fantastic adventures in trusting Him.

When you look at your life, can you say that your life is 1 adventure, 1 exciting adventure?

In Psalms 34 verse 8, it says, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

The individual who gets to taste and see that God is good is the 1 who has learned to trust in Him.

As my 1 friend Kelly Vayu puts it, are you willing to leave your comfort zone that you may enter the faith of his own.

Ellen White says in Education, page 253, faith is trusting God, believing that he loves us and knows best what is for our good.

Thus, instead of our own, it leads us to choose His way.

Increase Our Faith

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Attachments

Related

Ecstasy, Agony, Harmony

1h 6m

Rebuke Winds and Move Mountains!

Paying the Price!

1h 3m

Unlock Revelation

16. US in Bible Prophecy

1h 14m

What the Devil Knows That You Don’t

36m

God is Love?

19-The Mark of the Beast

1h

Nicholas Drozé Weekend

God’s Arm or Man’s Arm: Where Do You Find Support?

29m

Financial Freedom Seminar

Counting the Cost: Saving, Spending, and Budgeting

56m

GYC 2013 Seminar: The Composite Christian: Character Development

02-God vs. Satan: Death Before Dishonor

56m

The Sanctuary

14. America in Prophecy

49m

Talking Points 2nd Quarter 2024: The Great Controversy

02 The Central Issue: Love or Selfishness?

29m

It's Time Someone Finally Told You the Truth About...

The Human Nature of Christ - Part 2

51m

Biblical Leadership

Biblical Leadership Part 5

59m

Sound Doctrine