Dearest Ones,
My heart is with you today because of the pressures you are under with each day's activities. Life is a challenge for each of you, but if you remember to focus on me, and let me help you, I will smooth the way for you as you move forward and do the duties that lie before you each day. Remember how I fed the 5000. When you give me your loaves and fishes, I will multiply them to accommodate for all your needs.
Now the topic for today. I want to talk to you about faith. This is such a common subject that most people believe they already know what it means. But in reality, true faith is a rare commodity, and so much the more as the end of time approaches. As you recall, it is recorded in Luke 18:8: "When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" It would be well to study the subject of faith in the Scriptures, especially the things that I said that are recorded in the four gospels. If you do this, I will give you many new insights that will bless your souls.
I did not ask this question concerning faith in the end times without cause, for as I looked down in history to the end of time, the Holy Spirit revealed to me the very condition that now exists. There are so very few people who really know what true faith is. For example, let's consider the broad topic of righteousness by faith. Generally speaking, this means to most Christians, "I do my best and God does the rest." They do not realize that true faith is the result of a constant, ongoing, moment-by-moment relationship with me. You cannot produce true faith of yourself, because you are carnal, and true faith is a divine attribute that fallen humanity cannot produce. Instead, faith is a result of your positive response to the wooing of my Holy Spirit. I know what I want to do for you, and I send my Spirit to you to awaken hope and love in your heart, and as you go forward in response to my Spirit, faith becomes a living reality and the connection between us allows me to give you the very thing that my Spirit has inspired you to ask of me, and that I am longing to give to you. This is what is meant in Romans 8:26, 27: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
And also 1John 5:14,15: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." Ellen White also says: "We must not only pray in Christ name, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit....Such prayer God delights to answer." Lift Him Up, p. 190.
So faith actually comes from me, and as you respond to the Spirit's call to you, true faith makes your request a reality. But be very careful to avoid the counterfeit of faith, which is presumption. Not every desire that a person has comes from the workings of the Holy Spirit upon their heart. That's why much prayer is necessary to produce purity of motives, and clarity of mind so that I can reveal my will to you. Sometimes I must say, "no" to your request, or, "wait." The important thing is to bring all your thoughts and feelings and needs and requests to me, and if it is for your best good, I will give you what you desire.
Now I want to talk briefly about the subject of righteousness by faith. To me, righteousness means righteousness, and faith means faith. In other words when I say righteousness I am talking about my righteousness being infused into your life so that my righteousness appears in your life, and I live my life in and through you. Just as faith comes through me, so righteousness comes through me, for you have none of these on your own. So when people see righteousness by faith as meaning, "I do my best, and I believe by faith that God will do the rest," this is not righteousness at all - it is works. So do not be deceived by the common concept that you will sin 'till Jesus comes, because when probation closes, I will pronounce: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and that he that is holy, let him be holy still." Rev. 22:11.
By the time I close my work of intercession in the Most Holy Place, everyone who is pronounced righteous will have surrendered every sin in their lives to me and allowed me to cleanse and blot out their sins from their hearts and lives and from the books of record in heaven. So do not be deceived by false concepts of righteousness by faith, for your eternal salvation depends upon knowing the truth about this subject, and experiencing it in your heart and life. And I am also counting on those who understand these truths to share them with others, for there are many who are deceived by the false teachings of religious leaders who want to please the people with a false security of their eternal salvation.
Now I am sending you forth into my vineyard today, and I want you to be secure in my love for you and my approval of your genuine faith and love for me and your service for me every day. You are the sheep of my pasture that know my voice and who will never follow a stranger [John 10:5], and because of your devotion to me and service for me, I can bring the great controversy to a close at last, for the knowledge that you have will go around the world by the simple means that I have provided for this generation. So rejoice with me today and take heart, because it will not be long until we will be together forever in heaven. In the meantime, have faith in my love and care for you, and share it with everyone you meet so they can have true faith in me also, and join you in your journey to my kingdom. Lovingly Jesus.