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the free In Touch devotional.

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♪♪♪

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CC by Aberdeen Captioning[br]1-800-688-6621  www.abercap.com

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male announcer: "In Touch"[br]with Dr. Charles Stanley,

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reaching the world[br]with the gospel of

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Jesus Christ through[br]sound biblical teaching.

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Next on "In Touch,"[br]"Levels of Faith in

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the Life of the Believer."

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Dr. Charles Stanley: When you[br]face difficulties and trials

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and hardships in life,[br]how do you respond?

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Do you respond with doubt and[br]fear and anxiety and fretting

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or do you respond by faith?

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And if you respond by[br]faith, what level of faith?

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You say, "What do you mean[br]by what level of faith?"

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That's right,[br]what level of faith?

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You say, "Well, how do you[br]know what these levels are?"

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We're going to talk about it.

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How do you[br]distinguish one from the other?

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What does it mean in my life?

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How does it affect my life?

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Speaking of levels of faith.

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Well, we all operate on[br]one of three levels of faith.

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And the longer you live,[br]certainly the more faith

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you and I ought to have.

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And the higher up these levels[br]we ought to go in our faith.

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But some people will stay all of[br]their lives on the lowest level

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because number one, maybe[br]they don't even know that

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there are levels of faith.

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And secondly, too[br]afraid to launch out,

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too fearful to trust God.

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And so what happens is you go[br]through life and you miss His

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best because you[br]never grow in your faith.

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And that's what I want to[br]talk about in this message,

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and that is "The Levels of Faith[br]in the Life of the Believer."

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And it's very evident in[br]scripture that faith is very,

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very important in the eyes[br]of God and He sees faith as

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very important in our life.

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And so, what we want to talk[br]about in this message is this.

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How to raise your faith level.

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How to get in a position where[br]you and your relationship to God

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and the way you trust[br]Him will position you,

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listen, to be able to be blessed[br]to the maximum of your potential

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because the way you trust[br]Him determines the way

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the blessings come.

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You don't trust Him,[br]you don't get blessed.

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You trust Him,[br]you'll get blessed.

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And the more you trust Him and[br]the way that you're able to walk

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in these levels of faith, the[br]greater the blessings are coming

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your way.

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Think about how[br]absolutely essential and

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important faith is.

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And let's think[br]about it in this light.

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If you look at[br]the life of Jesus,

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look at His ministry,[br]here's what you discover.

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You discover that the theme[br]of faith permeated the whole

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ministry of Jesus[br]no matter what.

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And I want to give you a few[br]verses of scripture and I won't

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have you turn to all of these[br]because I have enough of them

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for you to turn to.

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But I want you to think[br]about some of these verses,

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for example, you find in[br]the scriptures concerning

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His healing ministry.

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Listen to what He is continually[br]saying when He's confronting

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people, where they're[br]paralyzed, or they're blind,

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or whatever the[br]situation may be.

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Listen for example.

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In Matthew nine, He[br]says to this lady,

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"'Daughter, your faith[br]has made you well.'"

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Then in Matthew fifteen,[br]"'O woman, your faith is great;

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be it done unto you[br]as you wish.'"

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And the fifth, second chapter of[br]Mark, when these fellows are

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tearing up the roof of this[br]man's house and letting their

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friend down by ropes so they, he[br]can finally get to Jesus and

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be healed, Jesus said to him,[br]"seeing their faith,

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'My son, your sins[br]are forgiven.'"

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Then He says in Mark ten to[br]Bartimaeus, the blind beggar,

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"'Go your way; your faith[br]has made you whole.'"

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And again, He says, "Your[br]faith has saved you.

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Receive your sight, your[br]faith has made you well.

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Be it done unto you[br]according to your faith."

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All through the[br]gospels--Matthew,

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Mark, and Luke especially,[br]what you find is Jesus,

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the theme of His[br]relationship to these people,

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this needy people who[br]have a health problem,

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whatever it might be,[br]it's always, listen,

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based on their faith.

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Remember He said on one occasion[br]he couldn't do any miracles

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in a particular place[br]because of their unbelief.

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They didn't have any faith,[br]they wouldn't trust Him.

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And oftentimes you and I miss[br]out on God's best blessings

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because we won't trust Him.

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We don't believe[br]that He loves us.

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We don't believe that He[br]will provide our needs.

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We don't believe[br]that He'll heal us.

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We don't believe that He[br]cares that much for us.

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But if you look at His ministry,[br]what was He continually saying?

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It was listen, it[br]was trust Him--faith,

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faith, faith, faith, faith.

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So, if that's true in[br]His ministry in His day.

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If it were so important that he[br]magnified the subject of faith.

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Nothing's changed.

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Because you see,[br]in our lifestyle,

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in our lifetime, in the[br]culture in which we live,

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it makes no difference what[br]generation and what culture.

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Faith permeates every[br]aspect of our life.

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So either we will live on[br]this lower level of faith,

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or we'll graduate.

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And we'll, listen,[br]we'll grow in our faith,

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and our understanding.

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And what'll happen is[br]your life's going to change.

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Once you move from level one and[br]you begin to operate on level

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two and on level three,[br]your life's going to change.

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What are these levels of faith?

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How do we distinguish[br]between them?

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What does God say about them?

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That's what I want us[br]to consider primarily.

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So, I want to give you, listen,[br]I want to give you a level,

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then I want to give you a[br]word so you can remember it.

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And the first level, listen,[br]the first level in scripture of

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faith is little faith.

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Little faith, and I[br]want you to remember this.

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Little faith is restless faith.

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Little faith is wrestling.

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Little faith, for[br]example is saying,

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I know He can, but[br]I'm not sure He will.

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Little faith is[br]struggling--struggling because

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it's a whole new perspective[br]on the way we live.

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And you remember[br]what James said?

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He that waver is like[br]the winds of the sea,

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blowing hither and yon,[br]tossed to and fro.

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He says, "Don't let that person[br]think they're going to receive

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anything from God because[br]God does not honor

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that kind of faith."

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Does this mean,[br]watch this carefully,

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does this mean that God will[br]never answer your prayers unless

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you reach the[br]third level of faith?

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No, it doesn't mean that.

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It means that your[br]lifestyle is going to change.

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It means that your relationship,[br]it means that your request,

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that, it means that your, your[br]fretting and your anxiety and

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your questions and your doubts[br]are going to disappear and God's

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going to do something absolutely[br]fantastic in your life, why?

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Because He wants[br]the best for you.

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He doesn't want us living[br]on this particular level.

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But this is level one.

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Now I want you to[br]listen carefully.

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The reason people stay on[br]level one--wrestling faith,

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that is struggling faith,[br]laboring faith--is because their

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focus is on the circumstances[br]and their focus is

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on themselves.

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Their resources, what[br]they think they can do.

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And when your listen, when your[br]focus is on your circumstances

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and your focus is on yourself,[br]your focus is on your resources,

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you're not going to be[br]able to believe God for much.

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It's just not going to happen.

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Because all of us[br]have limited resources,

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whether it's abilities and[br]talents and skills or finances.

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And so as long as you're, as[br]long as you're asking and your

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belief system,[br]you're on level one.

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It is the level of[br]struggle, uncertainty,

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doubts, laboring,[br]and what happens?

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You're going to find that what[br]you're really looking for

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in life, it's always seems to[br]be a little bit beyond you.

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So what you have[br]to realize is this.

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You have to ask yourself the[br]question where is my focus?

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Listen to this carefully.

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God doesn't want you[br]living on the level of

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little faith--struggling,[br]laboring, wrestling over it all.

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Will He, maybe He will,[br]maybe He won't.

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Now here is a perfect[br]example of that and because,

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if you look in the scriptures[br]there are all kind of examples

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of how Jesus[br]operated in people's lives.

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Well look if you will in[br]Mark chapter nine for a moment.

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Here's a perfect[br]example of how this happens.

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You'll recall that[br]in this passage,

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for example, that verse twenty,[br]"They brought the boy to Him

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when he saw Him, immediately[br]the spirit threw him

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into a convulsion, and[br]falling to the ground,

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he began rolling around[br]and foaming at the mouth.

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And He asked his father,[br]'How long has this been

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happening to him?'

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And he said,[br]'From childhood."

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Now watch these[br]next couple of verses.

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It's been[br]happening all of his life.

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"It has often thrown him both[br]into the fire and into the water

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to destroy him," watch this,[br]"But if You can,

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"this is the father speaking,[br]but if You can, do anything,

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take pity on us and help us!'"

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Now listen to Jesus's response:

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"And Jesus said to him,[br]'If You can?'

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All things are possible[br]to him who believes.'"

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This is not what Jesus said.

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Listen to the tone[br]of my voice.

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If you can, all things[br]are possible to Him.

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That's not what He said.

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He says, "If You,[br]if You can help us,

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have pity on us."

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And Jesus said, "What do[br]you mean, 'If You can'?"

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"All things are possible[br]to him who believes.'

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And Immediately the[br]boy's father cried out and said,

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'I do believe;[br]help my unbelief.'"

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Perfect example of[br]what kind of faith?

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Come on, what kind of faith?

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Little faith, and little[br]faith is what kind of faith?

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Wrestling faith, struggling[br]faith, laboring faith.

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He said, "Lord, I do[br]believe; help my unbelief."

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Now all of us have been[br]there at some point or,

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in time, or the other.

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And this is not to say that you[br]will never hit a circumstance

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at which you won't[br]maybe feel that.

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There are situations and[br]circumstances that try our faith

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and God understands that.

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But He doesn't want[br]us staying there.

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We may hit one of those,[br]but He wants us to do what?

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To move from level[br]number one of struggling,

0:10:06.238,0:10:08.708
wrestling, laboring[br]faith to level number two.

0:10:08.708,0:10:11.377
And that is a perfect[br]example of being there.

0:10:11.377,0:10:13.779
"Immediately the boy's[br]father cried out and said,

0:10:13.779,0:10:16.916
'I do believe;[br]help my unbelief."

0:10:16.916,0:10:18.284
What was he saying?

0:10:18.284,0:10:19.885
He was simply saying you[br]know, I'm believing You,

0:10:19.885,0:10:22.488
but I'm having a[br]hard time at it, I'm struggling.

0:10:22.488,0:10:23.823
And God honored that.

0:10:23.823,0:10:25.157
Now watch this carefully.

0:10:25.157,0:10:28.494
So I want to say again that does[br]not mean that God won't answer

0:10:28.494,0:10:32.531
your prayer when you are in[br]level number one struggling

0:10:32.531,0:10:34.967
because He[br]understands why you're there.

0:10:34.967,0:10:36.769
Now, the truth is[br]if you stay there,

0:10:36.769,0:10:39.238
then you don't[br]expect God's best.

0:10:39.238,0:10:42.842
That's not where He wants you.[br]He wants you moving up.

0:10:42.842,0:10:47.279
Which brings us, listen,[br]to level number two.

0:10:47.279,0:10:48.848
So think about this.

0:10:48.848,0:10:50.850
Level number two, we've[br]moved from little faith,

0:10:50.850,0:10:52.918
now to great faith.

0:10:52.918,0:10:55.888
Great faith is reaching faith.

0:10:55.888,0:10:59.859
Great faith is not[br]willing to stay on level one.

0:10:59.859,0:11:02.395
Listen, great faith is not[br]willing to stay down there where

0:11:02.395,0:11:06.265
you labor and wrestle and you[br]doubt and you fear and

0:11:06.265,0:11:07.667
you're full of anxiety.

0:11:07.667,0:11:10.436
Great faith is[br]willing to reach out.

0:11:10.436,0:11:13.239
It's reaching[br]faith--reaching faith.

0:11:13.239,0:11:15.207
Now you say, "Well,[br]what's reaching faith?"

0:11:15.207,0:11:17.476
Well, this is faith maturing.

0:11:17.476,0:11:19.478
Faith is[br]beginning to mature now.

0:11:19.478,0:11:23.182
Faith now is, listen, beginning[br]to stand on the truth

0:11:23.182,0:11:24.550
of God's Word.

0:11:24.550,0:11:27.053
Great faith is willing to[br]believe what God said

0:11:27.053,0:11:29.655
because that's what He said.

0:11:29.655,0:11:31.457
Doesn't need any proof.

0:11:31.457,0:11:34.326
If that's what God said, then[br]he believes that God will do it.

0:11:34.326,0:11:37.463
And this faith,[br]listen, is focused on God,

0:11:37.463,0:11:39.432
not on the circumstances.

0:11:39.432,0:11:42.768
Great faith is focused on God,[br]not the circumstances

0:11:42.768,0:11:45.604
which means whenever you're in[br]a situation or a circumstance,

0:11:45.604,0:11:48.274
whatever it might be, your focus[br]can't be on the circumstance,

0:11:48.274,0:11:50.309
how big it is,[br]how long it's been,

0:11:50.309,0:11:53.979
how bad it is, how deep[br]it is, how wrong it is.

0:11:53.979,0:11:55.381
That's not the issue.

0:11:55.381,0:11:58.551
The issue who is this[br]God with whom I'm dealing?

0:11:58.551,0:12:01.454
This God is bigger than[br]all my circumstances.

0:12:01.454,0:12:03.756
This God has the[br]power to, listen.

0:12:03.756,0:12:07.426
This God has the power to change[br]any circumstance in my life

0:12:07.426,0:12:08.794
no matter what it is.

0:12:08.794,0:12:10.730
Great faith is faith, it's what?

0:12:10.730,0:12:12.665
It's beginning to reach out.

0:12:12.665,0:12:14.967
Now let's look at, let's look at[br]a few scriptures here because

0:12:14.967,0:12:18.037
if you'll think about this[br]whole issue of great faith,

0:12:18.037,0:12:20.139
where does He talk[br]about great faith?

0:12:20.139,0:12:23.042
So, let's go back to Matthew[br]chapter eight for a moment.

0:12:23.042,0:12:26.512
Matthew chapter eight and[br]let's look at a few verses here.

0:12:26.512,0:12:36.355
Eighth chapter of Matthew,[br]and let's look if you will

0:12:36.355,0:12:38.657
at this fifth verse.

0:12:38.657,0:12:41.627
The centurion, "And when[br]Jesus entered Capernaum,

0:12:41.627,0:12:43.863
a centurion came to[br]Him, imploring Him,

0:12:43.863,0:12:48.667
and saying, 'Lord, my servant[br]is lying paralyzed at home,

0:12:48.667,0:12:51.270
fearfully tormented."

0:12:51.270,0:12:53.672
Jesus said to him, 'I[br]will come and heal him.'

0:12:53.672,0:12:55.441
Man, that's a fantastic[br]response, I'll come

0:12:55.441,0:12:56.809
and heal him.

0:12:56.809,0:12:58.477
"But the centurion[br]said to Him, 'Lord,

0:12:58.477,0:13:00.446
I am not worthy for You[br]to come under my roof,

0:13:00.446,0:13:04.784
but just say the word, and[br]my servant will be healed."

0:13:04.784,0:13:06.152
Can you say that?

0:13:06.152,0:13:08.220
Lord Jesus, just say the word.

0:13:08.220,0:13:09.722
Just give me a[br]verse of scripture.

0:13:09.722,0:13:11.157
Just speak to my heart.

0:13:11.157,0:13:13.959
Just make it, just say the[br]word, my servant will be healed,

0:13:13.959,0:13:15.961
"For I also am a[br]man under authority,

0:13:15.961,0:13:18.164
with soldiers under me;[br]and I say to this one,

0:13:18.164,0:13:20.499
'Go!' and he goes,[br]and to another,

0:13:20.499,0:13:22.501
'Come!' and he[br]comes, and to my slave,

0:13:22.501,0:13:23.936
'Do this!' and he does it.'

0:13:23.936,0:13:28.507
Now when Jesus heard this, He[br]marveled, and said to those who

0:13:28.507,0:13:32.411
were following, 'Truly I say to[br]you, I have not found such

0:13:32.411,0:13:35.281
great faith with[br]anyone in Israel."

0:13:35.281,0:13:37.449
He was saying, you know, these[br]Gentiles have more faith than

0:13:37.449,0:13:40.686
you Israelites and you're[br]sons and daughters of Abraham.

0:13:40.686,0:13:42.655
So He says, "I've not[br]seen such great faith."

0:13:42.655,0:13:46.826
Turn to the fifteenth chapter of[br]Matthew and look if you will

0:13:46.826,0:13:53.332
in this--let's go back[br]a few verses here.

0:13:53.332,0:13:55.434
This is the[br]Syrophoenician woman.

0:13:55.434,0:13:59.505
Let's look if you will[br]in verse twenty-two,

0:13:59.505,0:14:02.608
"And a Canaanite woman[br]from that region came,

0:14:02.608,0:14:05.544
and began to cry out,[br]saying, 'Have mercy on me, Lord,

0:14:05.544,0:14:08.314
Son of David; my daughter[br]is cruelly demon-possessed.'

0:14:08.314,0:14:10.282
But He did not[br]answer her a word.

0:14:10.282,0:14:12.384
And His disciples came[br]to Him and implored Him,

0:14:12.384,0:14:15.654
saying, 'Send her away,[br]she keeps shouting at us.'

0:14:15.654,0:14:17.790
But He answered and said, 'I was[br]sent only to the lost sheep

0:14:17.790,0:14:19.491
of the house of Israel.'

0:14:19.491,0:14:21.026
But she came and began[br]to bow down before Him,

0:14:21.026,0:14:22.661
saying, 'Lord, help me!'

0:14:22.661,0:14:23.996
And He answered and said,

0:14:23.996,0:14:25.664
'It is not good to take the[br]children's bread and throw it

0:14:25.664,0:14:26.999
to the dogs.'"

0:14:26.999,0:14:28.601
Now that's a pretty strong[br]statement because he was

0:14:28.601,0:14:32.037
saying, you know, I've come[br]for My own people the Jews,

0:14:32.037,0:14:33.405
testing her.

0:14:33.405,0:14:35.875
Look at this:[br]"But she said, 'Yes, Lord;

0:14:35.875,0:14:38.978
but even the dogs feed on[br]the crumbs which fall from

0:14:38.978,0:14:40.312
their master's table.'

0:14:40.312,0:14:42.848
Then Jesus said[br]to her, 'O woman,

0:14:42.848,0:14:47.353
your faith is great; it shall be[br]done for you as you wish.'

0:14:47.353,0:14:48.754
And her daughter was[br]healed at once."

0:14:48.754,0:14:50.422
You know why?[br]She didn't give up.

0:14:50.422,0:14:52.358
Great faith doesn't give up.

0:14:52.358,0:14:54.159
Great faith today does not[br]listen to people's

0:14:54.159,0:14:56.095
unwise counsel.

0:14:56.095,0:14:57.696
And Jesus was testing her.

0:14:57.696,0:15:01.200
And so oftentimes we're going[br]to get tested and what happens?

0:15:01.200,0:15:04.470
Either we listen to other[br]people or we go by our feelings,

0:15:04.470,0:15:07.673
or we go by our reason,[br]or we go by sight.

0:15:07.673,0:15:10.042
God wants us to go by His Word.

0:15:10.042,0:15:11.844
Great faith doesn't give up.

0:15:11.844,0:15:16.181
Great faith hangs in there no[br]matter what and great faith

0:15:16.181,0:15:17.650
gets the answer.

0:15:17.650,0:15:20.419
Level two is Christ-centered.

0:15:20.419,0:15:22.454
Level two is God-oriented.

0:15:22.454,0:15:24.556
Level two does not[br]focus on circumstances.

0:15:24.556,0:15:26.692
You said, you've said[br]that about five times.

0:15:26.692,0:15:28.027
Right![br]You know why?

0:15:28.027,0:15:30.095
Because that's what the devil[br]wants to do--get you focused on

0:15:30.095,0:15:32.998
your circumstances[br]rather than on God.

0:15:32.998,0:15:38.804
Level number three, level[br]number three is perfect faith.

0:15:38.804,0:15:42.474
Level number three[br]is resting faith.

0:15:42.474,0:15:45.978
Not struggling and laboring,[br]not reaching--resting faith.

0:15:45.978,0:15:49.949
Perfect faith says[br]it's a done deal.

0:15:49.949,0:15:52.017
Well you say, "Oh,[br]now wait a minute,

0:15:52.017,0:15:53.786
that sounds rather[br]presumptuous."

0:15:53.786,0:15:55.621
No, it's not.

0:15:55.621,0:16:00.259
I want you to turn if you will[br]back to Mark chapter eleven.

0:16:00.259,0:16:02.461
Mark chapter eleven.

0:16:02.461,0:16:06.031
What's happening here is that[br]Jesus cursed this fig tree

0:16:06.031,0:16:08.367
and the next day they came by[br]and the disciples were

0:16:08.367,0:16:10.636
absolutely amazed.

0:16:10.636,0:16:14.473
And verse twenty says, "And they[br]were passing by in the morning,

0:16:14.473,0:16:17.743
they saw the fig tree[br]withered from the roots up.

0:16:17.743,0:16:20.312
And being reminded,[br]Peter said to Him,

0:16:20.312,0:16:23.615
'Rabbi, look, the fig tree which[br]You cursed has withered.'

0:16:23.615,0:16:27.052
And Jesus answered and said to[br]them, 'Have faith in God."

0:16:27.052,0:16:29.355
Does, isn't it amazing[br]how Jesus has these short,

0:16:29.355,0:16:34.793
terse, pointed, unforgettable,[br]inescapable answers to something

0:16:34.793,0:16:36.829
that we have these[br]big problems with?

0:16:36.829,0:16:39.398
What did He say?[br]Said, "Have faith in God."

0:16:39.398,0:16:40.733
Look at this thing.

0:16:40.733,0:16:42.368
This thing is cursed[br]from the roots up.

0:16:42.368,0:16:44.436
What's happened?[br]Have faith in God.

0:16:44.436,0:16:46.805
Now watch this:[br]"Truly I say to you,

0:16:46.805,0:16:49.575
whoever says to the mountain,[br]'Be taken up and cast into

0:16:49.575,0:16:51.377
the sea,' and does not[br]doubt in his heart,

0:16:51.377,0:16:55.280
but believes that what he is[br]saying is going to happen;

0:16:55.280,0:16:56.682
it'll be granted him.

0:16:56.682,0:16:58.050
Now watch this next verse.

0:16:58.050,0:17:00.285
You listening?[br]Say amen.

0:17:00.285,0:17:07.159
"Therefore I say to you, all[br]things for which you pray and

0:17:07.159,0:17:14.333
ask, believe that you have[br]received them," past tense,

0:17:14.333,0:17:16.201
"and they will be[br]granted to you."

0:17:16.201,0:17:17.703
Now you say,[br]"Well, that doesn't--

0:17:17.703,0:17:19.038
maybe that's a mistake."

0:17:19.038,0:17:21.807
It's not a mistake.[br]Here's what He says.

0:17:21.807,0:17:25.344
Level three is resting faith.

0:17:25.344,0:17:28.814
Not struggling and laboring,[br]not reaching--resting faith.

0:17:28.814,0:17:32.818
Level three brings you[br]to the level in your life where

0:17:32.818,0:17:37.322
you ask Him and you have--[br]you can stand on His Word

0:17:37.322,0:17:38.657
in absolute assurance.

0:17:38.657,0:17:39.992
You know God's will about that.

0:17:39.992,0:17:41.326
And you know what it is?

0:17:41.326,0:17:43.062
Perfect faith says this.

0:17:43.062,0:17:49.001
Not only can He, it's a done[br]deal, it's already done.

0:17:49.001,0:17:51.870
No more fretting,[br]no more anxiety,

0:17:51.870,0:17:54.773
no more worry, no more--[br]no manipulation,

0:17:54.773,0:18:01.313
no more trying to work it out,[br]figure it out, make it happen.

0:18:01.313,0:18:06.785
Perfect faith says it's[br]a done deal with God.

0:18:06.785,0:18:08.954
Where does God[br]want our faith to be?

0:18:08.954,0:18:13.692
Struggling, anxious,[br]trying to feel better,

0:18:13.692,0:18:16.061
getting over depression,[br]is that where He wants you?

0:18:16.061,0:18:17.596
No, it's not where He wants you.

0:18:17.596,0:18:19.565
I'll tell you[br]where He wants you.

0:18:19.565,0:18:25.504
He wants us moving from level[br]one to level two to level three.

0:18:25.504,0:18:27.940
Will you start out[br]with level three?

0:18:27.940,0:18:31.343
Most of the time, not,[br]but here's what happens.

0:18:31.343,0:18:35.848
You don't stay on level one[br]but a very brief moment of time.

0:18:35.848,0:18:37.883
You move to level two.

0:18:37.883,0:18:39.418
And then as you[br]grow in your faith,

0:18:39.418,0:18:40.752
you know what happens?

0:18:40.752,0:18:44.756
You'll be living on level[br]three most of the time.

0:18:44.756,0:18:46.792
You know why?

0:18:46.792,0:18:48.427
Because here's what,[br]here's the reason.

0:18:48.427,0:18:53.098
Because you have accepted[br]that He is who He says He is.

0:18:53.098,0:18:55.934
He is as wise as[br]He says He is.

0:18:55.934,0:18:58.203
He is as powerful[br]as He says He is.

0:18:58.203,0:19:02.374
He loves you unconditionally[br]like He says He does.

0:19:02.374,0:19:06.211
And therefore, you have[br]no reason to doubt Him.

0:19:06.211,0:19:08.080
And you think about this.

0:19:08.080,0:19:10.315
You may not be a Christian.

0:19:10.315,0:19:16.255
Do you realize what you believe[br]about Jesus Christ is going to

0:19:16.255,0:19:19.558
determine your whole eternal[br]destiny where you're going

0:19:19.558,0:19:22.027
to spend eternity.

0:19:22.027,0:19:24.329
Nothing else but[br]that determines it.

0:19:24.329,0:19:29.701
That's why it is so serious that[br]you and I consider our faith.

0:19:29.701,0:19:32.337
And for all of us[br]who are believers,

0:19:32.337,0:19:33.672
our reward's in Heaven.

0:19:33.672,0:19:35.641
You know where they, what[br]they're going to hinge on?

0:19:35.641,0:19:37.843
Our faith.

0:19:37.843,0:19:40.112
Did we trust Him[br]enough to believe Him?

0:19:40.112,0:19:43.382
Did we trust Him enough[br]to take that decision?

0:19:43.382,0:19:45.417
Did we trust Him[br]enough to follow Him?

0:19:45.417,0:19:49.354
Did we trust Him enough to[br]take this challenge here?

0:19:49.354,0:19:52.291
Did we trust Him enough to be[br]obedient when it was difficult?

0:19:52.291,0:19:55.627
Our, all of our rewards are[br]going to come ultimately by our

0:19:55.627,0:19:59.164
faith, because our actions[br]are a result of our faith.

0:19:59.164,0:20:03.802
That's why it is so important[br]that you and I examine

0:20:03.802,0:20:05.337
our faith.

0:20:05.337,0:20:07.739
Look at ourselves.

0:20:07.739,0:20:10.309
Have I trusted Jesus Christ[br]as my Savior?

0:20:10.309,0:20:11.877
Am I walking in faith?

0:20:11.877,0:20:14.446
Am I struggling down here,[br]cheating myself out of the

0:20:14.446,0:20:17.983
blessings that God has[br]already stored up for me,

0:20:17.983,0:20:22.654
simply because I've[br]never passed the struggling,

0:20:22.654,0:20:25.591
wrestling, laboring faith.

0:20:25.591,0:20:28.193
Oh God, take me[br]to level number 2.

0:20:28.193,0:20:29.528
God, take me to[br]level number three.

0:20:29.528,0:20:30.862
And you know what He'll do?

0:20:30.862,0:20:32.197
Here's what He'll do.

0:20:32.197,0:20:35.734
He'll give you enough[br]tests to grow up your faith.

0:20:35.734,0:20:39.738
And then one of these days,[br]most of your decisions will be

0:20:39.738,0:20:45.177
perfect faith,[br]if you'll trust Him.

0:20:45.177,0:20:52.951
♪♪♪