When the love of God is working in us then FAITH can work - because FAITH only works by love!

1. The starting point, the ending point and the most important POINT in between, is for you and me together to LIVE with and in a REVELATION of the love of God.

2. When the love of God is working in us then FAITH can work - because FAITH only works by love! Galatians 5:6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is only faith that works by love.

3. ‘Faith’, that is, receiving faith, growing in faith, and walking in faith – doesn’t just happen.It is a battle! And the ‘bulls eye’ that Satan is always targeting is ‘our faith’. Not our ‘saving faith’ in that – speaking of our salvation. Rather, ‘believing faith’ – our ability to believe in the goodness and love of God.

4. 1 John 5:4 “…and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.” 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

5. QUESTION: What was the Holy Spirit trying to communicate to the young pastor Timothy? What ‘fight’? • ANSWER: The ‘fight of faith’.The next phrase seems to indicate what ‘the fight’ is all about: “take hold of eternal life.”

6. ζωή zōē John 1:4 (NLT) The Word gave LIFE to everything that was created, and his LIFE brought light to everyone. John 1:4 (ESV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

7. The call of the Spirit was to “lay hold” of JESUS! John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. • Zoe - Life – ‘The God-kind of life’.

8. This is what this FIGHT is all about. We are ‘fighting’ to lay hold of ‘the God-kind of life’ in our bodies, our finances and in our relationships. This is where the battle is. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

9. It is the Spirit that makes alive. It is the Spirit who gives Zoe. • The FIGHT is engaged WHEN you begin to lay hold of LIFE.  When the enemy senses you are going after LIFE – he goes all out.

10. Jesussaid, “The thief comes to steal LIFE…” (John 10:10) • This is where the FIGHT is happening.  It is a FIGHT against darkness.  And, you have to LAY HOLD of it.

11. ἐπιλαμβάνομαι – From the root: λαμβάνω: To lay hold of, take possession of, overtake, attain, to lay hold of or to seize upon anything with the hands

12. Luke 8:40 And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; 

13. Mark 5:22-23 One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.”

14. Luke 8:43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, QUESTION: WHAT ARE THEY AFTER?  What is this father after?  What is this woman after? ANSWER:LIFE!  “In Him was LIFE!”

15. If you are a son or daughter of God - JESUS is INSIDE of You! • Just as North and South are in the same line - just at opposites ends - so are faith and fear.   • The enemy of faith is fear.  Fear and faith are both spiritual forces.  They are both faith.  One is faith in God and the other is faith in death. Because all fear is ultimately fear of death.  For example: ‘You're not afraid of flying your afraid of dying.’

16. Where fear is tolerated our faith will be contaminated. • The enemy of faith is fear.  Fear is a spiritual force.  

17. 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. “(YOU) have not been given a spirit of fear…”

18. The spirit of fear is the spirit of the devil, which is also the spirit of death.   • Fear connects to the spirit of fear, which is also the spirit of the devil which is the spirit of death. Job said, "What I have fear came upon me..." (Job 3:25)

19. SO WHAT? How Do I fight the battle for (eternal) life? 1. We FIGHT “the fight and lay hold of eternal life” by what we say and by what we don't say. It has everything to do with the power of our words.

20. Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...”

21. God's spirit was moving - but nothing happened until God spoke! Jesus was given the Spirit without measure (John 3:34,35) because He spoke only the Word.  And when the Word gets down in our spirit and we speak the Word HE WILL GIVE US THE SPIRIT WITHOUT MEASURE TOO!  

22. Only when the word it is spoken, does it come to past. WORDS ARE FIRST. We live in a word created, word-dominated world.  You can choose the words you use.

23. Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, • Words are not primary for communication.  Words are primarily the way we execute authority.

24. 2. We FIGHT “the fight and lay hold of eternal life” by living in the awareness of who we are and who we are not. • We are exactly like Jesus (1 John 4:17)! We are sons of God (John 1:12; 1 John 3:2; Galatians 3:26). We are joint heirs (Romans 8:17)! We are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are loved by Father God as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23).

25. Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. NOW! Now means now!

26. 3. We FIGHT “the fight and lay hold of eternal life” by fighting and winning the battle in our mind. In other words, how we think, will determine our victory or loss of victory.

27. Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

28. 2 AND SET YOUR MINDS and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.3 For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.4 When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.

29. We are no longer servants and we are sons!  We re joint heirs!  We must THINK like WHO we REALLY are! 4. We FIGHT “the fight and lay hold of eternal life” by taking the time to trace back where FEAR GAINED (GAINS) ACCESS to our lives and surrendering that ‘ground’ to the Lordship of Jesus.

30. Mark 4:13-20 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word, which has been sown in them.

31. 16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

32. 18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world [FEAR], and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

33. 20 And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

34. All doubt, all depression is fear-based. And, the revelation (not information) rather, revelation of the love of God will cast it out. • When you trace it to its ‘lowest common denominator’ –fear results from man trying to meet his own needs without God. It is the absence of faith.

35. Faith in God is faith in His life. Whereas, fear connects with the spirit of fear which is the spirit off death which is the spirit of the devil. • Just as FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, so FEAR comes from hearing, and hearing from the lies of the devil (that is, whatever violates what the Word says.  (Healing, provision, etc.)

36. Perfect love (that is the knowledge of, the revelation of) cast out fear. 1 John 4:18 (NIV) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

37. The starting point, the ending point and the most important POINT in between, is for you and me together to LIVE with and in a REVELATION of the love of God. WHY?

38. When the love of God is working in us then FAITH can work - because FAITH only works by love! Galatians 5:6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is only faith that works by love.

39. Romans 8:2  - I am FREE from the law of the spirit of death Satan gets footholds of fear in our lives when we give into sin.  This is one of the reasons not to give into sin.