The Lord Jesus said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Today’s world is becoming more and more dark and evil. People all follow the trends of this world, and long for the enjoyments of the flesh. Believers don’t practice the Lord’s words, or follow the Lord’s commandments; …… Thus, their faith becomes tepid, and they feel negative and weak, and lose the Lord’s presence. During the dangerous days in the last days, how can we gain faith and power from God? Read the following Bible verses about faith and they will help you receive the work of the Holy Spirit, increase your faith in the Lord, and restore the normal relationship with God.
Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.
James 2:22 See you how faith worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
John 11:40 Jesus said to her, Said I not to you, that, if you would believe, you should see the glory of God?
Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Amos 4:7-8 And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered to one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have you not returned to me, said the LORD.
1 John 2:15-16 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
John 16:12-13 I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
Matthew 21:22 Jesus once said, “And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive”.
Relevant Words of God:
In your experience, no matter what refinement you undergo through God’s words, what God requires of mankind, in brief, is their faith and their love for Him. What He perfects by working in this way is people’s faith, love, and aspirations. God does the work of perfection on people, and they cannot see it, cannot feel it; under such circumstances, your faith is required. People’s faith is required when something cannot be seen by the naked eye, and your faith is required when you cannot let go of your own notions. When you do not have clarity about God’s work, what is required of you is to have faith and to take a firm stance and stand witness. When Job reached this point, God appeared to him and spoke to him. That is, it is only from within your faith that you will be able to see God, and when you have faith God will perfect you. Without faith, He cannot do this. God will bestow upon you whatever you hope to gain. If you do not have faith, then you cannot be perfected and you will be unable to see God’s actions, much less His omnipotence. When you have faith that you will see His actions in your practical experience, then God will appear to you, and He will enlighten and guide you from within. Without that faith, God will be unable to do that. If you have lost hope in God, how will you be able to experience His work? Therefore, only when you have faith and you do not harbor doubts toward God, only when you have true faith in Him no matter what He does, will He enlighten and illuminate you through your experiences, and only then will you be able to see His actions. These things are all achieved through faith. Faith comes only through refinement, and in the absence of refinement, faith cannot develop. What does this word, “faith,” refer to? Faith is the genuine belief and the sincere heart that humans should possess when they cannot see or touch something, when God’s work does not align with human notions, when it is beyond human reach. This is the faith that I speak of. People are in need of faith during times of hardship and refinement, and indeed, faith is something that is followed by refinement; refinement and faith cannot be separated. No matter how God works, and no matter your environment, you are able to pursue life and seek the truth, and seek knowledge of God’s work, and have an understanding of His actions, and you are able to act according to the truth. Doing so is what it is to have true faith, and doing so shows that you have not lost faith in God. You can only have true faith in God if you are able to persist in pursuing the truth through refinement, if you are able to truly love God and do not develop doubts about Him, if no matter what He does you still practice the truth to satisfy Him, and if you are able to seek in the depths for His will and be considerate of His will.
Excerpted from “Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement”
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