Faithbase

Hello, thank you for tuning into my broadcast. My name is Andrew Jeffers. I'm glad to see you. Today, we're going to talk about faith. And when people think of the word faith, many things come to mind. People think of trust, hope, reliance, confidence, belief. You know, there's different thoughts when people think of faith. But let's see what the dictionary says about faith. It says faith. This is one meaning. Complete trust or confidence in someone or something that restores one's faith. Strong belief in God or in his doctrines or other religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Another meaning of faith says, faith, believe. Firm assurance, firm conviction, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance that the Lord is working, even though we cannot see it. Faith knows that no matter what the situation in our lives or somewhere else that the Lord is working in. These are some of the definitions of what faith is. Let's see what the Bible says faith is. Hebrews 11. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it, the elders obtain a good report. Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. So the Bible says, faith. Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. That's what faith says in the Bible. So when we think of faith, we believe in something. The faith that we have. Now, where does that belief come from? Jesus Christ. That's what we believe. That's who we believe. That's who's restored our faith. That's what gives us faith to believe that he will take care of anything regardless of the situation. Another definition says faith. It says faith was already present in the experience of many people in the Old Testament as a key element of their spiritual lives. In the New Testament, faith covers various levels of personal commitment. Obviously, however, they are not saved by the type, but by the belief. When we look at faith, when we look at what we believe in, why do we believe in this? Because we believe in Jesus. Jesus is the answer to all our situations. When we look at the way the world is right now, and they're going through their ups and downs, all types of craziness the world is going through, and it becomes saddening, down-hearting. It makes you start to feel, where is your hope? But your hope is in Jesus Christ, and that's where your faith is. That no matter what's happened, something's going to work out. No matter what the situation is, things are going to work out because we believe in a God that cares for us. John 3, 16 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. It says, whosoever believes in him, if you believe in him, you shall not perish and have everlasting life. That's a hope. That's a promise that he will take care of you and me, regardless of the situation we're going through. Because it says that he cared for us. It says in Ephesians 1, 4, it says, before the foundations of the world, before the foundations of the world, he believed in us. He cared about us. He cared for us. That's why he died for us. So when you have that assurance in God, who came down as a man, the supreme being came down as a man, to assure us that we will be saved. That's a promise that you could have, that no matter what goes on, he will take care of you. That's an assurance that you'll have, that no matter what the struggles we're going through, God will take care of you. Really, I mean, this may be March, Black History passed in February, but you don't have to have February just for Black History. But when we look at the struggles of us as Black Americans, as well as others, but I'm just being specific about the Black Americans, I mean, being brought here as slaves. Because we weren't slaves first. We were kings and queens. But then that destruction of slavery brought us here. We lost everything. Lost our mind, our who we were, our identity. Everything was destroyed. Brought down and treated in the worst condition that we could ever be, raped. All types of wickedness that the world cannot even describe when you look back at it. But yet, we had the belief, it was a belief that we're going to get out of this situation. No matter how bad the situation was, we believed. And in that belief, God did get us out of slavery. Because after the Civil War, he got us out. But then we had reconstruction and segregation, all the other type of things that came in to put us in bondage. But we still believed. And in that belief, things changed. And it's not just with the Black communities, with all communities. When you believe in Jesus, when you believe in him, there's a faith that you know, there's a confidence. As I said, there's an assurance. There's an assurance you have that no matter what, he's going to take care of you. And you can look at it throughout your life. If you're still here, you have a testimony. People say, I don't have a testimony. As long as you're still alive, you have a testimony. And you can look back, if he helped you in the past, that means he's helping you now, and he's going to help you in the future. Sometimes it may look dark, and you don't see anything. But as long as you are alive, you can still see. And you've got to keep on going on. Because as long as you keep on going on, you're going to see something change. Because when you give up, there's no change. But as long as you keep going, there's going to be a change. And that comes with faith. That comes believing in Jesus Christ, who is our Savior. It's not just some figment of our imagination. It's not a pie in the sky. It's real. And when you know it's real, you're going to keep going on. I always look at the analogy of boxing. People say, well, how are you getting boxing? That's a violent sport. But this is the reason why I say boxing. Fighters get in the ring, and they're going at it. And in this life, you're going at it. Let's be real. You're going at it with the devil. Things come left and right. Fighters get hit. They may fall down. But until that bell rings, the fight ain't over. I'm talking about when they're not counting out. So you get back up. And that's how life is. You may get knocked down. But until you hear that bell, in terms of you're not in the grave, you get back up. As long as you get back up, you can keep on going. You can keep on trying. Keep on moving on. That's where the faith comes in. You may have to move around. You may have to bob and weave. That's in life. You may have to move through the different angles of things. But you can keep on going. Because as long as you get back up, it's still a chance. I didn't hear no bell, so the fight's still going on. And as long as the fight's going on, he's in your corner. He's more than in your corner. He's there with you. He'll move you around to say, okay, this direction you may need to go, this direction. Because he doesn't force you, but he guides us. Jesus Christ, he guides us. So he guides us so we don't have to go through these situations alone. There's always the illustration where there's a man sitting. You saw a picture of him walking through the sand with two footprints. But then at one point, he only saw one footprint, one set of footprints. And he was wondering what happened. And the analogy is Jesus said, I was walking with you. But then when you couldn't walk anymore, I picked you up, and I was carrying you. So that's why you only saw one foot there. That shows that he never forsakes you. He's always there with you. When you have that type of faith, that's the faith that will keep you going. That's the faith that will keep you moving forward. Life will bring us up sometimes. We're seeing in everything the way the politics are. It's coming from the highs and the lows. We're seeing the problems that happen in administration that affects our daily lives. You know, we're dealing with a coronavirus, and every time it seems like one minute, things may have some leeway, but then it seems like everything's falling apart. Then we hear all these other things, racial uprising, you know, the police brutality, and other type of racist actions that have been going on. Sexism is coming out more and more. You know, it's always been going on, but now it's just more and more in our faces. And just the traumatic things that are going on in life, the inconvenience, and when death hits, it really shakes people up. But in spite of all of that, there's been some, God is still in control. In spite of all that, we're still going. In spite of all that, we're seeing movements in terms of trying to annihilate the coronavirus, even though they may not be fully able to get rid of it. They are coming up with medical procedures that make people be able to feel safe and still move and take care of themselves. With all the atrocities that's happening in terms of racism and sexism, we're still seeing a fight to change it. People are being brought to justice that atrocities are being done to. These are not just some isolated incidents. This is because God is still in control. He has not forsaken us. And that faith is what's going to keep you going. That faith is what's going to keep you believing. And assurance, the key word I keep saying is assurance because he's real. He's not a figment of our imagination. He's not some theory. He's real. He came down on this earth to die for us. And he died for us, rose again, and he's in heaven watching over us. And he wants to take us back. He says, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish and have everlasting life. He's going to come back again. But as I said, when he comes back, will he find faith? And I say, yes, he will. Because there are people that are going to stay faithful no matter what. We see it all through the Bible. We see it differently. And Joel went through a traumatic situation. He lost everything. He lost his family. He lost his, in terms of his children, he lost his property. He lost, and then he lost his health. And when you lose that, when the health gets you, you know, it's already traumatic when you lose all your children. Not just one, he lost all his children. And everything was back to back. First his property, then his children, everything. Then his health hit. And when the health hits you, sometimes you're like, it's not even worth staying alive. And it got to the point where the support he was supposed to get through from his friends, they couldn't. At first, when they came and they saw him, they didn't even recognize him because he was just so full of sores and everything. And they couldn't say anything. Sometimes when people are around you and there's nothing you can say, so you just sit there and watch. But then when they did speak, they didn't say encouraging things. They blamed him. You know, there's an old saying, if you don't got nothing good to say, don't say nothing at all. But then he was going through that. Even his wife got to the point where she was going through it so much with him. She said, man, why didn't you just give up, curse God, and die? And Joel got to the point where he said, look, what you're saying sounds foolish. It sounds like what the people who don't believe say. That's the key word. He said, it sounds like you're saying the stuff that people who don't believe would say. I believe. He said, when the good things happen, I'm going to praise God. So then when the bad things happen, I'm going to turn my back on God. No, I'm still going to believe. I still know he can help me. And Joel hung on there. And then he even got to a point where he started to wonder. But God told him, he said, look, where were you when I did this? Where were you when I put the foundation there? Remember, he said, from the foundations of the earth, from the foundations, from the beginning of time, God had us in his eyes. You know, he didn't say it like that to Joel, but when you read the text, it says, before the foundations, he had a plan of salvation for us. So he said, where were you when these were going on? And basically, God was telling Joel, you hang in there. I didn't give up on you. I told the devil that you wouldn't break, not because of some scientific test, because I knew your heart. You believe, and that's why you stayed with me. So don't give up. And I say the same thing to the rest of you. Don't give up. Hang in there. Believe. Faith is the substance of things hopeful, things not seen, that will come true. It will come true as long as you believe. You just got to hang in there. Trust in him. Jesus came down here to die for us, and he's still there with us. He's still, we can show we're okay. He's still protecting us. He's still guiding us. He's still taking care of us. He's still with us, and that's where your faith lies, in Jesus Christ, the hope of all humanity who's there for us, the blessed assurance that Jesus is mine, all what assurance is joy divine. That's who we believe in, that faith. That's faith. That's the faith that you hang into, the trust that you have that God will take care of you no matter what the situation is, the assurance that no matter how many, no matter how rough those times are going, God is still with you. And then there's always a proof in it. You could look back and say, you know, when I was going through this situation, God took care of me. When I was going through that situation, God took care of me. When I look at this situation, God took care of me. It's just like when you're taking a test. You're looking at when you have to take a test, you have to study. Your point might, you can't just take the book and put it to your head and think all of a sudden the notes are just going to, the information's going to come into your mind like that. I know they got cell phones like that where you could place your phone on top of another phone and it just transfers the situation into the thing. But no, as quickly as advanced technology is, you still got to read. You still got to study. When you study, the information goes into your mind. And then the day of the test comes, you may be nervous, scared, or shaky, but if you study, really study, there's a confidence you have, not a cockiness, but you're like, you know, I studied this. So I believe I have this information in my mind so I could pass the test. Because when you start telling the test, things come back to you. That's the same thing with our daily life. The communication with God, praying every day, studying his word, that communication with him will give you the assurance to know that no matter what comes your way, there's a confidence you have that God will take care of you. Another example is working out to get yourself in shape to look good. You got to exercise. You got to do calisthenics, whether some people use weights and stuff, but you have to exercise. In that exercise, you see the results. As the results come, you start to see, okay, this happened when I worked out, so my strength gets stronger, my endurance, you know, my physicality, you know, my health improves, too. All that happens as you start doing these things will give you the confidence that things can go on. I use this as the same example as your faith. This helps your faith when you believe in God, knowing that he's there, knowing that he'll work with you, knowing that he has the assurance to make sure that you are all right, knowing that he'll be with you, so when the tough times come, you don't give up. When the rough times come, you still hang in there. You know, the scenery behind me is water and clouds and sky. You know, when things may look dark, you still know there's going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. You're going to see some bright light. You're going to see some things that work out for you in a better way. It's a better day. There's a better day after a while, better day after a while, and that's the assurance that Jesus is going to make things work out, is the assurance that he's going to be with you. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as the 23rd Psalm says, I will fear no evil. By a rod and a staff that comfort me. The rod was what was used, the shepherds used to have a rod and a staff. The rod was actually used to fight off wolves and animals to protect the sheep. And the staff, which was a bow, was used to keep the sheep from getting lost and keeping them together. That's what he said, that rod and that staff, so God is keeping us with him. And then he's also protecting us from all the ferocious things that are coming after you. In 1 Peter it says, we battle not against flesh and blood, no, it says the devil is a roaring lion seeking where he can destroy. The other text says that we battle not against the powers of darkness, which is the devil, but yet God is more powerful than the devil. So we know he's more powerful, no matter what may come. Like Paul says, nothing Nothing will separate us from him, from the love of God. Not even demons, Satan himself, Paul says it. So no matter how powerful the devil is, God is still more powerful. And as long as you have your trust and assurance with him, he will not, nothing will separate us from him. Nothing will separate us from the love of God because his love is greater than all that. And if you cling onto his love, his assurance, this is where your faith is built on. He rose, he lives, and he stands on high, and he looks down low, and he sees this as one of his own. He sees you, and he sees me as one of them. I gotta include myself because I know he cares for me. If I made it this far, I didn't make it on my own. It was only through his love and through his guidance and assurance. And I say the same thing to you. You came this far, God's still with you. You just gotta hold on there. Don't give up. Believe, trust, faith. Faith, faith is the substance of all things hopeful. Faith is the substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen. It says, these are the evidence of things not seen. Even though we haven't seen it, we still know it's coming true. God believes in his assurance that he'll take care of us. And he's willing to take care of us if he wants to take care. He just wants us to hang in there. Don't give up. You know, life, as you said, life is so unpredictable. You know, you could do all the right things. In terms of the way you plan your life, the way you try to structure your life. And you're supposed to. You're supposed to, you know the steps you're supposed to do in life to take care of yourself. But there's a thing that happens. And I always tell people, it's called life. Things may, inconveniences may happen. And it may be serious inconveniences. It can change your whole ups and downs. But that doesn't mean that God's not there. The same way you hang in there and you trust God, the same way he'll carry you through. He just wants you to be faithful with him. Like I said, I keep eruditing it. I keep saying this. If he did it in the past, he'll do it in the future. He'll do it in the present. Because that's why you're still there. Because he's telling you to hang in there. Because he believes in us. And he loves us. And he just wants us to stay in trust with him. Stay, believe in him. Stay. The word of St. Jesus, to stay faithful to him. Because he will take care of us. He will. He will assure us that no matter what, no matter how much rough times are gonna come, he's there with us. No matter how much the struggles in life are there, he will be with us. At the end of Paul's life, when he was about to be executed, he said, I fought the good fight. I fought the good fight, Paul told him. And he told him, he said, there's a crown in heaven waiting for me. It's waiting for you all and waiting for me. So he said, in the resurrection, God has something for you. And he has something for all of us that just hang in there. And that's the assurance that we have about. But even in this time, even in the present day, God still does things to take care of us. He still watches over us. Because Paul and the other apostles, they were witness to it when they were being persecuted. Remember, they were locked up in prison and God caused the earthquake to free them. Shit, at one point when Paul and Silas were in jail and he caused the earthquake, the jailer was gonna kill himself because he saw them escaping. Paul had him stolen and said, no, don't kill yourself, we're still here. That was so deep to them that he converted. And we see with Jesus himself, when he was on this earth, the power and the love he showed caused people to believe. You know, when he was on the boat with the disciples, the winds and the waves went crazy and they woke him up. And they were like, Jesus, Jesus, we're dying. And we're looking, what's going on? Because when you're in a storm, make no mistake about it, it's frightening. And four of them were fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John, they got us Andrew. But them four were fishermen, even though it was 12 of them, but four of them were fishermen. So they knew what the waters were like. And this storm was even crazier. They were like, you know, what are we gonna do? Jesus looked at them and said, you guys don't have no faith. And he instantly said, peace be still. And when he said peace be still, instantly, everything stopped. It just stopped instantly like that. It became calm and cool. And they were like, what manner is this that he controlled, that this man controls the winds and the waves? What manner is this? As soon as he said peace be still, instantly it stopped like there was never a storm. What manner of this? Human beings cannot control the weather. We can predict it and we can, you know, arrange ourselves to deal with it, but to actually control the weather, we can't. But Jesus can. And that's who we have our confidence in. He's the one that controls the engine. He's the one that created the engine. So if we believe in him, we'll be safe. We will have an assurance that he'll take care of us. That's who we believe in. That's who our faith is in. That's who our assurance is. The ones who put all of this into place, not the wickedness, but the purity and goodness. And even with the wickedness, he's still there. When the three Hebrew boys were thrown in a fiery furnace, Jesus came down and made a personal appearance, protected them in there. That's the assurance we have. When Daniel was thrown in the lion's den, Jesus came down and sent the angel down, Gabriel, to protect them. And the same thing that happened back then is happening now. As we said, we go through our ups and downs, but then we see, how did I get out of this? It was because of the love and the confidence and assurance that Jesus came and worked me through. Especially when it works out in your home, but I can't understand, how did this work out? You know it had to be just by the power of God. That's the only way it worked out. That's the only way I was able to maintain myself, to still be alive. My rent can't get paid, but all of a sudden, I get some money. And I didn't steal it. And God didn't steal it. You got some money to meet your needs. That's the assurance that God had, that God gives us, that he'll take care of us. And a lot of times, that's what we need to do. When we're going through these things, don't give up hope, but look back at the little things. And they may not be little, they may actually be big things, but God really helped you out. And that's proof that he's still with you, and he still will help you to this day. I say that to encourage everyone, to give people that assurance, that we worship a God that's on heaven, that looks down on us, and he sees us. He sees us as his own. It says, we are the sons and daughters of God. And when he sees us, he created us in his image, in his likeness. We are his children, and he wants the best for us. He doesn't want us to be soft. You know, you gotta go through your ups and downs to develop strength, to develop a backbone, you know, so that when things tumble, you'll be able to know how to weather the storm, there's a song that says, my anchor is hold, my anchor is secure, you know, my anchor is secured in the Lord. So when the winds and the waves come, I won't be lost, it won't throw me off. No matter what happens, things will still move in me. No matter where the winds of life toss me, I still will be firm, I still will be sure. I won't go too far off, because God has still got me there. So no matter what happens, I won't go off the deep end, because God has my assurance. He has me where I know that no matter what's happening, I'm gonna be okay. That's what it says, there'll be peace in the storm. There's a quietness that you have in the storm, in the midst of life, because you know God is gonna take care of you. You know God is all, he'll get you over all right. You know that God has our best interests, and God has never, he said, Lord Matthew says, I will never leave you, nor forsake you, even unto the ends of the earth. Until he comes back, he'll always be with us. And then when he comes back, we'll be with him forever, physically face to face with our Jesus. That's the assurance we have. That's the trust and the confidence we have, that Jesus is, and I just say that to say, keep faith, keep faith alive, keep the faith. There was an old saying throughout the Christian, society, keep the faith, keep the faith alive. I'm just telling you brothers and sisters, keep the faith, keep the faith. I think Andrew Payton Powell said it, but a lot of Christian communities are saying, I say, keep the faith, and I just tell you that, keep the faith, man, because Jesus is still there with us. All right, thank you for tuning in. A pleasure talking with you all, and this won't be the last. We'll be, I hope to see y'all for my next show, and we'll just keep on encouraging and talking and blessing each other. Just want us to just hang in there, man. That's why I keep saying, keep the faith, keep the faith, man, because when things go wrong, keep the faith. When it doesn't look like things are working out, keep the faith, because your assurance, when things go down, always look up. Never look down, but always look up, because your redeemer's standing up high. Always look up, because he's standing there guiding us. Always look up, just hang in there, no matter what. Always look up, because your redeemer's standing on high. God bless you all. May God be with you, he'll take care of you, and he'll be with you. I say that with confidence and assurance, that God will be with you, and he's with me. I know he's with me, he'll be with you. This assurance we have, that God is still with us, and God is still in control. I look forward to talking to you on my next show, and as we go on, we'll just keep on keeping on. We'll just keep on hanging in there. God bless you all. Thank you.