They didn’t really believe the promises of God; they refused to trust Him and move forward in faith. They forgot His wonderful works and the miracles of the past... - Ps 78:10-11 (TPT)
Faith is not just believing in the mind. It must be followed through with action. Kenneth Hagin said that "believing in the mind is simply mental assent."
Mental assent is simply agreeing with God, but that is not faith. Even the devil agrees that God is real.
i.e. "God is the Healer. I believe it. I just don't really think that He would heal me personally now." This is an example of mental assent.
The Israelites believed in their mind. It was mental assent. Because they didn't move forward in faith, which proved that they didn't really believe the promises of God.
Asaph wrote that "they forgot His works and the wonders that He had shown them." (Ps 78:11 ESV)
Remembering the past faithfulness of God through His works and wonders is the bridge to walk in faith. The works and wonders do not give us faith. The testimonies do not give us faith. They only give us HOPE.
Hope is the confident expectation of His goodness. Hope enables us to expect God to do it again because of His faithfulness. But hope is still not faith, since faith only comes by hearing His Word (Rom 10:17).
Why is hope then needed for faith? Faith is the substance of things hoped for... (Heb 11:1). The word 'substance' also means 'reality'.
Faith is the REALITY of things hoped for. Without hope, you cannot have faith NOW.
When we remember the past faithfulness of God through His works and wonders, we HOPE (confident expectation) in His present faithfulness to do His works and wonders AGAIN.
This empowers us to MOVE FORWARD in faith, which is believing beyond mental assent (agreement).
Faith makes Hope a reality for the present. Faith is in the NOW.
If you agree with God's promises, but find it hard to move forward in faith, recall the miracles and testimonies He did in and through you, and step out in faith.
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