In this week’s message, Pastor John Carter continued to teach us that we must learn how to walk by faith. Walking by faith is by definition walking toward an image that you do not yet see with your physical eyes. Faith is something that is exercised in the present. Whatever faith believes, it believes for it right now. “FAITH IS.”

Faith is giving substance to real things that are not seen or manifested in the realm that the five senses can connect with yet. And it is giving substance to our hopes. Now, hope is not merely a wish. In the Greek, hope means to expect with certainty. It is a certain expectation, something you know for sure is going to happen. Faith is present, and hope is future. Faith gives substance now to certain expectations in the future. We have to have hope first.

You have to believe it’s possible first before you can engage your faith to pull it into the now. Your hope has to be rooted in faith, because you are basing it on the right evidence. Look to the Word for your evidence. The Word of God is all the truth you need. We deal with the real (circumstances) by looking at the ideal (the Word).

Faith is your evidence that what God has promised in His word is real, and it gives substance to those promises. Faith takes the place of the God-given promise you cannot yet see until it arrives! When the Word gets in your heart and in your mouth, that’s when your faith activates!

Key Scriptures:

• [2 Cor. 5:7 NKJV] For we walk by faith, not by sight. 
• [Hebrews 11:1 NKJV] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Discussion Questions:
1. What is the relationship between faith and hope?
2. Why does hope come before faith?
3. How does remembering God’s faithfulness in the past act as a source of hope now?
4. What is the evidence that your faith must be rooted to?
5. How does faith pass the test of time?

Life Application:
This week as you study the key scriptures, consider what Pastor John said, “Why do they bring evidence to a court case? Because the evidence takes the place of what cannot be present to be seen. The evidence tells the story of what did happen and what will happen.” Your faith is your evidence. It is the evidence that God needs to see at work in your life. Your faith will tell the true story of what you expect God to do in your life.

It is your proof that you believe in God and His promises. So, ask yourself this question. Is your faith presenting evidence to God that you really believe His promises, or is it presenting evidence of the opposite? Where is your faith rooted?

Is your faith presenting evidence and building a case for the good work God will do in your life? Do you really believe God is working on your behalf? Make sure that when others look at the evidence of your life, they see a case for faith. Let your life be the testimony that proves to those around you that God is faithful to His promises to you!

This week’s message, Pastor John Carter reminds us that faith is rooted not in what we see, but in what is written in the Word of God. Faith is an internal quality of what is believed, and an external demonstration in what is spoken.

Faith works together with the constant renewal of our spirit. Our bodies may be aging, but the Word tells us our spirit is being renewed day to day. This will at times create this tug of war inside of us – body vs. spirit. But don’t forget, the Bible calls the struggles of our flesh light and momentary afflictions, and that they are actually working for us.

They are helping us to recognize our need and to operate by our true design. If we are born again, we are a new creation. Our spirit is ageless, and that is the true us. The true us is spiritual by design and forever being made new. Your spirit hungers to operate by faith, because faith feeds your spirit. We need the Word of God to feed our faith so we can live according to our true design.
Key Scriptures: 

• [2 Cor. 5:7 NKJV] 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 

• [2 Cor. 4:13, 16-18 NKJV] And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, ... 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward [man] is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen [are] temporary, but the things which are not seen [are] eternal. 

Discussion Questions:
1. What is the connection between believing and speaking when it comes to faith? 
2. How do you think your spirit is renewed daily? 
3. How do learn to look beyond what is in front of you distracting you? 
4. How can you fill your vision with the Word of God? 

Life Application:
This week as you study the key scriptures, consider what Pastor John said, “What you look at determines whether or not you rise by faith or recede in fear. You can’t look to the world around you to grow your faith. You have to look toward the Word of God and intentionally allow it to fill your vision. Let it coat what you see, so you are able to see beyond what is in front of you to what can only be seen by faith.”

This week consider what is most important – learning to see with the eyes in your head or the eyes in your heart? The eyes in your head can mislead you, can trip you up with the challenges of the moment. But the eyes of your heart work by faith in the word of God. They see what can be. What situations in your life do you need to start seeing differently? Begin to look at your life through the lens of God’s Word and walk by faith, not by sight!

Message Summary

In this week’s message, Pastor Jordan Carter taught us how to build our faith. Sometimes, its hard to operate in faith when the reality we face counteracts the faith we are speaking. How do we build a faith that can withstand the demands of our reality? The first thing we need are blueprints. The Word of God is the blueprint for our life. The Word clearly point out what is true and what is a lie. When you know what is real, then you can recognize what is not. The word of God is the foundation of our faith.

The word is a record of the promises and the blessings of those who went before us. When you believe the word of God by faith, we can still experience those promises for ourselves today. The second thing we need to build faith is a hammer. Our hammer is our ability to speak the Word. It is the force behind our faith. We must speak the word of God to activate our faith. The Word of God in our mouth is a powerful tool to build up our faith.

The final thing we need to build our faith is a whole lot of nails. Our faith must be gritty. Our faith grows strong the more we apply it. As we keep hammering one nail of faith after another, we are fortifying and strengthening our faith. We must build up our faith!

Key Scriptures:
 

• [Jeremiah 15:16 NLT] When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven's Armies. 

• [Jeremiah 23:28-29 NKJV] "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What [is] the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD. 29 "[Is] not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer [that] breaks the rock in pieces? 

• [Hebrews 10:23 NKJV] Let us hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful.

Discussion Questions:
1. How does the Word of God grow your faith? 
2. Why is important that you speak the Word over your life? 
3. How can you hold fast to your faith? 

Life Application:
This week as you study the key scriptures, consider what Pastor Jordan said, “Real faith must be gritty faith, persistent faith that can withstand and that does not waver.” How do we keep our faith from wavering? We remember that God is faithful (Heb. 10:23). Where do you need to remind yourself that God is faithful, that you don’t have to give up so easily?

Where do you need to start speaking the Word of God and its promises over your circumstances? Where do you need to hold fast and trust God? It’s time to start building up your faith! “If God is for you, who can be against you?!” (Rom. 8:31) Trust God to do what he said He would do. The fruit of your life may be waiting on the faith you’re willing to give it.

Message Summary
In this week’s message, Pastor John Carter taught us that to please God we must learn how to walk by faith, not merely by sight. Faith is the foundational truth that we begin our walk with God with as believers.

The Bible tells us that once we are saved, we are each given a measure of faith – a measure of faith that is sufficient to accomplish all God has called you to do, according to the grace and gifts He has deposited into your life (Eph. 2:8). Faith doesn’t just help you get saved; it is available to you to help you navigate the life God has called you to live as a believer. But how does faith come and how does it grow in your life?

It comes by hearing the word of God. The Word of God is full of a capacity for you to believe it. God’s Spirit is present with the Word to impart faith to the person who hears it. The Word brings faith! But you have to be careful that as you grow in your faith, and learn to ask in faith, that you do not entertain fear or doubt. Fear can undermine your faith, if you let it.

You have to guard your faith, and fight back the doubts that are born out of the distractions of this world. This is why you have to sit under the anointed teaching of the Word of God. It will help you to grow in your faith! Fill your heart, your home, fill your life with God’s Word and faith will come.

Key Scriptures:

• [Romans 12:3 NKJV] For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

• [Romans 10:17 NKJV] 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

• [James 1:5-8 NKJV] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

Discussion Questions:
1. How does faith come according to the Bible? 
2. Why do you think the Word of God builds your faith? 
3. Why is doubt so dangerous to your faith? 
4. How do you combat doubt? 

Life Application:
This week as you study the key scriptures, consider what Pastor John said, “If you are in doubt, or driven and tossed by fear, don’t think that you will receive anything by faith. God requires us to stay in faith without allowing the circumstances of life distract our faith.”

Examine your life. Is there any area of your life where you are trying to stand in faith, but are really entertaining doubts? You have to address and correct those doubts with God’s Word. Speak to those doubts and say, “But God’s Word says…” As you do this, your faith will grow and you can push back your doubts. Choose to root your faith strongly in the promises of God’s Word.

 Message Summary 
In this week’s message, Pastor John Carter taught that there are some things that you need to make sure you are walking in in your daily actions and decisions. And one of those things is faith. The Bible says that you must learn to walk by faith, a supernatural state of being.

Faith works beyond sight. You cannot walk by faith, if you chose to rely only on your sight. Faith sees beyond what you can see with your natural eyes. When it comes to walking with God, you cannot rely on your five senses, not in the same way. In fact, they can be a hinderance to you if you rely too heavily upon them to inform you.

Faith is a living, supernatural force and it creates a vibrancy that lives on you. Those who walk by faith carry an aura that is attractional to God, noticeable to men, and offensive to the devil. Faith is the starting point of the Christian life. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith (Eph. 2:8). Faith is the primary way to please God, because faith is a living trust in God and in His power to work in your life.

Faith knows the truth that God wants to do something for you because He loves you. But it is what you really believe, according to the level of your faith, that will determine how much of God’s blessing you will actually experience in your life. You have to lift up your faith level to experience more.

Key Scriptures: 

• [2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV] 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 
• [Hebrews 11:6 NKJV] 6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

Discussion Questions:
1. What does faith mean to you? What does it look like to you? 
2. Why do you think we need to walk by faith? 
3. What does our faith communicate to the people around us, to the world we interact with? 
4. How does faith please God? 
5. How can faith change your life? 

Life Application:
This week as you study the key scriptures, consider what Pastor John said, “It is only those things in our lives that we do that are fueled by faith that are noticed by God and please Him.” This week, examine your life. Have you applied your faith to the areas of your life? Have you applied faith to your finances?

To your relationships? To your education? To your family? To your health? To your love walk? To the words fo your mouth? Are you actively believing for God to do something awesome in your life? God wants you to have living, powerful, mountain-moving faith.

The challenge for this week is to begin to apply strong, living faith to all the areas of your life that need change. Because things won’t change until you believe – absolutely believe – that God wants to do something great in your life! Speak God’s word over your life, and begin to fill your mouth with faith! It’s time to level up your faith walk.

Message Summary
In this week’s message, Pastor John Carter taught us about how to restore our walk. The Bible tells us that there are some things that we need to make sure we are walking in, and that our daily actions and decisions should reflect these truths that we should be walking in. We have to be careful to protect our walk, or we will allow the things of this world to cling to us and influence our walk. And sometimes that can result in us walking into things we did not intend to. Don’t walk on a path that takes you away from God.

The Bible tells us that there are some things (Spirit, faith, prayer, wisdom, fear of the Lord, order, work, etc.) that we need to walk in order to experience the blessings of God. To arrive in the destination we want, that walk will include some things and exclude others…on purpose. There is a way we ought to walk, because it pleases God. We have to determine how to walk in a way that pleases God and leads us in the direction of our purpose.

KEY SCRIPTURES

• [1Thessalonians 4:1 NKJV] 1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God. 
• [Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV] 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 
• [Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV] 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Discussion Questions:
1. What does “your walk” mean to you?
2. What are some of the things that we should walk in that please the Lord?
3. In what area of your life do you need to work on your walk?
4. How can you begin to grow in that area of your walk?

Life Application:
This week as you study the key scriptures, consider what Pastor John said, “We are His poem. Each one of us is uniquely designed by God. And we were created for good works that God prepared in advance. We have a purpose, and what we do is important.” Consider who God created you to be…uniquely. What do you feel you were created for?

What are the good works that God has designed for you to do? What is your purpose? The better you can answer these questions for yourself, the more accurately you will walk in the direction God has planned for your life. Dwell with the Lord this week, and ask Him to tell you the answers to those questions!