39. Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People - Jim Cymbala

I. Stolen Property
"In the spiritual realm, a kind of stealing is going on in many lives. Satan is in the business of ripping us off." e.g. stealing our very purpose of living/things that have value with God and are of eternal significance p.11 Jn 10:10
Faded calling for long time Christians. p.13
Where did the faith go?
David learned the powerful truth that God recovers stolen property. p.19 1 Sam 30:16-20 'David and his men came to a moment when they chose to get up and go after stolen prpoerty." p.20
We have to also come to the moment to say "In the name of the Lord, I am not going to give up on my calling, my potential in life." p.20
Satan knows the importance of faith "the righteous will live by faith" (Rom 1:17) and that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb 11:6) p.21 Real faith is our lifeline to God's grace and power.
Check instastory notes for Jan 5th, 2018.
We need to depend on God.
God can make you forget 'Manasseh' Gen 41:50-51
Can I trust God to lead me?
The forgotten standard of faith as a measure of the Christian life instead of outer things/denominational norms p.68 Many Christians make big decisions in life without the thought of seeking God.
"A faith-filled believer will pray earnestly until he finds God's will for things such as: changing jobs, moving..." p.71
Trust God completely instead of our own cleverness e.g. the negative exmple of Jeroboam 1 Kings 11, 14
Faith runs on a different clock "Many of our struggles about faith have to do with timing. We believe, at least in theory, that God will keep his promises--but when?" p.98 e.g. Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke 1:13-14; God does the impossible when we think it is past the timing already
God is drawn to prayer: Zechariah prayed. God revealed himself when people began to pray: Acts 10, Acts 4:31, Luke 11:1, Luke 1:13
Don't second-guess God
"The great battle of our spiritual lives is 'Will you believe?' It is not 'Will you try harder?' or 'Can you make yourself worthy?' p.105
"The timing of God is often a mystery to us, and even sometimes a frustration. But we must not give up. We must not try to arrange our own solutions." p.112
Overcoming Discouragement. Joseph's story.
Grace that is greater. Judah's story.

4-5 Jan, 2018
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999