Lesson 24 Warring Against the Flesh - Believing God’s Word
Questions 3 and 4
Hearing and Believing the Gospel
Friend, you and I have been involved in substance abuse, but there is a God-given way to escape it: it is through continual hearing (reading, singing, etc.) the gospel, and actually believing it is true, for us!
This pathway to freedom necessitates that you latch on to the gospel, claim it as your own, and believe that it is for you. It obliges you to push past your doubts and latch on to the good news by faith.
It requires you to believe it even if other people would refuse to let you enjoy it, even if the devil is shouting “it’s not for you!”, even if it seems too good to be true, even if you don’t think you qualify.
If you would be free from the power of alcohol, drugs or smoking, you must believe the gospel and replace the lies and half-truths that the world has told you. Indeed, you must let go of everything except the cross of Jesus Christ. “I decided that while I was with you, I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The gospel must become everything to you, or else it will be nothing to you.
For many years while I was ensnared in substances, I was a professing Christian. I attended church, prayed, and was knowledgeable in the Scriptures. But, I lacked one essential thing: believing faith. I had information but lacked transformation. The Holy Spirit had not applied God’s Word to me, personally; and so, “the teaching I heard did not help me because I heard it but did not accept it with faith” (Hebrews 4:2).
Question 3. Why do you need to both hear the gospel and accept it with faith?
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Djamila writes:
If you read the message but have no faith, it will not transform you. In fact, you will only have information but you won't experience the power of God in your life.
Ask for Faith
If we want the kind of faith that embraces the gospel in a personal way, we must cry out to the Lord for it (Psalm 34:17, 145:19). Since faith is a gift, we must seek the Giver, and ask for a faith that embraces the gospel, cherishes the gospel, and would live and die for the gospel.
As Scripture says:
“Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
Romans 10:11-13 NIV
Question 4. What two concepts do we see combined in Romans 10:11-13?
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