Hebrews chapter 11
Today we are walking in: Faith: The Culture Of The Kingdom
Proverbs 20:6
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful H529 man who can find?
FAITH
Today we look to the word FAITH-- H529- emuwn--faithfulness, trusting, faithful
The Torah testifies...............
Deuteronomy 32:20
And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith H529
The prophets proclaim..................
Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith H529.
The writings bear witness............
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CHAPTER TWO
FAITH: THE CULTURE OF THE KINGDOM
“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”
The
message of the Bible is not about a religion, a fraternity, a
burial society, or a ritualistic social club. An honest and
objective look at the biblical text will reveal that this time-tested
book is about a King and a kingdom. Words like king, Most High, dominion,
sovereignty, royalty, reign, glory, worship, adore, honor, throne, diadem,
rule, obey, and bow down are not words one would
culture or vocabulary of a democracy or a republic. These concepts
are not found in the experience of our contemporary society, and
perhaps this why the Bible is so di
culture to understand or appreciate.
I was born in 1954 under a Kingdom which had ruled our islands
for over 200 years. The islands of the Bahamas were considered a
colony of the king and Kingdom of Great Britain which ruled many
territories in the Caribbean region such as Jamaica, Barbados,
Trinidad and Tobago, the British Virgin Islands, Granada, British
Guyana, and many others.
What is a kingdom? Ideally a Kingdom is the sovereign
government and governing in
impacting it with his purpose, his will, his nature, his laws, values,
morals, and his culture, producing a citizenry re
Therefore a Kingdom is a nation or a country ruled by a king whose
culture and society re
territory, that process is called colonization. The goal of
colonization is the extension of the kingdom’s laws, values, and
culture to the distant territory manifesting the glory of that king in
that land. All kingdoms consist of the following: a king, a Most High,
domain or territory, a common language, a royal constitution, royal
law, norms and values, morals, a royal code of ethics, royal
protocol, an economy, a common welfare, and a unique culture that
re
This is the essence of the message and mandate of the Bible; a
Kingdom and its text, purpose, interpretation, and application
cannot be fully understood outside this context. Even a casual
review of the message and priority of Yahusha Hamachiach reveals this truth:
From that time on Yahusha began to preach, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew
4:17).
Yahusha went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the
kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23).
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your
Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
But seek
(Matthew 6:33).
Yahusha went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good
news of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness (Matthew 9:35).
As you go, preach this message: “The Kingdom of heaven is near.” Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give
(Matthew 10:7-8).But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of Yah, then the Kingdom of Yah has come upon you
(Matthew 12:28).
He replied,
not to them” (Matthew 13:11).
“The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but
Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the
Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his
heart… (Matthew 13:18-19).
He told them still another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and
mixed into a large amount of
I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19;.
And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
The above are only a few examples of the message of Yahusha and
detail the priority of the Kingdom concept to His mission on earth.
Yahusha came to earth to restore the Kingdom colony of Heaven on
earth which was Yah’s original purpose and mandate for
humankind. The fall of humankind resulted in the loss of the
Kingdom government of Heaven on earth. It was this mandate that
motivated Yah the Creator to send His Son the King back to the
colony to restore the in
Heaven back to earth. The Kingdom and culture of Heaven can only
be appropriated by the heavenly citizens through the currency of
faith. According to the king, the promises and privileges of life in
the Kingdom must be activated by the quality of faith. One of the
principle keys of the Kingdom is faith.
…According to your faith will it be done to you (Matthew 9:29).
Faith is one of the most abused, misused, and misunderstood
concepts in human life. Throughout history faith has been perceivedin many di
name of faith, people have raped, pillaged, plundered, oppressed,
and murdered on a massive scale. Over the past 100 years more
people have been killed for their faith and in the name of faith than
in every preceding century of history combined. And in many cases,
those doing the killing did so with the belief that they were serving
Yah.
Even within the Christian church, faith has been abused and
misappropriated for sel
and held in contempt by those who don’t understand it. For the
same reason faith has become almost eradicated from the
experience of many believers. True faith is a gift from Yah, and the
Bible contains many warnings against using Yah’s gifts for personal
gain.
The phrase “Kingdom faith,” as used in this book, was chosen
deliberately to distinguish it from “faith” in its more general
meaning. “Kingdom faith” is the same as “true faith,” the faith that
characterizes life not in “religion,” but in the Kingdom of Yah. It is
the shared culture of all true citizens of the Kingdom.
Once again let me stress, the Kingdom of Yah is not a religion;
Christianity is a religion. The Kingdom of Yah is a country. When
Yahusha began His public teaching ministry, He came not as a preacher
hawking a new religion but as an ambassador speaking on behalf of
His Father’s government. He did not say, “Behold I announce to you
a new religion.” No, the
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17b).
Throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, the
message of the Kingdom of Yah is a message about a country. Deep
in our hearts, every human being is searching for a better country
than the one we live in on earth. All human governments are
deepest longings. Our search for a better country is perfectly
natural. After all, we didn’t lose a religion when Adam and Eve fell
in the Garden of Eden—we lost a country. We lost a dominion. We
lost a kingdom. We lost a culture. Kingdom faith is the key toregaining what we lost. So when I use the term “Kingdom faith,” I
am talking about faith in the context of a country.Kingdom Faith culture
Every country has a culture, and the Kingdom of Yah is no
exception. Culture refers to the particular beliefs, moral values,
social customs, and lifestyles that distinguish a nation or people
group as unique. Kingdom faith is the distinctive characteristic of
Kingdom citizens, so we can say that faith is the culture of the
Kingdom of Yah. From the very beginning Yah intended the citizens
of His Kingdom to have a cultural faith. But what does this mean?
First of all, it means that faith is the currency of the Kingdom of
Yah. Currency refers to whatever is used as legal tender in a
country. No country can function without currency. In order to live,
trade, buy, and sell in a country, it is necessary to have the currency
of that country. What happens if you don’t have the right currency?
You can’t buy anything. You cannot purchase food, drink, shelter,
goods, or services. No matter how much money you may have in
your pocket, if it is the wrong currency for where you are, you are
as good as broke. Without the proper currency, you are unable to
function at anything more than a bare subsistence level, and
sometimes not even that.
What do we call people who don’t have any currency? We call
them poor. In earthly cultures, poor people are the people who have
no money. In the Kingdom of Yah, however, poverty is measured
not in terms of lack of money, but in lack of faith. People without
faith are poor in Yah’s Kingdom regardless of how much money is
in their bank account. When a rich young man asked Yahusha what he
had to do to
go, sell all your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me” (Matt. 19:21).
Essentially Yahusha was saying to the man, “Don’t trust in your
riches; trust in Me. Then you will
will not last. Kingdom faith is the real treasure. Why is faith more
important than earthly wealth? Wealth is always temporary and can bestolen, lost, or can depreciate in value as it has in the 2008-2009 global
economic crisis. But Kingdom faith is “access” to the unlimited store of
the commonwealth of Heaven and can never be exhausted. If you lose
your money, you are only depleted. If you lose your faith, you are
completely defeated.
The devil is not after your money. He’s not after your house, your
clothes, your children, or anything else you think he’s after. He’s
after one thing—your faith. He knows that if he can steal your faith
you will be spiritually bankrupt. Faith gives us hope, so if faith is
lost, hope
of hope, which leads to despair. Life becomes pointless and without
value. In fact, we could say that despair characterizes the lives of
most of the people in the world. The poorest person on earth is the
person without faith.
Currency is necessary for quality of life in any country. The
amount of currency you have determines how much you can do in a
society. Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of Yah. Without it you
can get nothing and do nothing. Without faith, the life and riches of
Yah’s Kingdom are closed to you.
This brings us to the second point about Kingdom faith culture:
everything in the Kingdom is received by faith. How many things?
Everything. Is that hard to understand? Then let’s turn it around:
nothing in the Kingdom is received without faith. This is a critically
important concept. Without currency you can do nothing. In fact,
one of the fundamental principles of commerce and
you have to have money in order to get money or make money. That
is why a bank will not give you a loan unless you can come up with
10 or 20 percent of the amount on your own as a down payment.
Remember Yahusha’ question, “When the Son of Man comes, will He
faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8b). When Yahusha returns, will the whole
earth be bankrupt of the most important currency of all? Everything
in the Kingdom is received by faith, and nothing in the Kingdom is
received without it.
If faith is the currency of the kingdom, then faith is necessary for
living in the Kingdom. As I said before, if we lose faith, we arespiritually bankrupt, which leaves us unequipped and unsuited for
Kingdom life. Satan attacks just to steal our faith. He did it with
Job, so why wouldn’t he do it with you and me? Why would satan
cause your house to burn down? So you will stop trusting Yah. Why
would he put sickness in your body and attack you with disease? So
you will stop believing that Yah can heal. Why would he bring
provide for your needs. Satan is after our faith because he knows
that we live by it in our country. We spend faith on things in the
Kingdom of Yah. It’s the way we live.
Faith is necessary in the Kingdom of Yah because without faith the
Kingdom principles cannot be activated. Every country has a
constitution. In the Kingdom of Yah, the constitution is the Bible. A
constitution contains the precepts by which the country functions.
In order for a country’s citizens to function e
full bene
their nation’s laws and how they work. In the Kingdom of Yah, faith
activates the laws. Without faith, nothing we read in the
constitution can come to pass. Apart from faith, the laws, promises,
and revelations of the Word of Yah are only words on a page. Faith
brings them to life as the spirit of faith quickens them in our hearts.
This is why even some people who are not believers can read the
Bible, study it, and even quote it as well or better than you or I, yet
it has no positive e
law. Faith is the currency that activates all the promises and
principles of the Kingdom. We cannot truly live a Kingdom life
unless we understand and use faith properly.
To sum up then, faith is the lifestyle of the Kingdom. In other words,
faith is the style that we live by, the style we wear like a garment. It
is the way we manifest Kingdom culture. Faith keeps us alive.Faith De
The word faith is used to describe many concepts in life. For
example, “the faith” usually refers to a formal set of beliefs or an
established religion such “the Christian faith.” To “keep the faith”
means to hold
The term “faith movement” refers to an adherence to a belief system
that magni
these are legitimate expressions that serve to de
corporate experiences of millions over time.
The concept of faith has been of great interest throughout history
but especially in the past 40 years, and it has even been the subject
of doctrinal exploration, producing major religious movements and
organizations. The revival of the focus on faith which gave rise to
what in the Western world is known as “the faith movement” has
had a very positive impact on the lives of millions of believers
around the world. This rediscovery of faith as a major component in
the Western religious experience has brought many back to the
importance of faith in humankind’s relationship with Yah. I, too,
have bene
However, there has also been a not-so-positive impact from this
emphasis. For many, faith has become an isolated doctrine, creating
an exclusive believers’ club that leaves those who don’t have the
“right kind of faith” feeling spiritually inadequate. This has had a
devastating e
frustration, depression, and low self-esteem—or turn “from the
faith” completely. The paradox of it all is that faith was intended to
eradicate these very destructive elements. Faith, which is supposed
to breed hope, produces instead a sense of de
Perhaps the real problem is that faith was never intended to be a
doctrine or an isolated message but rather a natural experience
integrated within the bigger picture of Yah’s plan for humankind.
Yahusha Hamachiach Himself never taught faith as an isolated component butalways in the context of His principal message: the Kingdom. His
position seemed to be that faith is a normal part of life in the
Kingdom. In essence the concept of faith must not be separated from
the context of the Kingdom and can only have its full e
vital role of appropriating the promises of the government of
Heaven on earth.
But what exactly is faith? How do we de
truly meaningful? The writer of the New Testament Book of
Hebrews de
for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). In Hebrew the
most common word for faith is aman, while the Greek word for faith
used most often in the New Testament is pistis.1 Essentially, pistis
means belief, but more than just casual mental assent or acceptance.
Pistis refers to conviction, a deeply-held belief. It also means
“persuaded.” someone who has pistis faith is persuaded at a deep
level of conviction that something is true.
Another way to describe pistis is to say that it is a faith of
con
expectation is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what
we do not see.” We cannot have true faith and not expect something
to happen. With pistis faith we con
for Yah to act for our good and His glory, even when we can see no
visible evidence of anything happening.
True faith also means a “sure hope.” But isn’t that a contradiction
in terms? Not from a biblical perspective. We tend to think of hope
as something we desire but have no certainty that we will receive: “I
hope I get that new job.” Biblical hope is di
sure and certain because it is anchored on the integrity and
promises of Yah. We may not see it yet, but we know it is coming
because Yah said so. The apostle Paul said of hope, “For in this hope
we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for
what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we
wait for it patiently” (Rom. 8:24-25). And once again, the writer of
Hebrews, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul,
secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Yahusha, whowent before us, has entered on our behalf” (Heb. 6:19-20a). Hope is a
vital part of Kingdom faith, and because it is anchored on Yah who
cannot lie and who never changes, it is as sure for us as if we
already held it in our hands.
Because it is based on this kind of hope, pistis faith also means
“resolve.” To resolve is to come to a de
about something. Resolve says, “I know Yah will keep His word. I
don’t know how, when, or where He will do it, but one thing I do
know, He will do it!”
The tragedy for much of the modern Church is that the faith of
many professed believers does not rise to this level. What about
yours? Are you trusting in wealth, circumstances, and things you
can see, or is your faith anchored in the Person of Yahusha Hamachiach, who
cannot lie and who is “the same yesterday and today and forever”
(Heb. 13:8)?
Let’s see how this works. If you expect it to rain, what do you do?
You carry an umbrella. The sky may be clear and the sun shining,
but if the weather forecast calls for showers, and you believe it, you
will leave the house prepared for rain. People may see you walking
with your umbrella on a bright and sunny day and think you are
crazy, but you may know something they don’t, and you are ready
for it. When you have faith, you prepare in advance for the answer
because you know it’s coming. Some people say they trust Yah to
care for them but do nothing to prepare themselves for the future or
for the storms that are sure to come. That’s not faith; it’s
presumption. It’s foolishness.
Faith is sure hope that drives you to action. That’s why the Bible
says that faith without works is dead (see James 2:26). Actions or
good works are no substitute for faith. True faith—kingdom faith—
results in actions and good works. Kingdom faith produces good
works, not the other way around. The purpose for this book is not to
focus primarily on the de
through a myriad of books and courses available from many
sources. My principal purpose in this work is to restore faith to the
context of the bigger picture of the Kingdom of Heaven and theextension of that Kingdom to earth—to purge faith from its extreme
isolation and reset it in the culture and nature of Kingdom living.
Faith is to the Kingdom like oxygen is to humankind, like money is to the
economy, like water is to
Without faith you cannot do business with the government of the
Kingdom of Heaven. The principle of Kingdom faith is simple: “You
cannot appropriate what you don’t believe; you cannot inspect what you
do not expect.” Just as you cannot live within the economy of your
country without money, so you cannot live in the Kingdom of Yah
without the currency of faith.Kingdom Faith in Action
Kingdom faith gives us access to all the rights, privileges, and
bene
constitution, the Bible. This is why it is so important that we
understand that Kingdom faith is—and must be—a lifestyle. Citizens
with the right currency can obtain anything the Kingdom has to
o
New Testament.
As Yahusha went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son
of David!”
When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, “Do you believe
that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Most High,” they replied.
Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you;” and their
sight was restored (Matthew 9:27-30a).
There is nothing mysterious about Kingdom faith. It is
straightforward, practical, and has nothing to do with religion or
religious ritual. When these two blind men came to Yahusha seeking
their sight, He did not ask them any religious questions. He didn’t
ask them how many prayers they had prayed or how much money
they had given to the Temple treasury. He asked one simple, non-
religious question: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” That
was it. Essentially Yahusha asked them, “Can you pay the price to get
your eyesight back?” Remember that faith is the currency of the
kingdom. These two blind men were seeking a Kingdom bene
wholeness of body—but they needed the right currency. And that
currency was faith. To put it another way, Yahusha said to them, “Do
you want your eyesight back? Show me your money.” And they
said, “Here it is, Most High: we believe.” And Yahusha said, “Ok, that’senough.” And He restored their sight. They transacted Kingdom
business with Kingdom currency and got what they were after.
Kingdom faith is really nothing more than citizens of the Kingdom
believing their government’s legal promises in the constitution of the
Word and claiming their rights under the law. Notice how the two
blind men addressed Yahusha. First they called Him the “Son of David,”
acknowledging that Yahusha was a King because He was descended
from David’s kingly line. “Son of David” was also a phrase that in
Yahusha’ day was understood to refer to the Messiah, Israel’s promised
King and Deliverer. The blind men also called Yahusha “Most High,” which
means “owner.” In using that title they were acknowledging that
Yahusha was indeed King and the rightful owner of all things, including
themselves. By calling Yahusha “Most High,” they were saying, in e
“You own us, and we’re blind, which means that you own
blindness.” This put pressure on Yahusha, because a king’s reputation
rests in part on the welfare and quality of the life of his people.
These two men came as Kingdom citizens to claim their Kingdom
right of wellness, paid with the currency of faith, and went away
whole.
Some people come to Yah to get things, but they don’t want Yah
to own them. “Bless me, Most High, but don’t get involved in my life.
Don’t touch my relationships. Don’t get involved in my business.”
But Yah says, “Wait a minute. Who do you think I am?” That is a
critical question. Who is Yah to you? To “religious” faith, Yah is a
celestial santa Claus to whom they go to get things. To Kingdom
faith, however, Yah is Most High and King, sovereign Creator and Owner
of all things.
Yahusha said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for [desire] in
prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark
11:24). Many people misunderstand and abuse this verse thinking
that it means they can sel
Yah. They are wrong. Scripture also states that we must ask in
Yahusha’ name (see John 14:13), which means in accordance with His
character, and that we must ask in accordance with Yah’s will (see
1 John 5:14). Whereas casual interest displays a “take-it-or-leave-it”attitude, desire has to do with deep passion. Desire is the inner drive
that says, “I’m not going to let it go until I get it.” Yahusha asked the
two blind men, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
Unspoken but implied was another question: “How badly do you
want it?” The degree to which we receive in the Kingdom is
determined by the degree to which we believe. The more faith we
exercise (the more currency we trade), the fuller will be our
experience of Kingdom life. If we lose faith, we can get nothing from
the Kingdom of Yah. That is why satan is after our faith.The Enemies of Faith
In his relentless campaign to destroy our faith, satan employs two
powerful weapons, two devastating enemies of faith: fear and doubt.
Fear and doubt are related. Whenever one shows up, the other is
never far behind. One of satan’s top faith-stealing strategies is to try
to sow fear into our lives. He will do all sorts of drastic things and
bring all manner of adversity across our paths in order to make us
afraid because he knows that where there is fear there is no faith.
Fear produces torment, and torment stirs up hopelessness, a feeling
that there is no way out of the current torment. Another word for
torment is worry. Prolonged, unrelieved worry causes all sorts of
health problems. In fact, worry is the number one factor at the base
of nearly every disease. So fear can actually make us physically sick.
The last thing we want in life is to give in to fear. Living in fear
destroys our potential and debilitates our faith.
Living in faith, on the other hand, will empower us to reach our
fullest potential and even do the impossible. One day, as an object
lesson to His disciples, Yahusha cursed a
Immediately the tree withered. In amazement, the disciples asked
how this had happened:
Yahusha replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what
was done to the
and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew
21:21-22).
As long as we try to live under Kingdom culture in this world, we
will always have to battle between faith and fear. Our challenge is
to make sure that faith wins. Fear will keep us away from the
mountain; faith will move the mountain. I don’t think Yahusha was
talking about physical mountains necessarily, although that too
might be a possibility. What He was talking about is anything that
looks like a mountain to us, anything that seems to be impassable,
that seems to block our progress. Kingdom faith will drive allobstacles away. They may not all disappear at once, but ultimately
faith will win out. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
We make prayer out to be so hard, but in Kingdom culture it
should be the most natural thing in the world. Consider the
simplicity of Yahusha’ statement: “If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer.” What could be simpler? It’s
straightforward and precise. The only requirement for e
in prayer is faith. If you believe, if you exercise Kingdom faith, then
not even satan and all the powers of hell can stop you. Fear cannot
stand in the presence of faith. By faith we know that Yah is love and
that He loves us. Faith teaches us to love Yah, and as this love
relationship grows, fear
no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do
with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1
John 4:18).
Kingdom faith must overcome doubt and tests. Everyone on earth
goes through tests. Trials and troubles are the common lot of
humankind. None of us are immune; none of us are exempt. While
we may have no control over when, where, and how the tests come,
we do have control over how we respond to them. Tests will either
make or break our faith. More to the point, tests will prove or reveal
what kind of faith we have. Kingdom faith that is anchored on the
rock of Hamachiach will stand; any other kind of faith will not. Whenever
we face a crisis of some kind, we have to make a choice between
faith and fear. Yahusha understands this, which is why He so often
said, “Don’t be afraid.”
One day a synagogue leader named Jairus asked Yahusha to come to
his house and heal his daughter who was very sick. While they were
on the way, messengers arrived to inform them that the girl had
died. They then suggested that Jairus shouldn’t “bother” Yahusha
anymore. Yahusha thought di
told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid, just believe’” (Mark 5:36).
He then entered Jairus’ house and brought his daughter back to life.
Guard your faith carefully. People will try to talk you out of your
belief. Fear and doubt are the two great enemies, and they arealways crouching just outside the door ready to pounce. Like
everyone else, I have known fear and doubt, and I know how
powerful they are. A doctor gives you the diagnosis: cancer. Your
boss gives you the word that you are being laid o
burns to the ground, and you lose everything. Something like this
happens, and the ground drops from beneath your feet. Your whole
world falls apart. Before you can even think about it, the fear wells
up inside and threatens to overwhelm you. Yahusha says, “I
understand. I know you are afraid. Don’t be. Trust in Me. Shift your
fear into faith.” In any crisis situation the choice is always there:
fear or faith. Choose faith. It won’t always be easy because fear will
The
life. We don’t even
are. The apostle Paul urged Timothy, his young protégé, to “Fight the
good
preached. Toward the end of his life, Paul testi
have fought the good
faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Concerning the nature of this
“For our struggle is not against
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Spiritual
enemies call for spiritual weapons:
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we
with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of Yah, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Hamachiach (2
Corinthians 10:3-5).
The “strongholds” Paul refers to are mental strongholds,
entrenched ways of thinking that the devil uses to mislead us as to
the nature of our
enemies. The trials of life—sickness, job loss,
rebellious children, and the like—are not our enemies. Our enemies
are the evil spiritual powers of darkness that take advantage of trials
to instill fear and doubt in our hearts with the purpose of causing us
to lose hope. That is why we need divine power—Hamachiach’s power—to
demolish those mental strongholds and replace them with new ways
of thinking built on a foundation of faith.
Kingdom faith is so powerful that it even removes the fear of
death. Both the Bible and subsequent history are
testimonies of believers who faced death fearlessly, con
even with joyful anticipation because in faith they knew that death
was not an ending but a beginning. Physical death means nothing toa Kingdom citizen; it is merely the doorway to the other side, to life
in its absolute fullness. As believers we don’t lose when we die; we
win. Sometimes we measure Yah by this side and forget that He’s
even greater on the other side. Paul knew this to be true, which is
why he could write in perfect peace, “For to me, to live is Hamachiach and
to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Faith is the victory that leads to pure,
complete, and total salvation. Don’t let fear and doubt rule your life.
They are faith robbers.
One reason why so many people have a problem with faith is
because it appears counterintuitive; it seemingly goes against
“rational” thought. The world tends to take external appearances
and circumstances at face value. Looks are often deceiving,
however. We can never know the truth about any situation until we
can see it from Yah’s perspective, and that requires faith. To the
world faith makes no sense because it involves paradox. A paradox
is an apparently contradictory statement that is nevertheless true.
Kingdom life is built on paradoxes: the last shall be
of all (see Matt. 23:11); humility is the path to greatness (see Matt.
18:4); those who lose their life for Hamachiach’s sake shall save it (see
Matt. 16:25). Faith too is a paradox. As Hebrews 11:1 tells us, faith
is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we have not
seen. To put it another way, when in doubt, have faith; when you
don’t know what to do, believe; when nothing makes sense, trust.
As we saw in Chapter One, it matters where we place our faith.
Yahusha said, “Have faith in Yah” (mark 11:22). Trust not in things or
in people, but in Yah. He alone is unshakable. People will let you
down. Systems will fail. Jobs will go away. Put your faith in Yah.
His Kingdom will never fall. Yah will never fail you. He is steady.
He is stable. Yah is forever.Faith, Not signs
As we have already seen, faith in Yah means trusting in His
Person, not in His provision. It means believing in Him because of
who He is, not because of what He does. Faith that always seeks
signs is immature faith. Remember, Kingdom faith believes in what
is hoped for and not yet seen.
One day when a man came to Yahusha asking for a miracle, Yahusha
gave a surprising response:
Once more He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a
certain royal o
arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to Him and begged Him to come and heal his son, who
was close to death.
“Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Yahusha told him, “you will never believe”
(John 4:46-48).
Doesn’t that sound harsh? A fearful, heartsick man comes to Yahusha
to ask for healing for his dying son, and Yahusha says, “Unless you see
a miracle, you will not believe.” Here’s a man with a problem, and
you would think that Yahusha would respond with compassion.
Instead, he o
certainly must have been grieved many times over the lack of faith
He encountered in the people who
was tired of them coming to Him just to get things. But there was
something else at work here too. Yahusha was testing both the faith
and motivation of the man who sought His help. The man passed
the test.
The royal o
Yahusha replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”The man took Yahusha at His word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met
him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time his son got better, they
said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”
Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Yahusha has said to him, “Your son
will live.” So he and all his household believed (John 4:49-53).
This grieving father’s only concern was the life of his dying son.
He wasn’t after a
wanted his son to be well again. Now Yahusha responded with
compassion. The test was over. He told the man to go home and
assured him that his son would live. Notice that the man took Yahusha
at His word and departed. His original request was for Yahusha to come
and heal his son. Instead, Yahusha said, “Go. Your son will live.” This
was enough for the man. His con
assurance proved that his faith was not in miracles, but in the Yah
of miracles. Veri
Yahusha announced it solidi
and his entire household were converted. Like the two blind men,
this grieving father transacted Kingdom business with Kingdom
currency—faith—and received a Kingdom bene
Sometimes Yah wants us to
our faith strengthens it. Blessings don’t always come when we want
them; healings do not always occur on our timetable; hardships do
not always go away as quickly as we would like. Yah uses these
times to test our faith. He is asking, “Will you trust Me no matter
what? Even if you don’t get what you want when you want it or the
way you want it, will you still believe?” He wants to see our faith at
work. And He wants us to see that faith works.
It isn’t miracles that keep us; it is the Word of Yah. The man with
the sick son believed Yahusha’ word—and received his miracle. His faith
was in Hamachiach, not in what Hamachiach could do. Remember, blessings are
temporary. Miracles are temporary. Yahusha raised Lazarus from the
dead, but Lazarus died again later. Signs and wonders are
temporary, but Yah is permanent.The things that Yah wants to do in your life He cannot do without
faith. You’ve got to believe in Him alone, apart from any signs. He
will test your faith to prove it and make it strong. Sometimes He
will take you right to the edge and say, “Jump.” Will you jump with
only His word to go on, trusting Him for the outcome? Or will you
turn back and say, “First show me a sign, Most High!” He wants to know
that you trust Him enough to jump. Even more, He wants you to
know that you trust Him enough to jump. He may let you fall all the
way to the ground before catching you, but He will catch you. Then
He will say, “Good for you! I knew you could do it! You are truly a
child of My Kingdom!”
Faith is the currency of the Kingdom. Spend it lavishly and
everything will be open to you. Put your faith in Yah. Believe in
Him and all things are possible.
Kingdom Principles
Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of Yah.
Everything in the Kingdom is received by faith.
Without faith the Kingdom principles cannot be activated.
The principle of Kingdom faith is simple: “You cannot appropriate what you don’t believe; you
cannot inspect what you do not expect.”
Kingdom faith is really nothing more than citizens of the Kingdom believing their government’s
legal promises in the constitution of the Word and claiming their rights under the law.
When in doubt, have faith; when you don’t know what to do, believe; when nothing makes sense,
trust.
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