Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin Zadai 02-05-2023

Powerful Faith

"While you wait for God's promise, you will come to know what He is doing as your relationship with Him grows."

~Kevin Zadai

Faith operated powerfully in Abraham for when he was put to the test he offered up Isaac. Even though he received God's promises of
descendants, he was willing to offer up his only son! For God had
promised, "Through your son Isaac your lineage will carry on your name." Abraham's faith made it logical to him that God could raise
Isaac from the dead, and symbolically, that's exactly what happened.
Hebrews 11:17-19 TPT

DISCUSSION:
This week, we will be discussing the subject of powerful faith, as Abraham demonstrated. Hebrews 11:17 reveals the incredible faith that Abraham operated in when he was put to the test by offering up his son, Isaac. Even though he received God's promises of having descendants, he was willing to sacrifice his only son. We know this story very well. It reminds me of all the times God instilled faith in me and told me about His promises, just like He's spoken to you. He has deposited seeds concerning His great plans into your heart. It takes some time to see the manifestations, understanding that, at times, it will not be instant. As we get closer to the end of time, we have more difficulty operating in this earthly realm. Life isn't easy; However, this does not diminish the power of God and His promises.

When God communicates His plan to you, remember that He has an intention beyond our understanding, which involves the whole generation. Each of us is extremely important, and we're all building each other up into this wonderful building called the Temple of the Lord or the Body of Christ, the Church. So we're all part of that body. So when God spoke to Abraham and promised him to become the father of many nations, it was just as real as when he had his son, Isaac. To him, this promise became a reality in the spirit when he first heard it from God Himself.

That's what the Scripture means when it says: "I have made you the father of many nations." He is our example and father, for in God's presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don't even exist yet. Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at His word and as a result he became the father of many nations. God's declaration over him came to pass: "Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!"

In spite of being nearly one hundred years old when the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child. He never stopped believing God's promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God!
Romans 4:17-21 TPT

GOD'S WORD WILL TEST YOU
Moses was given great promises but then faced years of difficulties. It wasn't until he was around 80 years old he started to move with God in the deliverance of the children of Israel. Joseph also endured long seasons of hardship before God's word finally came to pass.

Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that His word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.

Psalm 105:16-19
Psalm 105:19 expresses that the word of God tested Joseph until it came to pass. Like Moses and Joseph, Abraham was tested for years through his circumstances, but God's word was just as real when it was spoken as it was when it was fulfilled.

If you remember, even after Abraham received his promised son, God put him to the test and told him to offer up Isaac. And so Isaac had been through this with the Lord for so long. Consider how long Abraham had to wait; it was most of his life before God's word was fulfilled. By this time, Abraham was convinced, since God had miraculously brought His promise to pass, that He would also resurrect Isaac from the dead if he were offered up as a sacrifice. So Abraham believed in God and went along with it.

"Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the servants. "The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back."
Genesis 22:5 NLT

I believe that Abraham knew what was going on when he told the servants to wait at the bottom of the mountain. He told them that he and the boy would go farther to worship, then he said, "We will come right back," meaning the boy and him. So Abraham did not expect God to have him kill his son. He understood it was a test and followed through with it, which is my point for this week. Think about the circumstances you have gone through with the Lord over all these years and the promises He has made to you. Maybe some of them haven't come to pass yet. Perhaps others have been fulfilled; however, God may be testing you right now. Perhaps He is requiring you to complete a difficult assignment. I want you to be encouraged.

o How have you been tested while waiting for God to fulfill His promise?

In Aramaic, the faith that Hebrews 11 reveals is described as "powerful faith."

• Abraham was operating in the will of God, yet his powerful faith was still tested.

• Because of his deep relationship with God, he understood what was happening. As mentioned, he told the people, "We will be back," after he was told to take Isaac up and sacrifice him.

• The way that the scripture is written shows that in the natural, Abraham wasn't coming back with his son.

• Yet his faith, trust, and relationship with God spoke even louder; He knew God couldn't renege on His promises.

• The Lord told him that he would have offspring as numerous as the sand on the seashore, as many as the stars in the sky.

• He knew that Isaac was just one of many that would come, so this was just the beginning.

Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin Zadai 02-05-2023

The truth is that Abraham is our father, too! He is waiting to meet us in Heaven and the multitudes of children with his powerful faith. We have a rich heritage through his faith, which has been transferred to us, as we see through the Apostle Paul's writing.

INCREASING INTIMACY WITH GOD

Many great people in the Bible waited their whole lifetime to encounter the fulfillment of God's promise, such as Joseph, Moses, Noah, and Abraham. It wasn't instantaneous. You may not have seen God's promises yet, but He is working them out right now.

While you wait for God's promise, you will come to know what He is doing as your relationship with Him grows. You will learn when He is working as you get to know His personality. Like Abraham, you will understand He is testing you to see where you're at with Him. You will come out with flying colors because of your trust; you know He has chosen a righteous path for you.

THREE KEYS TO POWERFUL FAITH

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 NLT

1. God is establishing His plan, which is greater than your difficulties.

• God is working everything out for your good because you love Him and are called according to His purpose.

• There is a dichotomy here, a split between evil and good. We are enduring many difficulties in our day, so it may seem as though satan has his way with the world, but that is not true.

• The truth is that we are wrapping it up down here. God is still on the throne, working through His Church, even though the world is not serving God.

• Anytime God requires you to give something to Him, He is working behind the scenes, establishing a more excellent plan for you.

2. Trust God, understanding that you will receive His promise.

• You may not have seen God fulfill his promise yet, or He may have fulfilled it, but now it seems like things are being taken away.

• You have got to trust God. He may not be in control of the world, but He's in control of your life because you gave it to Him.

• Understand God is testing you, and you will pass the test.

3. You must be able to share the faithfulness of God.

• God is also working for the good of those around you or to who you're called to minister.

• When you receive the promises of God and then you pass all your tests, you are ripe and eligible for ministry because you've got a testimony.

• God will always be faithful and wants you to share that faithfulness with others.

Allow God to work in you and on your behalf. Remember, He is giving you a testimony, a story that you can tell of His faithfulness. Breakthrough is going to happen for you. God is working it out, even though it takes time.

YOU WILL RECEIVE GOD'S PROMISE

I have encountered God throughout my life, yet it has not been until recently that I have seen the fulfillment. Some promises manifesting now were spoken to me as a teenager, 45 to 50 years ago. He even spoke a word to me at the age of 10 that is happening right now—that's 50 years later! I'm just starting to see the promises of God. So don't give up on yourself, and don't give up on God. Let God work it out, and believe Him. He trusts you and has given you an amazing life of resurrection power. We are called to a life of preaching and teaching the good news of the gospel while living it out. We will witness miracles in the days we live, for God is moving by His spirit.

God is working His promise to you out. Abraham spent a lifetime seeing the fulfillment. Noah was one of the only pure people left in a time full of the hybrid race. On the whole earth, his family was the only one saved on the boat that preserved them from among the hybrids. Remember Joseph, who was the deliverer for his family and his country. He was sold as a slave and later became second in command of all of Egypt. Think about Moses, who was left for dead in the water, in a basket, and ended up in the Pharaoh's court. He ended up becoming the deliverer of Israel, the one who took the people out of bondage. These promises took lifetimes to be fulfilled. Your testimony of God's faithfulness is also based on a lifetime. So just stay close to God and trust Him.

Pray for each other and build one another up in faith. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to intervene and share your testimonies. When God does wonderful works and miracles for you, testify of His goodness, which will increase faith in others.

PRAYER:

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for all my family all over the world as we love You, worship You and learn about Your word. May we all have powerful faith, like Abraham, who received Your promises. Even when You tested him, he did not give in because he knew You. He knew that You were working, and he saw the fulfillment. Now we all are part of the seed of Abraham, the family of faith. He will see how many offspring he had when we all gathered with You, Father. I pray that You increase, establish and encourage everyone in the Warrior Notes family all over the earth. Thank you, Lord, for what You are doing! Lord, work miracles, signs, and wonders in people's finances, bodies, and relationships. And to every lying, evil spirit attacking them in these areas, we rebuke you! Leave them now! In the name of Jesus, amen

1. Think about your journey with the Lord and some of the promises He made to you. Share what you are waiting for God to pass. Have you received your promise but are now being tested like Abraham?

2. As we go through testing, what should be increasing in our lives? How have you grown to know God more intimately in your test?

3. Why is it important to understand God's personality as He establishes His plan in your life? How does knowing Him develop powerful faith in you?

4. Discuss the dichotomy between good and evil here on earth. How can we strengthen each other to build powerful faith in one another?