LESSON NINE: FAITH - RESTING IN ELOHIM

I.       INTRODUCTION
II.      RECEIVING THE PROMISES OF ELOHIM
A.     REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW
B.     PARTAKING OF OUR REDEMPTION
C.         RELEASING THE POWER OF ELOHIM
III.         FAITH EVIDENCE OF SPIRITUAL REALITY
A.     ELOHIM’S UNSEEN REALITY
B.     ELOHIM’S WORD REVEALS THE UNSEEN
C.         FAITH THAT PLEASES ELOHIM
D.         POSSESSING ELOHIM’S PROMISES THROUGH FAITH
IV.        FAITH – A POSITION OF REST
A.     YAHWEH'S LOVE AND OUR FAITH
B.     FAITH IS OF THE SPIRIT
V.         SUMMARY – THE FAITH THAT PLEASES YAHWEH
  1. INTRODUCTION
Faith is of vital importance to every believer. The New Testament books states plainly that only  faith will  get  a  person born again into Yahweh's kingdom (Ephesians  2:8).  Only  by faith can an unbeliever appropriate the righteousness which Yahweh has made available (Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:28).
But even after a person has exercised faith to be born again, he still needs to walk by faith. "As you therefore have received Messiah Yahshua the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith ... "(Colossians 2:6,7). You received the Lord by faith, and now you are to walk by faith.
The importance of faith can be seen in the fact that it is impossible to please Elohim without it. "And without faith, it is impossible to please Him; for he who comes to Elohim must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Yahweh is pleased with faith, for faith is the way in which we receive what He has provided for us. Those who come to Yahweh must acknowledge two truths about Him. One must believe that Yahweh is. This is acknowledging Yahweh’s existence and His power (Romans 1:20).
One must also believe that Yahweh is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This is acknowledging Yahweh’s character, acknowledging who He is. So, in order to please Elohim, we must have faith; and faith is our conviction not only of Elohim's power and ability, but also of His willingness to use that power and ability in for our good.
  1. RECEIVING THE PROMISES OF ELOHIM
Through Messiah's atoning work on the cross, Elohim has given to us all things which pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). His death has provided for us redemption  and salvation, both spiritually and physically. Through Yahshua, total provision has been made for any need we might encounter in this life. The Word of Elohim is full of Elohim's promises to His children, and "all the promises of Elohim in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of Elohim by us"  (2 Corinthians 1:20).
But while all this is available to the believer, these promised blessings from Elohim will not come automatically. There is a part which each person must play in receiving what Elohim has provided. Elohim promised the land of Canaan to the children of Israel,  but He didn't swoop them up in a whirlwind and transport them there out of Egypt. The children of Israel didn't wake up one morning to find themselves teleported to the promised land. They had to go in and possess the land which Yahweh the Lord had already promised and given.
In much the same way, many believers need to go in and possess what Elohim has already promised and provided for them through the Lord Yahshua. Elohim has done His  part and now waits for His children to do their part. He waits for His children to exercise FAITH in what He has already done, and so receive and possess the provision that He has made for them.

    1. REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW
The Scripture says that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim (Romans 3:23).” Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Because everyone has sinned (Romans 5:12), everyone has broken the righteous Law of Yahweh. Our sin has brought a curse on us.
But thanks be to Yahweh that while we were yet sinners, Messiah Yahshua died for us! Yahshua died in our stead being sinless and taking upon Himself the sins of the world (1 Peter 2:24). He was buried and rose again never to die again! Now everyone who repents of his sins and believes in Messiah Yahshua has Yahshua’s righteousness imputed to him and is no longer under the curse of the Law.
"Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree' - in order that in Messiah Yahshua the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13,14).
Those who believe in Messiah Yahshua ought to continue living a life of holiness free from sin (1 Peter 2:24).
Please read all referenced verses.

    1. PARTAKING OF OUR REDEMPTION
Study of the atoning work of Messiah will show how broad and far-reaching our redemption really is. Hebrews 2:1 – 4 says we have received a great salvation.
The promises of Elohim, given to us in the Word, tell of a vast reservoir of blessing at the disposal of every believer. But it is up to the individual believer to "tap" into that vast reservoir for himself. He must possess what Elohim has promised and provided.
The possession of Elohim's promises and provisions according to His will is accomplished when a person exercises faith in Elohim and in His Word. Faith is the spiritual quality which "taps" into Elohim's reservoir and receives the promises of Elohim. All the power of Elohim and of His Word is available to anyone who will believe. But, unless faith is exercised, that power will never be realized.


      1. Plugging into the power source
A simple but effective illustration of this principle can be seen in the rules which govern electricity and its use. All the electrical power necessary to operate an appliance is present in any electrical outlet.
But no matter how close to that outlet the appliance may be placed, no electricity will flow into it unless it is plugged in. One can place the appliance within inches of the outlet, for long periods of time, but nothing will happen. The appliance will only receive the electrical power that is in that outlet when it is plugged in, and thus connected to the source of power.
In the same way, the only way anyone will ever receive from Elohim's power source is to "plug in." Faith is the "plug" which will allow a person to tap the reservoir of Elohim's power and receive the provision which He has made available to all His children.
Simply attending church services, going through Bible studies, and listening to sermons for long periods of time will have no effect on a person if he never uses faith to receive from Elohim. Having hands laid on day after day will accomplish nothing for a person unless he exercises faith. He will be just like that appliance, which is set within inches of the outlet, but never plugged in. Not until he plugs into Elohim's provision with his faith will that person possess what Elohim has provided for him.


      1. The touch of faith
Read Mark 5:21-34
Yahshua had within Himself the power of Elohim to heal the sick.
He would lay His hands on the sick to allow that power to be transferred from Himself to the sick person. In this instance however, there were numerous people touching Yahshua. In fact, they were crowding in on Him as He walked to Jairus' house (Mark 5:24). Many people were in physical contact with Yahshua at that moment, so His disciples were perplexed at His inquiry as to who had "touched" Him (Mark 5:30,31).
 
But even though all those people were in physical contact with Yahshua, only one had the power of Elohim flow into her body. That was the woman who touched Yahshua in faith. It was when someone touched  Him in faith that Yahshua knew that power had gone out of Him (Mark 5:30). Yahshua commended the woman for her faith (Mark 5:34), stating that her faith had made her well. She was healed because her faith plugged into Elohim's healing power and received what was necessary to drive that disease from her body and restore her to health.
It is plain to see from this passage that it is the touch of faith that releases Elohim's power. When a person has faith in Elohim and His Word, he begins to appropriate all the blessings which Elohim has purchased for him. To receive Yahweh’s promises, you need to exercise your faith in Yahweh and in His Word.


      1. Failing to possess
The promise of Elohim given to the children of Israel was that the land of Canaan belonged to them. All of Elohim's power was at their disposal to enable them to possess what Elohim had given them. Yet that particular generation never possessed Elohim's provision for them because they would not believe the Word of Elohim. They would not plug into Elohim's power by faith.
"For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV).
The message that the children of Israel heard was that the land was theirs (Genesis 28:13,14; 50:24); Elohim's Angel would go before them to drive out the inhabitants (Exodus 23:23); Yahweh would cause all their enemies to turn and run from them (Exodus 23:27,28). In fact, it was known among the heathen Canaanite nations that Yahweh had given them the land, and so they were terrified of the Israelites (Joshua 2:9).
And yet all the power of Yahweh, which was available to the children of Israel through His Word, was of no avail to them because they would not "plug in" by faith. They didn't experience the blessings of Elohim which belonged to them because of their unbelief, or lack of faith.
Please read all referenced verses.
 

    1. RELEASING THE POWER OF ELOHIM
These few examples are sufficient to show that it is FAITH in Yahweh and His Word that will enable us to fully possess all the blessings of our redemption. Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the Law and has made available to us all the blessings of our father, Abraham.
Abraham's blessings were both spiritual and physical. Abraham was spiritually blessed because he had a relationship with Almighty Elohim (Genesis 17:7). But Abraham was also materially blessed (Genesis 13:2) and physically blessed in his body, being able to sire a son at the age of one hundred years (Genesis 21:5).
All these things belong to us, according to Yahweh’s will, but we must appropriate them.  It is the touch of faith that will release these things in our lives. It was faith that released the power of Elohim into the woman's body. It was faith that enabled Caleb and Joshua to go into the promised land (Numbers 14:6-9; 32:11,12). So too, it is faith that enables us to possess all that Messiah has purchased for us in His great redemptive work on the cross.
  1. FAITH EVIDENCE OF SPIRITUAL REALITY
Faith is the spiritual quality which connects us to the power of Elohim. The Bible defines faith in the following way: "Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]." (Hebrews 11:1 Amplified).
Faith is an assurance of the heart. "For with the heart man believes ... " (Romans 10:10). It is much more than a mere mental assent to certain information. It is a conviction of an unseen, spiritual reality. The promises of Elohim are an unchanging, spiritual reality, whether they are being experienced in the life of a believer or not. Faith perceives and is assured of the reality of these promises in the face of physical evidence to the contrary.

    1. ELOHIM’S UNSEEN REALITY
Inherent in the definition of faith given in Hebrews 11:1, and indeed in any discussion of the subject of faith, is the concept of an unseen reality. Faith is understood as a conviction of "things" which  are not experienced by the  physical senses.
To walk by faith, then, means to walk with one's attention fixed on what is not seen rather than on what is seen. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Believers are called upon to "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). This does not mean that we are to walk blind or in ignorance. It means rather that we are to fix our gaze on the unseen reality, the higher spiritual reality.
The Bible says that the whole physical world that we see around us came into being out of the spiritual world which is physically "unseen" (Hebrews 11:3). So, the unseen spiritual reality of Elohim is one which overrides and supersedes the seen physical reality which our senses experience.


      1. The unseen spiritual realm
There exists around us an unseen spiritual realm. It is the realm in which Elohim lives and operates. It is the realm in which angels work and in which demons live. Though it is not physically seen, it is nonetheless very real. This is the realm out of which Elohim created the physical world in which we live. In fact, the whole physical world is predicated upon and has its source in the spiritual realm.
This principle of an unseen realm is remarkably illustrated in 2 Kings 6:8-17. Read this passage before proceeding.
The Aramean (Syrian) king surrounded the city with a mighty army. In the physical realm, things  looked  rather grim. But Elisha was aware of a higher reality. He was aware of the presence of an unseen host.
The servant had to have his "eyes" opened to perceive it. Elisha's awareness of that unseen reality caused him to have great assurance about the outcome of the Aramean attack. He had confidence because he knew the spiritual reality outweighed the physical reality which his physical eyes were beholding.


      1. Walking by the superior reality
"For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). We are to walk by faith, and not by sight, because we daily confront situations in which the reality, we "see" does not correspond with the unseen reality - Elohim has given us "all things." When this occurs, our conviction and assurance must be fixed upon that unseen reality, as was Elisha's, and not upon physical circumstances. This is not to say that physical circumstances are illusionary. (That is what Christian Science teaches.) Physical circumstances are real, just as that Aramean army was real. But there is a higher principle of reality, which supersedes what our eyes see. That is the spiritual reality which Paul says we are to look to (2 Corinthians 4:18).


      1. Temporal vs eternal reality
The things in the spiritual realm, which are unseen, are eternal; they never pass away. This cannot be said of this physical world. It is passing away. The things which are seen are "temporal"; they are subject to change. But the things which are unseen, those spiritual realities, are eternal; they will never change.
Thus, it is easy to see why we should fix our confidence and assurance on the unseen things. Those are the things which remain. If one only puts confidence on what he can see, he is destined to fail, and not become a partaker of the marvelous things which Elohim has purchased for him. But if a person will put his trust and confidence in Elohim's unseen realities, he'll begin to experience those blessings in his own life.


      1. Abraham’s assurance
Abraham was a man who was confronted with just such a contradiction. The physical circumstances said to Abraham that he and his wife, Sarah, could never have a son. He was 100 years old, and she was 90. Yet Elohim had spoken to them that they would bear a son. Abraham had a choice. He could believe what his body told him, or he could  believe what Elohim's Word said. He could walk by sight, or he could walk by faith.
Abraham chose to walk by faith, and so received from Elohim a son in his old age. He was convinced of the reality and truth of Elohim's Word, even though it was contradicted by what he could see. Abraham was assured that the unseen reality of Elohim's Word was more real than, and superseded by, what he could perceive with his physical senses (Romans 4:17-21).
Please read all referenced verses.

    1. ELOHIM’S WORD REVEALS THE UNSEEN
Our "window" into this unseen reality is the Word of Elohim. It is Elohim's Word which informs us of the fact that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). It is the Word which tells us that we were healed by the wounds of Yahshua (1 Peter 2:24) Elohim's Word gives us insight into our sonship through  the Lord Yahshua (1 John 3:1). Without the Bible, our perception would be limited to what our senses could tell us. But with the Bible, we can receive information which is truer than what we perceive in the physical world.


      1. Revelation knowledge
The Word of Elohim will "open our eyes" in much the same way as Elisha's servant had his "eyes" opened. This doesn't refer to physical vision. It speaks of revelation knowledge given by  the Holy Spirit, which enabled the man to see the true reality of things, the way things really were.
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from Elohim, that we might know the things freely given to us by Elohim" (1 Corinthians 2:12).
The Spirit of Elohim will show us all that belongs to us by opening the Word to us (John 14:26). As we said, the Word describes reality, because it informs us of all that is ours in Yahshua Messiah.
Elohim has already given to us all things which pertain to life and godliness. As the Spirit unfolds to us from the scriptures what these "things" are, we will become more and more convinced of their reality in the face of seeming contradiction.


      1. Spiritual perception
Walking by faith is walking by the Word. It is basing our judgments not upon what we see, but upon what the Bible says. If we feel condemned because of our sins, but the Word says that if we repent and confess our sins then Yahweh will forgive us, then we need to repent, confess, and base our judgment of reality on the Word. We have been forgiven!
If we feel rejected, but the Bible says that Elohim loves and accepts us, our conviction must rest with the Word. We are loved and accepted by Elohim!
To live by the Word, and base our judgments upon it, we must know what the scriptures say. Ignorance of the Bible keeps people in bondage because it keeps them blind to the  reality of what Elohim has done for them.
Paul's prayer for the  churches was that they might know. "We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9). "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know ... "(Ephesians 1:18).
Paul was praying for their spiritual perception in much the same way as Elisha prayed for his servant. Elohim's Word is what will give to us that perception of the unseen realm in which Elohim lives, and in which He has given to us all the blessings and provisions of our redemption. The clearer our perception of those unseen realities, the more we will experience them in our lives.

    1. FAITH THAT PLEASES ELOHIM
A believer pleases Elohim when he puts his confidence in the truth of Elohim's Word and is assured of a reality which he cannot see. This kind of person believes before he sees any result in the seen realm. A faithless person insists on physical evidence before he will believe. This kind of person will not believe in healing until he sees physical proof of recovery. He will not  believe that Elohim supplies all his needs unless his bank account is full. He does not please Elohim, because he will never receive the blessings which Elohim has given to him.


      1. The problem of Thomas – faithlessness
Read John 20:24-29
Thomas made a statement which many are still making today. "Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). Today's version is a little modified, but in essence, still the same - "Seeing is believing!" Yahshua rebuked Thomas for his faithlessness because he wouldn't believe until he saw something with his own eyes. The promise of Elohim and the Word of Yahshua were not good enough for him. Yahshua called this kind of attitude, one which demands physical proof before being convinced, faithlessness!
But Yahshua pronounced a blessing upon those who would believe, having not yet seen. "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" (John 20:29). This is the kind of faith that pleases Elohim. Elohim is looking for people who will take Him at His Word and believe without having any physical evidence to prove the reality of what He has said.


      1. The example of Mary – believing Elohim’s Word
The virgin Mary was a woman who believed what Elohim said, even  though what Elohim told her was physically  impossible ­ and had never occurred before (Luke 1:31,35). Mary was convinced of Elohim's Word, and so her response to Elohim's messenger was: "Behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).
The fact that she, a virgin, was to conceive by the Holy Spirit, and that this had never happened before was not enough to outweigh the reality of Elohim's spoken Word. Given the choice to believe circumstances or Elohim's Word, Mary chose to believe Elohim's Word. She put her trust and assurance in the unseen reality, and so received exactly what Elohim had  promised.

    1. POSSESSING ELOHIM’S PROMISES THROUGH FAITH
Through the death of Yahshua, Elohim has given to us many great and precious promises. These promises sum up all that our redemption entails for us. But as we have said, the promises of Elohim don't automatically fall on believers. They must be received or possessed, in much the same way in which the Israelites had to possess the promised land of Canaan.
The promises of Elohim are received by faith. Faith is the factor which activates the power of Elohim and brings those promises into physical reality in our lives.
Faith connects us to Elohim's provision, because faith is our assurance of that provision while it is yet unseen. Our assurance must be fixed firmly on the truth of Elohim's Word, and on the reality that the provision has already been granted through the Lord Yahshua. All the promises of Elohim are Yes! and Amen! in Yahshua, because Yahshua has already paid the price for them. Halle-lu-Yah!


      1. Wondering and wishing
Wondering why one doesn't receive, or wishing that one would receive, won't release Elohim's power to bring about an answer. Wondering and wishing are not the ways to possess  the inheritance. Those who wish they had the provision sincerely desire it but are convinced that they do not yet have it. They only believe what they can perceive with their five physical senses.
"Faith perceives as real fact what is not revealed to the senses" (Hebrews 11:1 Amplified). Before anyone can begin to experience the provision which redemption has given, he must begin to see as real fact what he does not yet see in physical manifestation.
He must be assured that Yahweh is with him even though he is alone and has been abandoned by everyone. He must be assured that all his needs are met, even though his bank account may be empty. This assurance of the reality of the unseen, as it is revealed in Elohim's Word, is the thing that will bring into manifestation all the blessings of Elohim's redemptive inheritance.


      1. Biblical faith
Yahshua Himself taught this very principle of faith to His disciples. After telling them to have faith in Elohim, He went on to say, " Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24 NKJV). Also 1 John 5:14 – 15 says, “14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
The principle given here is clear. If you ask anything according to Yahweh’s will, believe that you have received (past tense) before you see anything, and then it will be yours.
This is Biblical faith, the faith which appropriates the bless ings of Elohim. We must believe that the promises and provisions of Elohim, as they are shown in the scriptures, are already ours before we will experience them. Faith is our assurance and conviction that we have them even though we do not yet see them.
  1. FAITH – A POSITION OF REST
Faith that pleases Elohim is that which believes that Elohim is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). To stand in the assurance of faith, one must be assured that Elohim is a liberal giver (James 1:5) and not a withholder (Psalm 84:11). Thus, one can see that faith is not a struggle with Elohim to try to get Him to move on our behalf. Elohim has already moved on our behalf, by giving to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Faith is not even a struggle to try to overcome difficulties by our own power or ability, "for the battle is not yours, but Elohim's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).
Faith is a position of rest, a confident assurance of what Elohim has already done for us, and a conviction that it will come to pass in our own experience. When we believe, we enter into rest, because faith sees things from Elohim's perspective - the way things really are.
Thus, the walk of faith to which we have been called is one of rest, resting in Elohim, not of struggle and strain. Yahshua said, "Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and  learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy (pleasant), and My load is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

    1. YAHWEH'S LOVE AND OUR FAITH
Yahweh has shown us His great love by sending us His Son Yahshua the Messiah to die for us in our stead (Romans 5:8). Faith in Yahshua is the most appropriate response to Yahweh’s love.


      1. Faith responds to grace
Faith is our heart's response to the unmerited favor of Elohim, as it is revealed in His Word. The Bible tells how much Elohim loves us, by showing all that He has done for us through the death of His Son.
When a person spends time meditating on the revelation of Elohim's love, as it is shown in the Word, and begins to comprehend the love of Elohim "which surpasses knowledge," his heart will respond with faith.
It was Elohim's grace (unmerited favor) that caused us to be born again. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; ... "(Ephesians 2:8). The unmerited favor of Elohim is what caused Him to sacrifice His only Son. Faith is simply our response to that gracious act. Thus, faith is not a "work" by which we can earn Elohim's love. Elohim's love and grace cannot  be earned. Faith is our assurance of what Elohim, by His grace, has freely given to us.


      1. Having faith in Yahweh’s faithfulness
The rest of faith is a confidence in Elohim's love and faithfulness. Elohim is faithful. It was because Sarah judged Him so, that she received strength to conceive Isaac in her old age (Hebrews 11:11). Resting in faith is resting in the unfailing goodness and mercy of Elohim. "O give thanks unto Yahweh; for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 136:1 KJV).

    1. FAITH IS OF THE SPIRIT
The assurance of faith, which enables a person to hold himself or herself calm in the midst of adversity, is a supernatural phenomenon. Yahshua often exhibited this kind of assurance during His earthly ministry. When a storm almost sank the boat in which He was traveling, His disciples were beside themselves with fear. But Yahshua remained calm (Mark 4:35 - 39). This kind of calm assurance arose out of His Spirit. It is with the heart that a man believes (Romans 10:10), and that is where the rest of faith comes from.
Faith is of the Spirit. It is not a mental phenomenon, neither is it an emotional phenomenon. We believe with the heart, and it is from the heart that the restful assurance of the truth of Elohim's Word will come. Faith in Yahweh will override any mental reservation or fears that a person may have if he will allow it to do so.


      1. Faith is not intellectual (mental assent)
Faith is not of the mind. It is not a mental phenomenon. One must be careful not to confuse faith with mental assent. Mental assent superficially agrees with the Word of Elohim, but when the pressure is on, it responds in much the same way as the disciples did during that storm.
Mental assent will not give a person the assurance as to the reality of what the Word says. It will always agree with circumstances rather than with the Word whenever there is a discrepancy between the two.
The rest that faith brings does not arise out of one's mind, because the rest that faith brings is supernatural. It is a rest which is not shaken by the winds of adversity. It remains assured of the Word of Elohim and confident of Elohim's faithfulness.


      1. Faith is not emotional excitement (feelings)
Faith is not of the emotions. It is not an emotional phenomenon. Often, well-meaning Christians will confuse emotional zeal with faith. Faith is a rest and assurance of the heart, and not necessarily an excitement of the emotions. The assurance of faith will sometimes result in an emotional response, but if one has emotions with no real assurance to back it up, that emotional excitement will always wither in the face of contrary circumstances (Mark 4:16,17).
Peter, in a moment of great emotional excitement, said that he would never deny the Lord Yahshua. Yet when the pressure was on, this is exactly what he did. He had no real faith to back up his zeal, and so his zeal withered in the face of adversity (Luke 22:33,34,60,61).
Yet later, when faced with another adverse situation, Peter had real faith to back up his zeal. He confidently looked at the Pharisees of the Sanhedrin and said, "We must obey Elohim rather than men" (Acts 5:27- 29).
"Behold, Elohim is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for Yahweh Elohim is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation"  (Isaiah 12:2). Faith is a position of rest, because faith recognizes that salvation is from Yahweh, and from nowhere else. Putting assurance in anything else (e.g., science, intellectual ideas, or emotional excitement) is bound to lead to disappointment. But putting trust and assurance in Yahweh, the Living Elohim, will always result in our receiving from Elohim what He desires for us to receive. As we cease from our own efforts and put our confidence in the goodness and faithfulness of Elohim, we will experience that rest of faith to which Yahshua has called us, and receive from the bountifulness of Elohim's hand.
  1. SUMMARY – THE FAITH THAT PLEASES YAHWEH
We must walk by faith in order to please Yahweh, believing that He is faithful and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This is the way in which we will experience all that Elohim has purchased for us through His great salvation. Walking  by faith means basing our judgments on what the Word of Elohim says rather than on what the world says or on what physical circumstances say. We are to look to the unseen reality which the scriptures describe, and as we do, those unseen things will begin to be manifested in our experience. Real Biblical faith involves believing and continuing to believe all that Yahweh has said in His Word. In this way we will experience the abundant life that Yahshua promised to give us (John 10:10).