Faith Through the Heart - Mercy Street Ministries

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FAITH

Through the Heart

Our heart must be prepared to receive before it can be prepared to respond in faith.

EVANGELIST RICHARD C. HOBBS

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Introduction

If you have a desire to see our Lord touch lives with health, healing, and so much more then it is my hope that the Lord will use you to be an extension of His heart into this world. There is a world of people who are hurting and are in need of someone who would believe for them and to teach them to have faith for themselves. With faith we can see the promises in the scriptures fulfilled before our own eyes. It is through faith that God provides.

Mark 9

23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Many struggle to believe for the promises of God and find it difficult to overcome their own doubts. We must seek to understand this struggle while sowing His Words into our heart. His Words will build faith and understanding to prepare us for the journey of our life. Our Lord seeks to bless His creation and to provide for them yet is often limited by our ability to believe in what He has so faithfully promised.

I believe that the simple truths conveyed in this book will help you to find the faith to follow the will of God for your life while receiving His provision.

Evangelist Richard C. Hobbs

Chapter 1

Believing With the Heart

It is God's desire to reach out and fulfill the Words He has spoken in the scriptures in the lives of His creation. He is in search for those who will only believe fully in what He has written, and the good news is that He will give you the ability to believe.

Luke 18

8 … Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

This scripture has echoed in my mind and my heart for years as I have wondered about its meaning and why the Lord had so frequently reminded me of it. I thought how sad it must be that He has to search the earth to find faith. One night in the streets of LA, the Lord said to my heart, “Why will you not believe?” While I had walked out in faith into a gang area and was ministering, I had areas of my life that remained to be changed by Him. He wanted me to have faith in Him to touch the needs in the lives of others. I had placed limitations on my own faith as I had failed to fully believe in Him to heal all in need and to provide for my own ministry. He yearns for someone who will simply believe for what He desires to do. I thought I had faith and yet I needed to receive further and understand why I had limited His access into my life and somehow into this world as He sought to touch others through me. So, I began to search my heart and the scriptures in hopes that I would discover the faith He has for me.

Have we sought to walk in faith to believe for our needs and desires but have become weary in our walk? Have we viewed faith as the result of positive confession or mental ascent to overcome our own doubts? Faith is greater than us and is the result of a heart filled with trust and belief in God. When we seek to have faith through works, we discover that our faith is subject to our own faults and weaknesses along with the limitations our mind has as we fail to believe beyond experiences. For most, the limitations of their faith are the result of past experiences. Our confession must come from the heart and be the result of a work that our Lord has produced in our heart.

2 Corinthians 4

13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak ;

In 2 Corinthians 4, we can see the assurance of Paul's heart as he affirmed his confidence in Christ to give him the courage and ability to press forward when situations or circumstances would suggest to give up. The strength and the determination for us to believe past circumstances are an attribute of Christ's work in our lives.

Matthew 8

5   And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum , there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him ,
6    And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7    And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8    The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9    For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10    When Jesus heard it, he marvelled , and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

As an evangelist, I have a unique opportunity to see lives changed in many different circumstances. There are so many that are hurting and yet the provision has been made through the work of the Cross and the Word of God.

We ask what about me? How does this personally apply to me? I want to believe and I want to see others healed. Let's examine an ordinary person in the life of Christ.

At the request of the Roman soldier, Christ was willing to heal his servant. To understand the request, we should look into the heart of the Roman soldier. First, he approached Christ and called Him Lord. When Christ responded that He would come and heal the servant, the Roman soldier responded with humility as he said that he was not worthy for Him to come under his roof. Looking further, we see that the Roman soldier did not ask anything for himself but for his servant. Lastly, we see the soldier understood the power of Christ's spoken Word. Christ acknowledged that He had not seen faith that great in Israel .

Could it be that the soldier's faith was simply a response from a heart filled with humility and concern for others? If the journey in your life has led you to be in full time employment, a working mother, or even retired, you too can be a person of great faith in the eyes of the Lord. Our occupations do not determine our ministry—our heart does. Prepare your heart to respond with the same faith the Roman soldier had. He simply spoke what he believed in his own heart. Reach into your heart and find your faith founded upon Christ.

There never was a question in the heart of the Roman Soldier concerning the Lord's ability to touch his servant. He spoke what be believed with full assurance. It is with this faith that we must live our lives. To let your life be guided by troubles or adversities is to let the world direct your life. What is the reaction in your life when you are faced with sickness, situations, or troubles?

Jesus recognized the faith of the Roman Soldier and how it came from a heart concerned for others. From the scriptures that record, Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? , He found so little fruits of faith when He was here on earth. On many occasions He recognized those who understood the principles of the Kingdom of God . He commended the poor widow that gave all her living into the treasury.

Luke 21
1     And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury .
2     And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3     And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all :
4   For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

Both the Roman Soldier and the widow recognized those in need. Both believed that God would provide for their needs.

I am reminded of the many occasions that I have seen homeless people who are Christians demonstrate such faith in believing for their next meal. I felt challenged by their faith and wondered if I had as great of faith as many that I have met in the streets. Ironically, I wondered as I offered food to a homeless person if my giving was a fulfillment of their faith in God to provide. On several occasions, I have received a few dollars from someone homeless wanting to support our outreach into the streets. My own heart was convicted as I wondered if I would have done the same. We must learn to believe with the heart in His provision.

Our ability to believe is of the utmost importance to our Lord and He is often saddened with those that fail to trust in His Word. Even His apostles on occasion would fail to see through the eyes of faith.

Mark 8

16     And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
17     And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
18    Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
19     When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
20    An d when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
21     And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

In Mark 8, we can see the emotion in the Word's of Christ as He struggled to understand why the apostles lacked faith and why they could not remember the miracles they had seen. The apostles had failed to make provision for the journey and had only one loaf of bread on the ship. However, Jesus was not concerned about this but their ability to believe in His provision. He had demonstrated faith through the multiplying of the bread and fishes just days before. Will we too disappoint Him with our faith or will we walk in the faith He has spoken in His scriptures and sown into your heart?

Chapter 2

Preparing the Heart

While alone in prayer in a hotel room, the Lord began to speak to my heart about faith. He answered every question that my heart asked, and His Words pierced my heart and have forever changed me. His Words were so simple and yet so true, and all the while He brought to remembrance the scriptures in my heart. Indeed, I had limited my ability to believe because of the memories and experiences that had been received into my own mind.

He showed me the struggle I face as I tried to believe with my mind. Thoughts were rushing through my mind in doubt of my own healing and future circumstances. The Lord seemed to say to me, “What do circumstances have to do with my future and my health?” I believe the Lord knows our thoughts and the questions within our heart. Each time the Lord speaks to my heart it brings more assurance and revelation of the scriptures.

I was reminded of the miracles I had seen in the streets as we ministered to the hurting and hopeless. I was reminded how He had healed my own knees from over thirty years of pain. He brought me assurance and comfort through His Words. I felt him say to my heart, “You must not let the world dictate your life any longer. Follow the ways of faith and receive the abundance that I have for your life. What is written in the scriptures is what I have said.”

He wants to bless us and He wants to have us reach out in faith to receive all He has for us and our hearts. Our reach must be into His heart through the Words He has placed in ours. His Words produce the faith to believe and to receive. It is with the heart that we must believe!

Sometimes when I am counseling and discipling people, I will say, “Read the Word of God into your heart that you want Him to fulfill. If you need peace then read the Words of peace. If you need healing then read the Words of healing.” Sometimes people will look at me in bewilderment and they do not understand. Why do so many people not understand the importance of placing the Word of God into their heart? Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and came into this world to share the principles of the Kingdom of God in order to pay the price for our healing and the redemption of our souls. Could it be that as we place more of His Word into our lives that we are inviting more of Him into our hearts? I have come to know that the more I fellowship with Him through the Word that I am changed. In Proverbs 4:20-23, we can see principles of the Kingdom of God . Seek to understand the simplicity of what is written and come to know that the Word will produce in our heart when we realize Christ is alive in the Word that enters our heart.

Proverbs 4
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

As I read this scripture, I can see the importance of hearing and reading His Words. It is my hope that I may receive health from His Words placed into my heart and those same Words will produce faith to believe for someone's healing. I feel the closer we bring our life to Him that our focus will no longer be upon our own needs but the needs of others. The heart of our Lord is to let His life flow from Him through yours to the hearts of the hurting.

I am reminded of a beautiful story of a young girl who was healed in a public park as many watched. I led two teenage girls to Christ and kneeled down to speak to a child with them. Those that were saved said, “She can't talk.” I inquired what was wrong with her and they said, “She was bitten by a dog about a year ago and has not talked since that time.” I placed my hand on her right shoulder and said, “Then the Lord Jesus Christ will make you whole.” Immediately, the young child began to speak and smile. What a beautiful miracle we saw that day! I had not even prayed but somehow spoke words of faith and the Lord touched her. We have seen the same on many occasions and are excited each time we see God touch with His healing power. Only God could receive the Glory for what happened that day.

We must prepare our hearts and be in expectation of what our Lord will do. I enjoy doing focused studies in the Word of God and exploring the depths of the scriptures only to find out that the deeper I search the more simplistic the message is. It seems that I must saturate my heart with the Word to overcome my own doubts. The study has no longer become an effort but a way of life as I seek more of Him in hopes to share with others. It seems that now I study more to teach others, but all the while I know He is teaching and blessing me.

Hosea 10
12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

If you seek to draw closer to God, prepare your heart to receive from Him. Bring your life to a place where He can use you to reach others and prepare your heart to resemble His. Open up your life each day and let our Lord touch those areas of your heart that limit your walk with Him. Only God can prepare your heart as you desire, and only you can grant this access.

Chapter 3

Following the Heart

We must learn how to allow our hearts to rule our lives, as it is within the heart that God has chosen to place His Words and to control our lives. We will discover what we call faith is simply believing with the heart and through the Word of God that He has placed in our heart. Could it be that we are to simply believe as a child and place our full trust in Him? This should bring us great comfort and assurance to know that the dependency is simply upon Him and His work that He has done in our lives. This was a great revelation to me and brought me so much hope as now I know that I can allow Him to accomplish His work in me and through me as I simply yield to Him and believe with my heart. We can trust in Him and begin to be in expectation of the future. Throughout the scriptures, I am reminded how He would place His Words into those He would use to accomplish His work in the world.

Deuteronomy 11
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

Our hearts must be filled with the Word of God and become the part of us that is the real person which would seek to follow God and obey all that He desires for our life. In this scripture we can see the importance of having the Word of God before us. The Word must be before our eyes so that our focus would change from this world to the Kingdom of God .

Psalm 119
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

David knew the importance of placing the Word of God within His heart to give Him the ability to follow God. There is no other place to store His Words to be kept safely to sustain the storms and troubles of life. Move beyond the same temptations and struggles and gain victory in your own lives through a walk of obedience with our Lord. Must our Lord bring us forgiveness every day, or do we bring Him joy each day with our obedience unto Him? So many times in the scriptures Jesus said, “Follow me.” We must seek to follow Him and allow our hearts to become a reservoir filled with Him. As we follow Him we will be changed. There is a place in Him that we can trust and rely upon His Word to sustain us along this journey of life!

Chapter 4

Freedom from Fear

The greatest enemy to our faith is fear. Our doubts will cultivate into fears if we let doubt run its course in our lives. Fear is a force and will defeat our lives while it directs our journey away from God's will. We must deal with our fears and conquer them through faith in God and trust in His Word. I have seen so many people that have allowed their lives to be gripped with fear. Faith is the opposite of fear and the means to overcome fear. When our focus becomes that of the Kingdom of God then we are placing our life in a position to be free from fear.

1 John 4

18 There is no fear in love ; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love .

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

It is God that will free your life from fear as you place your trust in Him and thereby showing Him your love. I remember when God first called me to share Christ in the streets of this world. I knew it would not be easy and that I too would have to overcome my own fears to obey His will for my life. Before He called me I would not stop at certain stores at night because of dangers and would let fear direct my life. I avoided flying on an airplane to avoid fear. In spite of the fear I obeyed God's call for my life. I went into the streets of the night to share Christ with those that were without hope and Christ. For the first few months, I had fear but I ignored it and went as I was called to share Christ. One night as a few men were approaching me in a dark area, I could feel fear rising up within me. I simply prayed and said, “God, it is You that called me to share Your Son with this world. I must be free from fear of losing my life to do what you have called me to do.” God spoke to my heart and said, “Give Me your life.” I said, “I give you my life.” I knew that if I lived or died that I would remain in the hands of God. From that day to today, my life has remained free from fear. What a joy to have no fear to walk out into the streets at night in the worst areas of our nation to meet the people. What a joy to fly and to be free from fear of death. I remembered when I was traveling in an overloaded plane and as we took off it rotated ninety degrees to the right and pitched toward the ground. When I discovered what was happening it seemed so unusual to not have fear. Only God can produce this in a heart. I thank Him for setting my life free from fear and for giving me faith to follow His will for my life.

2 Timothy 1

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Let God free your life from fear and further cultivate your faith in Him. Place all trust in Him through love in Him and Him alone. Ask God to free your life from sin as it is only God that can guide you along the journey He has for you. No longer have doubt that God is able to do what is written in the Holy Scriptures. We must serve Him in faith and faith alone.

Chapter 5

He knows the Heart

I find hope in knowing that God does not see me how I am but through the eyes of faith. I desire to see His will fulfilled in my life. We must learn to show mercy as we are receiving mercy from our Lord. Knowing that His will is to direct our lives, we must allow Him access into our heart to discover His plan for our lives. This brings me great comfort and assurance as I discovered His thoughts are upon us.

Jeremiah 29
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

He has established principles through the scriptures that will bring us victory and success. These principles are set into motion and are the ability for us to reach our expected end. Is faith then following His will for our lives with full trust in Him? God has a purpose and plan for our lives and will lead us as we follow. We must choose to follow and obey His will given in the scriptures. Through obedience we prepare our hearts to respond in faith!

As I continue my study of faith, I have discovered that our heart must be prepared to receive before it can be prepared to respond.

It is my prayer that the Lord would use the simple truths I have written in this teaching, along with the scriptures, to strengthen your heart in faith in God. Prepare your heart to respond to His Words and strengthen the weak areas of your life through obedience to Him.

Richard C. Hobbs, Evangelist

Mercy Street Ministries

P.O. Box 121

Alma, Arkansas 72921

www.mercystreet.com

First Printing

Published by Mercy Street Ministries

This book may not be copied or printed for commercial gain or profit.

If you have a desire to see our Lord touch lives with health, healing, and so much more then it is my hope that the Lord will use you to be an extension of His heart into this world. There is a world of people who are hurting and are in need of someone who would believe for them and to teach them to have faith for themselves. With faith we can see the promises in the scriptures fulfilled before our own eyes. It is through faith that God provides.

Richard C. Hobbs

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Mark 9:23

Richard C. Hobbs is an evangelist who is called to train and equip witnesses for Christ. His calling has taken him to churches and streets across America to help the local church extend their heart to those without Christ.