A warning may be necessary at this point. There is a trap into which we can fall concerning the use of "faith" to get what we want.

There is a light head-belief that is not victorious faith. We may know of someone who prayed a brief prayer or who strove in prolonged prayer, and who then claimed he had the answer because of his mental grip on the letter of the Bible promise. Yet, nothing appeared to happen.

There is a bottomless gulf between making plays mentally or metaphysically on the promises of Christ, compared with gaining ground with God through victorious patience, hope, and faith.

We cannot force God to do anything no matter how much we "believe." We cannot walk on a broken leg until God provides evidence to us that He is cooperating with us in the act of faith. It requires experience in the ways of the Spirit of God before we are able to walk successfully on the line drawn between presumption and aggressive faith. Aggressive faith is sometimes necessary. Presumption is always wrong.

The challenge and the ability to act in faith come from the Lord. The challenge to act in presumption comes from Satan (Luke 4:9-12).

The Israelites would have been regarded as demented by the surrounding tribes if they had gone through the motions of reaping nonexistent crops in the desert, thinking they were honoring the God who had given them agricultural holidays to celebrate.

True faith gains a vision of God's promise, lays hold on God through prayer in the Spirit and through obedience, and is sensitive to God's schedule. Faith eventually obtains the knowledge of the mind of the Spirit of God. Faith is a real walk in the Spirit and produces concrete results in both the spiritual and the physical worlds.

We secure our inheritance by maintaining unswerving faith in the promises of God, and some of these promises nearly are incredible. The performing of "greater works," the resurrection of the physical body into immortality, rulership over the nations—these are glorious hopes.

These wonders and others like them will one day be solid reality for the Christian who maintains to the end an unchanging faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In God's time the Hebrews had to fight bloody wars to obtain their land of milk and honey. In God's time we Christians shall be required to fight fierce spiritual battles if we intend to transform our spiritual hopes into permanent possessions.

Let us lay hold on the promises of Scripture. Let us maintain in rock-like faith that we "have" the promises. Then let us follow the Spirit of Christ as He leads us in spiritual warfare to accomplish the dislodging of Satan from our inheritance.

To be continued.