Making the Faith Connection, Part 1

Greetings, friends and listeners, and welcome to our program of the R.G.

Hardy Ministries. I'm Sharon Knotts thanking you for joining us today because we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's message by my father, Brother Hardy, the faith connection is extremely important because everything we've received from God from the moment we're saved and everything thereafter we must receive by faith. The good news is you have faith because God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. So regardless of what your need is or how great, you can make the faith connection.

Praise the Lord. We're going to start on a new message this morning and the title of the message is faith, F-A-I-T-H, and how to make the faith connection. Faith is one of the greatest messages in the Bible. Romans 1 16 and 17 said, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. To the Jew first and also to the Greek, he said, for therein the Gospel is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, the just shall live by faith. Faith gives us life, spiritual life.

First of all, Paul said in Hebrews or Romans 12 3, he said, I speak to every man not to think of himself more highly than he ought, but even as God has given to him the measure of faith. Everyone that's saved, when they get born again, God dips in his great attribute of faith and gives everyone the measure of faith. Faith is something you have.

Nowhere in the Bible does it tell you to pray for faith. You already have faith. And faith increases by using it. You have the measure of faith.

Somebody said to me, Brother Hardy, well I only got the smallest measure. Let me tell you, it's not the quantity, it's the quality of the faith. And the faith is so potent that Jesus said, if you only have the faith of a grain, a mustard seed, then he pointed to the mountain and said, you can speak to yonder mountain and tell it to be moved. And if you would not doubt in your heart, you would have said, what so ever you sayeth.

Can you get that? That blows me away. That absolutely blows me away because that brings me up into the place where God is because God gets what he says. And by us using this great attribute of faith, the same faith that God has, the same faith when he stepped out to begin creation when there was a nothing. All there was was God, the word of God, and the spirit of God, and his plan and purpose. And he had faith and he said, let there be.

And there was and there is. We're here because of God using his faith. And the same faith that worked miracles in the beginning and during Jesus' ministry is the same faith we have. We got a measure.

We got enough. The reason why there's different measures is because God has called his people and given them different responsibilities. Some have a position where they need more faith than the other person.

But don't be afraid. You have the amount of faith that you need to live victorious in this life and have everything you need and to be able to overcome the devil and whatever trial or test comes. You got it, but you got to put it into operation. James said faith without works is dead. Well, in other words, faith that's not in operation is no better than a person that doesn't have faith.

It's staying there dormant. But that faith that God has given us is so powerful that it can move the mountains in our life. Any obstacle that the devil puts in the way, faith in God and his word can move it out of the way because our God said he can make a way where there don't seem to be a way. To us, we can't seem to see the way, but God's the way. And our faith in God is the way out of all of our dilemmas to give us victory in every phase of our life, to overcome any enemy and any power that would come against us. Faith enables us to overcome the world. Paul said, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, what? Even our faith.

We can overcome the whole world, let the whole world come against us with all of its power, but our faith in God and his word and his power will overcome the world and any obstacles. I'll give him a good clap off of them if you're going to do it. Hallelujah. Got any mountains you can't climb? One song letter said, have you any, huh? Rivers you can't clause?

No mountains you can tunnel through. Hallelujah. I got news for you. Faith in God will give you the victory. Hallelujah. I'm glad I got it.

I'm excited about it. And as I use my faith and as you use your faith that you already have, then you're going to live. I said, you're going to live. Some people just exist, but we're going to live. Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.

You're going to have abundant life. How many say amen? Hallelujah. Hebrews 11, 5 says, but without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he's a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Believe that he is. In other words, believe that he's omnipotent. Believe that God can do it.

I found out serving him in the 50 years that he can do anything, but one thing I found out he can't do is he can't fail. God can do anything but fail. There is nothing impossible with God. He said, with man it is impossible some things, but with God all things are possible and if thou canst believe, which means put your faith into operation, all things become possible to him that believeth.

I mean, do you get that? That blows me away. Faith takes me out of just a mere son of Adam and places me over here a son of God with the attribute of faith and I can reproduce what God does. All things are possible to him that believes. Faith makes it possible. There's nothing impossible to you and I. God never asked us to do something that's impossible, but he gives us the grace and the faith to do it.

How many say amen? If God tells you to do something, then get out there and start acting because God's gonna make it possible. God's gonna bring it to pass.

Some people think they're doing it. Now without God you can do nothing. Paul said without God you can do nothing, but then he said with God I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, who energizes me, who gives me his ability, who makes it possible.

All things are possible because God makes it possible. How many say amen? It's the only way you can come to God.

I think I preached last week about Jacob. He was quoting the word of God, but he wasn't believing the word of God. I mean a lot of people when they pray they quote the word of God, but they're not believing it. You can quote the word all you want and you gotta get up and act on the word. Believe the word.

How many say amen? Faith as it were is our spiritual money. In order for us to operate in this natural world we got to have money.

I don't have to elaborate on that. You can't buy no food without money. You're not gonna go to the grocery store and the guy's gonna give you your food because you're like me, you're good looking.

It don't work. Your landlord isn't gonna accept you. What he's looking for is that greenback. How many say amen? That's the thing that pleases the grocery store man, the rent man. When you go to Walmart, of course we like to go to Sally's here, but we won't tell you about that. I'll tell you about that a little later.

How many say amen? You gotta be in the click here at our Sally's store. You can want all that.

You can go into an automobile dealer. Oh man, I like that model. I like that thing. I like that little bell that's on it.

I like that little switches on it. How many say amen? The man says, I got it. I said, yeah, I like to have it. He says, you got the thing that's gonna please me? He wants to know if you got that thing's gonna please him. You don't have that thing to please him, you're gonna displease him.

He gonna get mad, get you out of there, you're wasting his time. And when you come to God, you got to bring to him the thing that pleases him. But you got the thing that pleases him. You got that faith. You got that spiritual money. Faith comes by hearing, doesn't it? Everybody's saying, I have the thing that pleases God.

What I got to do is mix the exchange. He's got the thing that pleases me. You know God's in business. He's the greatest business person in the world. His warehouses are full.

He's got it stocked. How many say amen? You know, some people got more faith in Spiegel's catalog and Sears' catalog than they do the word of God.

How many say amen? They call those catalogs wish book. You know, you get Sears' catalog and say, hmm, I wish they had that, and I wish they had that, and I wish they had that. But the word of God is the faith book. It gets you what you wish. How many say amen? Wish books.

They'll send you out a catalog, and you've been waiting for some article to come on sale. Like that woman, you know, she found that dress got 20 pleats. I wouldn't know why she'd want that kind of arm, that thing. How many say amen? Or that man, that fishing rod that he's been wanting.

I used to say tool, but they don't work anymore. They fish. How many say amen? And they'll describe that dress or that fishing rod and reel or even put a picture of it in there. And you know what? They'll give you a catalog number and say, send me $100, and I'll give you that dress, and I'll give you that fishing pole, and you don't think nothing about it. You open up your checkbook. You write it out. You put the number in. You send it in and tell them, I want one of these numbers so and so, and if it's really a good deal, you say, I want 10 of them. And you give them the number and you write your check out for it. Now you don't know whether they have that. You don't know whether they have it.

All you've got is evidence, is a picture and a number. But you'll send your great money, all your hard earned money, you'll send it. How many say amen? And you're waiting for what you sent for to come. But then there comes a letter from them that said, sorry, we're temporarily out of stock, but they got your money and you're in hock.

That rhymed, didn't it? They got it. How many say amen? Brother, I got the faith book. I got the Bible.

I got a catalog number. There's over 5,000 items that God's got. How many say amen? And I like Philippians 4 19 that says, but my God shall supply all of my needs according to his riches or warehouse in glory. God's got a big warehouse in glory and it's stocked. And he's got a bunch of angels that are ready to fulfill your order when you come with what pleases him. Faith. How many say amen? When you come to the Lord boldly to the throne of grace to free gifts and state what you want and then turn loose your faith, God tells that angel, go to bin 419 Philippians, get out one and bring it up here.

How many say amen? Now they got it speeded up. You don't have to write. They're going to use that modern thing. It's been abused called a telephone and you could call in your order.

I don't like to write. I don't know about you. I like to call in orders and they'll expedite it, speed it up. How many say amen? And you can get on that phone and they'll say, seer is ready to take your order.

Give me the catalog number. How many say amen? And you tell them I want one of them.

Philippians 4 19. Amen. See, we got your number. I say, how long is it going to take for me to pick it up?

Said about a half hour. I said, you'll see me. How many say amen? And I get in my little car and I go to the pickup station. You know how they got them now, deliveries here. How many say amen? Pick up here.

And I go to them. I said, I'm Mr. Hardy. Said, I just called you on the phone. Said you came in loud and clear.

Said, yeah, you wanted the Philippians 4 19. I said, that's right. Said, we got it.

How many say amen? Said, we got it. The boy just come and brought it to us.

It's over in that bin. He goes over in the bin, picks out one Philippians 4 19 and brings it. Writes out the receipt. And you reach out your hand again.

You say, wait a minute. You got to give me that thing that pleases me. You got to give me that loot, that money.

You could tell him all you want, how much you love it, how much you desire it. But this is cash on the barrel hand. Huh? Like the Chinese man say, no ticking, no money, no laundry. You don't break the ticking.

You don't have the number. You ain't got no money. You get no laundry. Amen.

And if you don't come and put the cash on the barrel head, they'll take that 4 19 and flip it back in the return bin. Amen. How many? I like this part of the message. I played it yesterday to myself and I had a revival. I put in a lot of orders after I read it with God.

How many? Well, first of all, getting ahead of my time. Well, yeah, I can still use. How many get the Sunday paper? Man, we must have an illiterate church. Well, I'm still going to use my illustration, but sister Hardy and I don't wait to Sunday. We get it Saturday cause we want to get a headstart on all the ads and the sales. You know, the Sunday papers, when they got it all loaded up, how many say him?

So we search them all out and they got it in there. We're running a one day sale. We got everything on sale. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I like them ads. They'll come out in the middle of week says, this is only good for Wednesday and Thursday. Then they come out Friday. So this is good for Friday and Saturday.

And then they got one that comes out for Sunday. And if you go into the store, it's the same stuff that they advertise Wednesday. How many would like to get all your ads together and they going to have a special sale on everything you've been secretly desiring that your husband don't nothing about?

How many say him in? And you go to the store. How many would like to have a store like this? You're there. It's nine o'clock opening. So you're there at six.

Someone brought your sleeping bag, portable coffee pot. How many say him in? And the doors are open and the person says, give me a list of what you want. And you tell them they ring it up and he gives you the money for it.

How many would like to have that? All you got to do is then take your cart and pick everything you told him on that list and kicking yourself because you didn't put a hundred things more on it. And you bring it up. They ring it up.

But they're not going to turn it loose till you put the castle on the thing. But they've already gave it to you. How many would like that? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Well, God has done that.

In the beginning, when you got saved, God knew everything you needed and he gave you the spiritual money, faith. How many say amen in the beginning? And all you got to do is come with your Christmas list every day. Amen?

He's already done it. Say it. I got the thing that pleases God. I got the spiritual money.

It's safe. There is no restrictions on my asking. If you abide in me, my word abide in you, ask what you will. You don't pray, if it be thy will, the word of God is his will. You ask what you will and it shall be done. You come boldly to the throne of grace.

You pulled out the spiritual greenbacks, your faith. You tell God what you want. He's got it ordered for you.

He's got it there for you. His angels are ready. God's in business. And what I like about God is that he don't close. He's open 24 hours a day every day.

724, 365 and if it's leap year, 366. And he's never temporarily out of stock because if you want or need something that he don't have it, he'll create it right there. You got it. Why don't you tell somebody next to him, you got what pleases God. You're a child of God.

God doesn't give you spiritual money. You can ask what you will. Don't hold back. You know how when you go to your husband and roll them big blue eyes and say, honey, you're the greatest. He already gets his checkbook out.

He knows you after something. How many say amen? All you got to do is go to the Lord and tell him how much you love you and you love him.

How many say amen? He already proves how much he loves you and he's ready for you to ask. You got to ask. Ask and you shall receive.

Seek and you shall find. Knock and you shall be opened and then come and give him what pleases him. That's faith. Amen?

Don't quote and say, now God, you said this and you said the other and God said, that's right, I said this and I said that and I got to do it if you turn loose your spiritual money, if you turn loose the spiritual green back. I've got it. It's up to you, whatever you want. I got it.

I'm ready. I want to give it to you more than you want to receive it and that's true. God wants to give it to you more than you want to receive it because he's saying ask. He's saying seek. He's saying knock for everyone to ask you to receive him, everyone to seek him, find him, everyone that knocks it'll be open. Everyone that comes with what pleases me and gives me my spiritual money, faith, then I am going to give them just what they need. Praise him.

Amen. What a dynamic faith energizing message by my father, brother Hardy, the faith connection. The plight of the woman with the issue of blood is one of the most desperate in the New Testament. She had pursued every specialist promising her a cure for 12 long discouraging years yet with no results.

In fact, she grew worse with each year and now she was broke. But she heard about Jesus and Romans 10 17 says faith comes by hearing the word of God. She said within herself, if I could just get to Jesus, if I can touch the hem of his garment, I know I will be made whole. And she set out to make the faith connection.

It didn't matter about all those years of suffering and despair that day. The healer, the one who had the power of God was passing her way that day. She reached out to touch Jesus and she made the faith connection and the rest is Bible history. You too can make the faith connection and we believe this message is the word of God that you need to hear again and again to energize your faith. The faith connection is available on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry request offer 185. Our mailing address is RG Hardy ministries, P O box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland 2 1 2 0 3. Or if you prefer order online at RG Hardy dot org. That's RG Hardy dot O R G. Once again, the offer is 185 or the faith connection and your love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry. The mailing address is brother Hardy P O box 1 7 4 4 Baltimore, Maryland 2 1 2 0 3. Until next time, this is Sharon, not safe. Maranatha.