(11-26-20 Thanksgiving Day)

1 – The Substance of Faith:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) God says faith is the substance of things. What is substance? In the natural, it is “The real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.” However, there is another realm to be considered. In the Spirit, the substance of faith is something, emanating from a person’s heart of expectation and spoken out of their mouth with words, that moves “things” from the “hoped for” category into the tangible… from the unseen into the seen. The things hoped for have no substance (solid presence) until you put your faith into them. Faith is the substance of things. While meditating on this, the Lord reminded me of a nature show I had seen with a chameleon standing on the branch of a tree. He saw an insect on another limb. He honed in on the prey with laser accuracy and out went his very long tongue which snatched it from its perch and instantly delivered it into his mouth to be a delicious meal. I looked up chameleons and found the creature can grow to a length of 18-20 inches. Its tongue is about twice as long as its body which means the tongue is about three feet long. If that tongue were a car it could accelerate from zero to 60 MPH in 1/100th of a second. Wow, what a tongue; what a weapon. The insect was snatched before it ever saw the chameleon. If our tongue to body ratio was the same as a chameleon, then our tongues would be 10-12 feet long. Where would we keep it? With our spiritual eyes we see a “thing” which can not be seen with natural eyes. With our heart we believe God wants that thing changed from the spiritual realm of “not seen” into the natural realm of “seen”. With a heart filled with faith we speak to the “thing” with our tongue (mouth) and faster than the speed of light our words infuse that “thing” with the substance of faith which will transform the unseen into the seen. It will bring it from wherever it exists into our hands. If it doesn’t exist, it is easy for God to create it with our words just like He did with His words when He created the world. Jesus did this also when He created wine from water, and multiplied fishes and loaves, and made dead bodies come to life.

Jesus spoke to “things” with words filled with the substance of faith (bullets) when He healed the sick and cast out demons. He knew what He spoke was in the perfect will of God because He was full of, controlled by, and led by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4: 1- Amp.) He also knew that the Father would do whatever He spoke. ( “He shall have whatsoever he says.” Mk.11:23)
“Stretch forth your hand.” and the withered hand was healed
“Peace, be still” and the storm ceased immediately.
“Lazarus, come forth” and the dead body arose.
“Daughter, your faith has made you well” and her bleeding stopped.
“Woman, you are set free from your infirmity” and the spirit of infirmity left
her allowing her to stand straight for the first time in 18 years. The same bullets filled with the substance of faith can be released by touch. “He touched his ear and healed him” and the ear that was cut off reappeared. (Luke 22:50) Sometimes Jesus would deliver a double barrel of bullets by speaking and touching the person at the same time, and so can we.
The substance of faith was transferred into the “things” through His words (or touch), causing them to change in whatever way He said. Jesus is just the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8) He simply needs a body on this earth today to speak faith- filled words from the heart of God.
That will make the “things not seen” shift into the realm of the “seen” where we can see the manifestation with our natural eyes. Let me give you an example. Let’s say there is a lady named Mary who wants some land with a house on it for her family. She prays about this and the Lord says He will give it to her. ”Faith is the substance of things…” The “thing” in this example is Mary’s home and land. Mary is a consecrated Christian and God wants her to have this desire of her heart. She can either do nothing in the Spirit realm and daydream about it the rest of her life, never seeing it manifested – or – she can loose the substance of faith through her words and take possession of the “thing” that God has affirmed is hers.

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. 10:10) So Mary says out loud with her mouth what she believes in her heart and declares, “That three bedroom brick home on 5 acres of land is mine, in the name of Jesus.” She has just infused that home and land with the substance of faith. It will now shift from the realm of the unseen “hoped for” into the realm of the tangible seen . Mary will have it in due time as she keeps her faith and her confession strong. She knows it is hers and she thanks the Lord for it daily. The substance of her faith-filled words has grabbed the “thing” and brought it into her possession. She is assured of that. If she had not spoken with her mouth to possess it, she would have been like a chameleon that saw an insect with his eyes, but he never opened his mouth to grasp it. There was a song we used to sing in church years ago. The words were, “God’s got a miracle just for you. God’s got a miracle just for you. Reach out and grab it. You sure can have it. God’s got a miracle for you.” Having a better understanding of the substance of faith has made me understand that song better. You “grab it” by filling it with substance through your faith-filled words. “Faith is the substance of things…” (Heb. 11:1) Without faith the “things” have no substance, no perceptible reality, and no manifestation in the natural. Mary had written down the specifics of the house and land she had acquired by faith, even though she did not see it yet with her natural eyes. She definitely did see it with the eyes of her Spirit. She was more certain of having that house than the chameleon was of having that insect. Her laser
sharp words, filled with the substance of faith, were far more powerful and more accurate than the tongue of that creature on a limb. It is important to know that Mary had no money to even keep up with her rent much less money to buy a house. But God wants us to act like Him and call things that be not as though they are. (Rom. 4:17) She was determined that whatever waiting time was involved would not separate her from the “thing” (house and land) that was hers by faith.
Let me interject here that faith without corresponding action is dead. (James 2:17) Jesus said we must seek to find and knock for the door to be opened (Matt. 7:7), so it would be wise for Mary to go look for her land and her house, expecting God to make a way somehow, somewhere against all natural odds. The woman with the issue of blood took action and made a way to touch Jesus’ garment which seemed like an impossible feat. (Mk.5: 25-34)

Jesus says in Mk. 11:22, 23, “…Have faith in God. [Literally have the
faith of God] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not
doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall
come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” In believing without
doubting, and speaking to the “thing” (house and land) with faith, in the
name of Jesus, Mary is assured to physically possess that house and live in it
with her family. She used the substance of faith on the “things hoped for”,
and had the evidence (proof) of “things not seen,” thus assuring the shift of
the unseen to the seen. This is like the chameleon bringing the insect from
the limb into his body with his tongue. He first had to see the “thing” and
then take action with his tongue, and so do we.
Let’s think of this another way to help us understand its use. Rom. 12:3
says. “God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” So every person
has, what let’s call, a faith gun. The bullets in the gun are words (and/or
touch) filled with the substance of faith. The trigger on the gun is the name
of Jesus. Let’s see how Peter used his faith gun. In Acts chapter three, Peter
and John were going into the temple to pray. They passed a man who was
crippled from birth and who was laid at the Gate Beautiful daily to beg for
money. The disciples had passed him many, many times, but on this day the
Spirit of the Lord led Peter to stop and say to the man, “Silver and gold have
I none; but such as I have give I thee.
What did Peter have? He had his faith gun filled with bullets of the
substance of faith. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and
walk.” (v.6)  The trigger (the name of Jesus) was pulled. The bullets of
words were released. POW, the explosion took place on impact in the man’s
body filling his body with the substance of faith that healed him. And he
went into the temple with them “walking, and leaping, and praising God.”
(v.8) When Peter was asked how he had done this great miracle his answer
is found in verse 16, “And his name through faith in his name hath made this
man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath
given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Peter clearly

stated that faith in the name of Jesus healed the man and that even Peter’s
faith had been given to him by Jesus.
Again in Acts 4:10 Peter reiterates that by the name of Jesus the man was
healed and then Peter adds, “even by Him does the man stand here before
you whole.” So using the name of Jesus allowed the Lord to actually do the
healing. As Peter and the disciples prayed after this event they asked, “that
with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to
heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child
Jesus.” (Acts 4:29, 30) So here they are petitioning God to stretch forth His
hand to heal as they use the mighty name of Jesus with faith-filled words.
The Lord once spoke to me and said, “When you use My name, it
opens the door for Me to do it.” What we just read is a perfect example of
that very thing. The wonderful thing about it is that we have the same name
of Jesus that Peter and the others had, and we have the same power of the
Holy Ghost to enforce whatever we say or do in that name above all name;
that name at which every knee must bow and every tongue must confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord. (Phil.2:10, 11)
The disciples used their faith- guns over and over throughout the book of
Acts just like their Teacher and Savior had demonstrated to them by using
His faith- gun. Of course He didn’t have to use the name of Jesus to pull the
trigger because He was Jesus.
In the example of Peter the “thing” that was the target of Peter’s faith-
gun was the crippling condition of this man’s legs. You must have a specific
target to aim your faith at such as a tumor, diabetes, a broken bone, demons,
a dead body, things you know God wants for you, events, etc. Obviously a
gun must be aimed at something to propel a bullet into that thing, whether in
the natural or in the Spirit. If a hungry man went out to hunt and put food on
his table, he would not shoot a bullet in the air and hope that a goose or a
duck would fly in front of that bullet at that very moment. He would not go
to the edge of the forest and shoot hoping a deer or a moose would walk in
front of the bullet he shot. That sounds ridiculous, and it would be. He would
obviously wait until he saw a target and then shoot specifically at that target.
Sometimes nebulous prayers are prayed without having a certain “thing” in
mind. This works about as well as shooting with no certain target in sight.

Also think about this. If the hunter saw a duck flying overhead and he
took careful aim at that duck, putting his bullet in that duck, the fowl would
fall like a rock to the ground. The hunter would retrieve it and prepare it for
dinner. In a similar way we can take careful aim with our faith-gun at a
specific “thing” which is “hoped for” and “not seen”. When we pull the
trigger, which is the name of Jesus, that bullet (word) penetrates the “thing”
aimed at, filling it with the substance of faith which causes it to fall from the
unseen into the natural realm of the seen, from the “hoped for” into the
tangible realm where you have it in your physical possession.
Let’s go back to the original scripture in Heb. 11:1. “Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Without
faith the “things hoped for” have no substance, no tangible, solid presence.
Words filled with the substance of faith have to be spoken into the “things”
to fill them with the substance which makes them tangible. Remember “For
by Him were all things created…visible and invisible…all things were
created through Him and for Him.” (Col. 1:16) We must not forget that a
vast invisible realm exists that we can not see with our eyes. So we must not
limit our thinking to only the things that our eyes perceive.
I sometimes think about the creatures that live in the very depths of the
ocean. Some of them don’t have eyes to see. There is total darkness there.
They could never dream of a person or a car, or anything else in the realm of
light and air because that does not exist in their environment. In a similar
manner we are limited to what our five senses perceive in the natural, never
realizing that God can take things from the invisible realm and make them
visible if He so chooses. Both realms were created through and for Jesus. So
let’s broaden our thinking and accept that it is no problem for God to make
something visible to us that was previously invisible. Faith is an invisible
substance, but nevertheless it definitely exists and has the power to
transform things unseen (invisible) into things seen (visible); things hoped
for into things possessed.
The “evidence of things not seen” lies in the heart of man where faith
abides. Faith has proof of unseen things. And that unshakable faith will
never give up until the unseen becomes seen. “But without faith it is
impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6) The substance of faith makes what
is seen in the Spirit become manifest in the natural through the spoken word.
You are “armed and dangerous” to the devil when you live with your faith-

gun loaded with substance and ready to fire at any time and in any place! (If
you are a lady you can think of yourself as a “pistol packen mama.”)

2 – Love:
In a book by Mary Colbert called Prayer that Changes Everything, Jesus
told her, “You must walk in love. Love is the fuel, the combustion. Tell
My people that shame, blame, guilt, and unforgiveness will block the love
you have to walk in. When you walk in love, that thing you want Me to do
will be done.”
In Gal. 5:6 God states, “faith which works by love” (love makes faith
work) Amplified says it this way, “faith activated, energized, expressed, and
working through love.” These words from the Lord “fuel, combustion,
activated, energized” made me think back to the “faith- gun” analogy. The
bullets are words filled with the substance of faith, the trigger is the name of
Jesus, but something must happen between pulling the trigger and shooting
the bullet out of the gun. The bullet must have something to propel it out of
the gun and that something is love. I looked up the firing mechanism of a
bullet and learned that a cartridge is comprised of three parts, 1 – a primer or
percussion cap, 2 – powder propellant, 3 – the bullet itself. When you pull
the trigger it springs a metal firing pin into the “primer” that contains a small
explosive charge which in turn ignites the propellant. This is the main
explosive that causes a gas to separate the bullet from the rest of the
cartridge and shoot it out forcefully from the barrel of the gun with such
velocity that it flies through the air hitting the target instantly.
Maybe you knew all about bullets, but I never thought about their
mechanism until God said love was “the fuel, the combustion”. Obviously
your bullet can never even leave your faith gun without the propellant of
love. Wow….what a sobering revelation. That prompted a barrage of other
thoughts about love. “Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4: 18)
“Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4: 8)   “Dear friends, let us love
one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of
God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because
God is love.” (1 John 4:7, 8)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8 NIV) Selah…pause and think about it.
We must have this propellant of love for the substance of faith to go
forth and fill the “things hoped for” causing them to manifest in the natural.

Gal 5:6;
“faith expressing itself through love.”NIV
“faith working through love” ESV & most other translations
“faith which worketh by love” KJ, NLT
“faith activated, expressed, and working through love” Amplified
(A) – Love for people:
Jesus healed and fed people because of His love for them (compassion). This
love motivated Him to believe God for the miracles necessary to help them.
We should feel the same way toward people. If you had cancer or diabetes,
or were crippled or dying you would want someone to believe God for your
healing. Jesus tells us to do unto others as we would want them to do unto
us. Our love for others should spur us into action. “By love serve one
another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself.” (Gal. 5:13, 14) “Owe no man anything but to love one another:
for he that loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Rom. 13:8)
(B) – Love between you and Jesus:
A – “If you love Me you will keep My commands” (John 14:15), Therefore
if He tells you to say or do something, your love for Him compels you to
obey Him and do it or say it, no matter how difficult it may seem (making
mud with spit and putting it in a man’s eyes) or how contrary to nature it is,
like walking on the water.
B – Your love for Jesus and knowing His love for you gives you the faith
(trust) that whatever He tells you to do or say; He will be there to
accomplish the desired supernatural results. Love gives you the trust to obey
His instructions and expect amazing results. Love is the propellant in the
faith gun.

“My love for You and Your love for me is the motivator that gives me the
faith (trust) to obey your instructions, knowing that You will accomplish
what you have told me to do or say.”
If I want to be His mouthpiece, His hand extended on this earth today, to
accomplish His will and manifest His reality, then I MUST have the faith
(trust) in Him to obey every detail of what He tells me to do or say. This
trust is established (solidified) by my love relationship with Jesus. You trust
Him (have faith) because you love Him. Faith works by love.
Jesus leads me to do or say ———-I do or say it ——–Jesus manifests it
(command) (love, trust, obey) (power)
(Expect results, praise Him)
Note: To make this equation work you must have compassion (love)
toward the person you are praying for or the situation that needs your help
(like Jesus feeding the 5000). You also must have faith (trust, assurance,
expectation) that Jesus will do the miracle that He has told you to speak or
take action about. Keep in mind that the Father and Jesus both speak to
mankind through the Holy Spirit and demonstrate their power by the Holy
Spirit.
Love energizes, puts into motion, and activates faith. Love causes faith to
expresses itself. Love is “the fuel, the combustion” for the “faith gun”.
Love never fails!
3 – Dominion:
There is another very important facet to using your “faith gun”. You need to
understand that 1) you own the gun, and 2) you have dominion over the
territory you are shooting in. Let me give you an example. Let’s say there is
a man who owns a gun. He also owns 1000 acres of land. On this land there
is a lake where he can shoot ducks or geese. There is also a forest on his
property where he can hunt deer, turkey, and other wild game.
Since he owns the gun and the land he can go hunting any time he wants.
How does this apply to you?

1) You have the faith gun and the bullets (words filled with substance of
faith); and the gun powder, accelerant (love); and the trigger (Name of
Jesus)
2) God gave you dominion over all the earth through Jesus. Let me walk you
through that fact from God’s word.

(A) – God created us to have dominion:
Gen. 1:26 KJV God said, “Let us make man in Our image and let them have
dominion…over all the earth.”
Ps. 8:6- You made them rulers over the works of your hands
(B) – Satan became ruler of the world through Adam & Eve’s sin:
2Cor 4; 4 The god of this world as blinded those who don’t believe
John 12:31 Satan, the ruler of the world, will be cast out.
John 14:30 The ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over Me.
(C)– Christ regains dominion for us:
1John 3:8 For this purpose was the Son of God made manifest, to destroy
the works of the devil.
Heb.2:14 Jesus became flesh that through death He might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil.
Eph. 4:9 Before He ascended He descended into the lower parts of the earth
Col. 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in the cross.
Rev. 1:18 Jesus has the keys of hell and the grave
(D)– Jesus demonstrates dominion on earth:
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
with the devil, for God was with Him
Matt. 8:16 They brought unto Him many who were possessed with devils,
and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.
Demonstrated authority over nature: fish, wind, water, fig tree, bread, etc.
He spoke with authority (by the Holy Spirit), not like scribes did.
He showed compassion (love) for the people, like God.
Luke 4: 1, 14, 18 He was filled with, led by, controlled by, and anointed by
the Holy Ghost.

(E) – Jesus gives us the dominion He regained for us:
Matt. 28:18 All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. V.29 Go ye
therefore and make disciples of all nations…(Jesus delegated His dominion
on earth to us when He said “Go ye…”)
Matt. 10: 1 He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and
to heal all manner of sickness and disease.
Matt. 10: 7, 8 Go preach saying the Kingdom of God is at hand. Heal the
sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have
received, freely give.
Luke 10:19 I give you power over all the power of the enemy: and nothing
shall by any means hurt you.
Mark 16:17, 18 These signs shall follow them that believe. In My name they
shall cast out demons, they shall speak with new tongues… they shall lay
their hands on the sick and they will recover.
Mk. 11:22-23 Speak to mountains in your life and they shall be removed.
2 Cor. 5:20 We are Christ’s ambassadors. We are in His stead.
Rom. 5:17 Those who receive the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by
Christ Jesus
John 14: 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go unto my Father
John 6: 28, 29 “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might
work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the
work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Jesus to Dr. Vaughan “When you use My name it opens the door for Me to
do it.”
So you see God has given us the ability to have a “faith gun”.
He has also given us a territory that we have dominion over; a territory in
which we can freely use our faith gun, namely, the world. The rest is up to
us to walk in the dominion Jesus has purchased for us, and to use our faith
gun that Jesus has shown us how to us by His example. Amen.