Finding Ourselves Through Our Faith

I have come to understand what FAITH and Sin is by reading the Bible myself. Oh I have studied other belief structures and systems as well and I also studied how they all came to be in our society and what their personal doctrines and dogmas are. When I read the story about moving mountains and how the tiniest of seeds become the biggest trees, I read those stories many times before I understood just what it all means and then compared those with what Jesus was talking about. What this tells me is that FAITH is not of any religion or belief systems. It has nothing to do with what religion (church) tells you that it is.

Jesus taught
Mathew 8:25-27
and his disciples having come to him, awoke him, saying, `Sir, save us; we are perishing.' And he saith to them, `Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm; and the men wondered, saying, `What kind -- is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'
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And also Mark 4: 39-41
And having waked up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, `Peace, be stilled;' and the wind did lull, and there was a great calm: and he said to them, `Why are ye so fearful? how have ye not faith?' and they feared a great fear, and said one to another, `Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'
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Mathew 9: 22
22And Jesus having turned about, and having seen her, said, `Be of good courage, daughter, thy faith hath saved thee,' and the woman was saved from that hour.
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Mathew 17: 19-21
19Then the disciples having come to Jesus by himself, said, `Wherefore were we not able to cast him out?' And Jesus said to them, `Through your want of faith; for verily I say to you, if ye may have faith as a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this mount, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you, and this kind doth not go forth except in prayer and fasting.'
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Luke 17: 17-21
17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
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Nowhere does Jesus say that all the Faith is in God. He says the it is WITHIN you. We are expected to do things and to have Faith in Ourselves.

Jesus states that We are Gods, because we are again expected to have Faith as we go about in this world. He also says that it is the same as above and the same as below. There is no difference there. We create, or destroy, our reality or circumstances with the Faith WITHIN ourselves. It is expected of each and everyone of us. Sin is the absence of Faith. When we have the correct Self-Esteem then we can do great and powerful things and create whatever it is that we put our minds too.

The Straight and Narrow Path
Everything in Moderation. The Eye of the Needle and the narrow path is the path to ourselves and it is never an easy one. We need help from others and that is where we learn how great or little the things that we can accomplish. So we come together in groups and assemblies to gather us in and spread the good works of others and to lift them up. If we sin, we don't go to hell, we experience fear and some even promote it to bring a false sense of self-esteem and it turns into arrogance. This is what too much Faith does and that is a sin too.
Go help someone with Low Self Esteem. Give them High Hopes. Jesus did this many times by just saying simply go and sin no more. It was his way of forgiving us and we are to do the same. This is how we learn to have compassion towards one another and to Love One Another. We areexpected to lift our neighbors up, not put them down. This is where the lyrics to the song come in. Just what makes that ant think that he can move that rubber tree plant (lyrics below). We give him a bit of self esteeem and a push to give him FAITH in himself. Just the way that Jesus told the disciples that they could move that mountain. If you believe then you can do wonderous things. If you don't believe you will do nothing and you will be in a hell within yourself.

Peace Be Within You

High Hopes
Just What Makes You Think
Next time you're found with your chin on the ground
There's a lot to be learned so look around
Just what makes that little ol' ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant
But he's got high hopes... he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie in the sky hopes
So any time you're getting low
'Stead of letting go,
Just remember that ant.
Oops there goes another rubber tree
Oops there goes another rubber tree
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant.
When troubles call and your back's to the wall
There's a lot to be learned, that wall could fall.
Once there was a silly ol' ram,
Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam;
No one could make that ram, scram,
He kept buttin' that dam
But he's got high hopes... he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie in the sky hopes
So any time you're feeling bad
'Stead of feeling sad
Just remember that ram.
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam!
Next time you're found with your chin on the ground
There's a lot to be learned so look around
Just what makes that little ol' ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant
So keep your high hopes, keep your high hopes.
Keep your high apple pie in the sky hopes.
A problem's just a toy balloon
They'll be bursting soon
They're just bound to go POP!
Oops there goes another problem ker...
Oops there goes another problem ker...
Oops there goes another problem kerplop.
Kerplop!

As I read this article, the line that impressed me the most was: "Nowhere does Jesus say that all the Faith is in God. He says that it is WITHIN you. We are expected to do things and to have Faith in Ourselves". And as I read this the line I vaguely recalled that Jesus is reported as saying, "Faith without works is dead." My knowledge of Christianity is quite sketchy, so I ran a Google search on this phrase and up popped a link to a Biblical passage that IMO is worth quoting here in full:

James 2:14-26King James Version (KJV)

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.