Advice from the Spirit of Prophesy, Pt. 26

"Have faith in God. Unbelief can only deny and destroy. Faith lifts the head in confidence and trust. True workers walk and work by faith. Sometimes they grow weary with watching the slow advance of the work, when the battle wages strong between the powers of good and evil. But if they refuse to fail or be discouraged, they will see the clouds breaking away, and the promise of deliverance fulfilling. Through the mist with which Satan has surrounded them, they will see the shining of the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness.

"Work in faith, and leave the results with God. Pray in faith, and the mystery of God's providence will bring its answer. At times it may seem that you can not succeed; but work and believe, putting into your efforts faith and life and hope and courage. After you have done what you can, wait for the Lord, declaring his faithfulness, and he will bring his word to pass. Wait, not in fretful anxiety, but in undaunted faith and unshaken trust" (Southern Watchman, December 4, 1902 par. 6 & 7).

"Feeling is not faith; the two are distinct. Faith is ours to exercise, but joyful feeling and the blessing are God's to give. The grace of God comes to the soul through the channel of living faith, and that faith it is in our power to exercise.

"True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessing before it is realized and felt. We must send up our petitions in faith within the second veil, and let our faith take hold of the promised blessing, and claim it as ours. We are then to believe that we receive the blessing, because our faith has hold of it, and according to the word it is ours. 'What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.' Mark 11:24. Here is faith, naked faith, to believe that we receive the blessing, even before we realize it. When the promised blessing is realized and enjoyed, faith is swallowed up. But many suppose they have much faith when sharing largely of the Holy Spirit, and that they cannot have faith unless they feel the power of the Spirit. Such confound faith with the blessing that comes through faith.

"The very time to exercise faith is when we feel destitute of the Spirit. When thick clouds of darkness seem to hover over the mind, then is the time to let living faith pierce the darkness and scatter the clouds" (Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, p.126).