Galatians 3:5

"Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the works of the law or because you believe what you heard?".

Paul asks a very direct question there. What qualifies you for a life of the supernatural of the Spirit and for the working of miracles? The Greek language there is the present, continuous tense - the on-going giving of His Spirit and the on-going working of miracles. He says is it by the observing and doing of the law - your performance, your holiness, what you have earned or deserved or because you have simply believed the message? The message he has preached is that you are righteous in Christ apart from the law. He said is the Spirit of God moving among you because you believed the message or because you are doing the works of the law?He is writing to a church that once had great miracles but now the miracles had dried up and the supernatural diminished radically.

And now they had fallen into all kinds of terrible works of the flesh and all kinds of sin because they had gone back into the law and the law was bringing destruction on them. He is saying that you once had joy, you once had the moving of the Spirit, does God do these miracles because of your works of the law and your performance or because you believed the message of grace? That is a very direct question and deserves a very direct answer! Paul gives such a direct answer that it should shut the mouthes of the Pharisees and the critics of this grace message once and for all eternity through all the earth!This direct question deserves direct answers. Paul gives it very direct. The very next verse in (v6);

"Consider Abraham. He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand then that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announce the gospel in advance to Abraham. All nations will be blessed through you so those who have faith are blessed".

Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham - the man of faith! (v10);

"All who rely on observing the law are cursed - for it is written; 'Cursed is everyone who does not do everything that is written in the book of the law".

The relying on the law will bring a curse because the works of the law are not of faith - but those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith. Why is faith so important? Because faith connects you with the blessing. Faith gives you confidence that you are the righteousness of God. Faith - when you stand to pray and this gets into your spirit and into your heart and the seed gets in there and you lift your hands to pray and say; "Father, I thank you that I am a man or woman of faith and I am the righteousness of God and I praise you - yes I did some mistakes yesterday but I praise you that I am the righteousness of God". Immediately the grace and the power will come upon you.His Presence will always come because I know that I am the righteousness of God!

"The law is not based on faith - on the contrary the man who does these things will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written; 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles who come to Christ Jesus so that by faith we may receive the promise of the Spirit".

The relying on the law will bring a curse because the works of the law are not of faith - but those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith. Why is faith so important? Because faith connects you with the blessing. Faith gives you confidence that you are the righteousness of God. Faith - when you stand to pray and this gets into your spirit and into your heart and the seed gets in there and you lift your hands to pray and say; "Father, I thank you that I am a man or woman of faith and I am the righteousness of God and I praise you - yes I did some mistakes yesterday but I praise you that I am the righteousness of God". Immediately the grace and the power will come upon you.

His Presence will always come because I know that I am the righteousness of God!

Reference: Rob Rufus - "The Struggle For The Authentic Part 3 - "Qualifications For The Blessings - Faith or Works?"" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 21st September 2008.