FAITH AND HOW IT WORKS
Introduction
Faith is the spiritual force that makes all things possible for a believer. It is the anchor of Christianity because it is the basis of our relationship with God. Faith opens us up to a world of unlimited possibilities where the only limitation is our unbelief.
Faith is not just a channel of getting our needs met, receiving healing and other miracles from God, faith is the way of life of all who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and in God. It is seen in the choices we make, the attitude we put up and our approach to the issues of life.
With faith, there is no limits, if you can believe, all things are possible. Faith is living in the spirit, where there is no limitations. It is with faith that all spiritual battles are won, this is why those who confront life's battles by faith emerge winners. See your victory ahead of time, speak it, prophesy it and you will handle it.
Faith is an assurance of things hoped for. Faith is based on God's word and His promises. Faith is a relationship, a personal encounter between God and the regenerated man. It is a lifestyle of believing and trusting in God alone. As a Christian, your life and success are tied to faith and there is no secured destiny outside of faith.
So, if you are a Christian, you better invest in faith, to understand and grow your faith and be able to exercise it on a continuous basis. This is because, no vision is fulfilled outside of faith. It does not matter how clearly you saw the vision, or the number of times you saw it, minus faith, it will hit the rock. My purpose here is to awaken us on the need to develop our faith muscles and be able to achieve more in life.
What is faith to a Christian?
Faith is the way of life of those that believe in Christ Jesus and what He did for us at the cross of calvary. Faith should start from our hearts, for the bible says, as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is. We believe God in our heart, His word and promises should be settled in our heart, for without faith in our heart, the bible says in Hebrews 11:6, we cannot please God.
Imagine for one moment that an Evangelist who goes about preaching Christ to people , pleading with them to come to Christ will go back home and begin to wonder whether Jesus died for them indeed, such a worker cannot please God, no matter the number of souls that came to Christ, his own doubt and unbelief has become a wedge in his way. For it is written, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6.
Faith was the lifestyle of our covenant fathers in the faith. They may not have known it as faith, but they lived and walked in the faith of what God has spoken and commanded. They defended their faith everywhere they went. They responded to God's call and instruction with hope despite the inconveniences involved and they enjoyed the benefits of faith.
It is wrong for people to think of faith, only when they need a miracle from God, they will then start praying and fasting. After the miracle, they forget about praying and even soul winning. This is wrong...You don't switch to faith when you need something from God, only to return to your old lifestyle thereafter.
God wants us to live by faith. Those behaviour and spiritual exercises that brought you favour, open doors and good jobs, houses and cars, should be your way of life, otherwise, you may be disappointed in the future, when you switch back to faith and there is no answer.
This is why the bible says: "The just shall live by faith." means that children of God should live by faith, and when you look at it, all our Christian experiences are anchored by faith. We are saved by faith, healed by faith, live by faith, receive our blessings by faith. We overcome the enemy by faith, and anytime our faith rises to the next level, we take hold of a higher blessing.
Life of prayer and Receiving
For a Christian who prays to God, asking for one thing or the order, you are more likely to understand faith clearly. This is because there comes a time after you have cried to God about a need, that the Lord will drop instruction into your ear about how to get what you have been praying for. That's the assurance, we are talking about. You have received specific instructions, though you have no possession.
The promises in the bible are settled for everyone who believes and fulfils its conditions. But there is Rhema - specific word spoken to an individual by God. This can be in the dream, in a loud voice, silent voice or through a Pastor or Prophet. With instruction or voice of God, your faith grows and you can begin to thank the Lord for the blessing.
The warning here is that you should ignore your current circumstance and look to the future state you are asking for. Because of the nature of such words, in relation to the conditions of the person at the time of the word, it is easy to doubt the spoken word of God to us. For example, when God visited Abraham in Gen 18:9-15, to reassure him that certainly, his wife will bring forth a son for him, Sarah doubted in her heart in the room.
The bible said because Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women, Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Then the Lord asked a question "Is anything too hard for the Lord"? He reaffirmed that at the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Faith is Visible in the Spirit
Faith is not an intellectual exercise, where a person reasons with himself, how the word spoken will be fulfilled. Instead, the only contribution of man to faith is to believe and take the step of faith. By faith, we have a personal encounter with God.
Faith is so important because it is the means by which we have a relationship with God: “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph 2:8). It is through faith, we receive the benefits of what Jesus has done for us. He lived a life of perfect obedience to God, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead for our justification. By putting our faith in him, we receive forgiveness for our sins and the gift of eternal life.
Faith may seem invisible in the physical, but certainly not in the realm of the spirit. Faith is visible in the spirit, as can be seen from the illustration in Genesis 18 above. Sarah laughed in her heart and God saw it. Lucifer thought in his heart to be like God, and God saw it. So if you have faith, it is visible to God in the spirit.
Evil men in occultic world sees when someone has received promotion in the spirit, though the promotion letter has not been written in their office. This is why we preach that when you receive something in the dream, cover it with the blood of Jesus and pray for it to manifest.
Faith works with Love
Faith work by love is a statement coming out of Mathew 22:37-40, when a young man wanted to know from the Lord, which commandment was the chief. Jesus saying that all the scriptures produce on the platform of love, and loving cannot exist without a relationship. Faith is a spiritual law that work on the platform of love. In Galatians 5:6, the bible says: "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
In Christ, it is not whether you are circumcised or not. It is whether you love God or not. If you have love for God, you will be in relationship with Him. You will know Him deeper and He will also know your name. He will be your Father and you, His son or daughter. You cannot love God and not believe in Him, or want to please Him. Love for God is central to everything we do by faith, otherwise, it is not accredited.
Love for God builds you up in righteousness, as you will think and dwell in those things that are pleasing to God. It destroys your doubt and opens you to an unusual realm of divine revelations, where your spiritual eyes and ears are open. Love for God builds your faith to the point where you say "If I die, I die, but to compromise or accept demonic alternative...No way! That faith by love.
Christians should have the right thoughts because God sees the thoughts of our heart and the Spirit of God will hardly work in us, if our thoughts are negative and evil. Our faith in God should resonate the thoughts of God. Abraham, our father of faith reasoned that God could raise his son up from the dead, even if he pieces him for sacrifice. That is faith in God's ability to do the impossible.
Conquering and succeeding by Faith
Faith is a precious possession! It opens the door to a victorious life! By faith, we can overcome any temptation and every adversary. This is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith, spoken of in 1 John 5:5. Jesus told Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29, He was encouraging faith in believers. The result of living faith is both visible and tangible!
Faith is literally saying "Everything is possible for him who believes". God does not use people who say "No, this is not possible." When we think in terms of our senses, knowledge and experience, we are no more walking in faith. We have to return to the word of God and His promises and be firmly persuaded that whatever God has spoken, He will bring to pass.
This is what Abraham did in Hebrews 11:19. He was not swayed by his thoughts and personal experience because really when you kill an animal for sacrifice, that animal does not return to life again. But, Abraham believed that God will raise Isaac up from the dead, and as a result, God was satisfied with Abraham and blessed him greatly.
If you are always thinking "that is not possible, this is difficult", you are not helping yourself as a Christian. Remember you are born again and should be spirit-filled. Remember your heavenly Father calls forth things that be not, as though they are. God expects us to walk and think like Him.
The key to exploits is "Believe in God and not yourself." and as a result, change your speech to "Yes, it is possible." I can establish this and that, it is possible, I can accomplish that" and God will indeed work through you and those words of faith will become a reality.
Conclusion
If you want to condition your heart to be in the habit of believing, then you must give God’s Word first place in your life. You must feed it into your heart constantly. And you have to realize that the Word of God is His will and His mind, and each time you are studying the bible, it is the Lord speaking to you personally.
The bible said "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding,” So, abide in the Word and let the Word abide in you (John 15:7). As you do, your faith will strengthen.
When your body screams, I’m sick! I’m sick! I’m sick! don't even speak that negative word out. Go to the Word of God and rather speak what the Lord says, that “By the stripe of Jesus Christ, you are healed of any disease.” (1 Peter 2:24).
Know that the Holy Spirit works through your faith as it is written in Mathew 8:13. It is done to you according to your belief. Each time we believe we can succeed, and put up our best effort, success is certain. When you approach life by faith, you will experience the benefits of living the faith-filled life!
Please leave your comments below. They are appreciated!
FIRE...
Post a Comment