As Christians we should all desire to be successful in what God has called us to do and be. True success is determined by our ability to walk by faith and obedience to God. In this post, I want to share with you five keys to having "great faith." Following these principles will help you to live a life of faith.
1. Have A Thorough Understanding Of Submission And Authority
The Bible is full of examples of how people received great miracles simply because they understood submission and authority. Matthew 8:9-10 the centurions servant was healed because he understood authority and simply told Jesus that all he had to do was "speak" the word and it would be done. Moses' obedience and submission to God's authority resulted in the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea (Genesis 14:15-16); Peter and the other disciples obeyed Jesus' command and "cast their nets" on the other side of the boat and caught a great number of fish (Luke 5:4-6). If you want great faith, you must have a good understanding of submission and authority.
2. Be Convinced Of Jesus' Ability To Do What He Has Promised
We must be fully convinced that God is able to do what He has promised through Jesus Christ. Abraham was convinced of what God had spoken to him that no longer did he waver at the promise of God, but was fully convinced. Romans 4:20-22 tells us that Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what He promised He was able to perform." Are you convinced that God is able to perform what He has promised in the New Covenant that was established through Jesus Christ?
3. Press In Regardless Of The Obstacles
The best example of pressing in regardless of the obstacles is the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:43-48. She had sought help through every means possible and finally went to see Jesus, but the throng of people were keeping her away. But she continued to "press in" until she touched the hem of Jesus' garment and immediately Jesus knew "power" had left Him and she was healed. There are many obstacles, disappointments, and trials that will try to cause us to lose heart and not press in. However, don't give up just because life becomes difficult. We must continue to press in if we want great faith!
4. Exhibit Boldness In The Midst Of Unbelief and Mockery
When we take steps of faith it sometimes seems foolish to those around us. But we must press in with boldness regardless of how foolish it may seem or how others may mock us for our belief.
5. Persistence
In Matthew 15:21-28 Jesus commended the Gentile woman for having great faith. She had great faith because of her persistent attitude that got Jesus' attention. She continued to plead her case with humility and respect even after Jesus didn't initially respond the way she hoped he would.
6. Act On The Word
Faith is nothing until we ACT! James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Are you ready to act on the Word of God? God's ready!
Bethel Church is an interdenominational church that is dedicated to sharing the message of God's eternal love for His creation. Join us in the journey as we prepare people for "Life!"
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Understanding Faith (Part 3)
In this third lesson in the series "Understanding Faith" I want to show the difference between faith and believing and explain exactly how it is that faith works. But before I do that there are three important aspects of faith that we must understand.
1. There are three kinds of faith:
Bible faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Again, it is information we receive from God's Word, we believe it and act on it. For example, the Bible tells us that if we "confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." We believe it, and then we confess our sins to God and believe He forgives us.
Then there is the "gift of faith." It is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. This gift of faith is given to men as the Spirit wills and is used to edify and encourage the Body of Christ.
2. Bible faith takes effort on our part. A common mistake many people make is they think that Bible faith is something that God gives to them with no effort on their part and this simply isn't true. The gift of salvation is free and requires nothing of us, but having Biblical faith requires our involvement and effort.
3. Faith and believing are not the same thing. I will explain that further in the next point.
The Difference Between Faith And Believing
Visualize if you will a man staggering through the church door and collapsing on the floor when several people rush to his side. One of them is a doctor and he says "This man is in the final stages of starvation. He is suffering from malnutrition. If he doesn't eat in the next 30 minutes he will die!"
The people bring the man food and ask the man "Do you believe that if you eat this food it will keep you from starving to death?" The man replies "yes" he believes that, but then never eats the food. This continues for 30 minutes and the man continues to make the statement that he believes if he eats the food it will save his life but never eats it and ultimately dies!
Even though the man's belief was correct, he ultimately died, because he never acted in faith on what he believed! He never ate the food! That's the difference between believing and faith. Until you start doing something about what you believe, it's not faith, it's only belief! James 2:20 says, "...that faith without works is dead." Faith must have action to be faith. Faith is acting on the Word of God.
Faith Is Being A Doer Of The Word
James 1:22 says, "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." We must be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. Faith is not faith until is has been acted upon. This is where most believers miss it. They hear the Word, they believe the Word, but never become a doer of the Word.
How Faith Works
Faith works on the same principle in the spirit realm as it does in the natural realm. Faith in both realms is based upon something which you believe.
Here's how faith works in the spiritual realm as well as in the natural realm. (1) You are given information. (2) You believe that information. (3) You act on the information you believe.
Faith Is Acting On The Word Of God
There are several examples in the Bible of men acting on the Word of God. Peter in Luke 5:4-7 had fished all night and didn't catch a thing. But when Jesus told them to "Push out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch," Peter responded "nevertheless at thy Word I will let down the net." As a result there was a great catch all because Peter acted on the Word of God.
Joshua also acted on the Word of God in Joshua 6:1-20. He followed the instruction of the Lord completely and the city of Jericho was overtaken.
Faith is more than just believing! It is acting on the truth of God's Word! Won't you start believing on and acting on the Word of God today?
1. There are three kinds of faith:
- Natural Faith
- Bible Faith
- The Gift of Faith
Bible faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Again, it is information we receive from God's Word, we believe it and act on it. For example, the Bible tells us that if we "confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." We believe it, and then we confess our sins to God and believe He forgives us.
Then there is the "gift of faith." It is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. This gift of faith is given to men as the Spirit wills and is used to edify and encourage the Body of Christ.
2. Bible faith takes effort on our part. A common mistake many people make is they think that Bible faith is something that God gives to them with no effort on their part and this simply isn't true. The gift of salvation is free and requires nothing of us, but having Biblical faith requires our involvement and effort.
3. Faith and believing are not the same thing. I will explain that further in the next point.
The Difference Between Faith And Believing
Visualize if you will a man staggering through the church door and collapsing on the floor when several people rush to his side. One of them is a doctor and he says "This man is in the final stages of starvation. He is suffering from malnutrition. If he doesn't eat in the next 30 minutes he will die!"
The people bring the man food and ask the man "Do you believe that if you eat this food it will keep you from starving to death?" The man replies "yes" he believes that, but then never eats the food. This continues for 30 minutes and the man continues to make the statement that he believes if he eats the food it will save his life but never eats it and ultimately dies!
Even though the man's belief was correct, he ultimately died, because he never acted in faith on what he believed! He never ate the food! That's the difference between believing and faith. Until you start doing something about what you believe, it's not faith, it's only belief! James 2:20 says, "...that faith without works is dead." Faith must have action to be faith. Faith is acting on the Word of God.
Faith Is Being A Doer Of The Word
James 1:22 says, "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." We must be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. Faith is not faith until is has been acted upon. This is where most believers miss it. They hear the Word, they believe the Word, but never become a doer of the Word.
How Faith Works
Faith works on the same principle in the spirit realm as it does in the natural realm. Faith in both realms is based upon something which you believe.
Here's how faith works in the spiritual realm as well as in the natural realm. (1) You are given information. (2) You believe that information. (3) You act on the information you believe.
Faith Is Acting On The Word Of God
There are several examples in the Bible of men acting on the Word of God. Peter in Luke 5:4-7 had fished all night and didn't catch a thing. But when Jesus told them to "Push out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch," Peter responded "nevertheless at thy Word I will let down the net." As a result there was a great catch all because Peter acted on the Word of God.
Joshua also acted on the Word of God in Joshua 6:1-20. He followed the instruction of the Lord completely and the city of Jericho was overtaken.
Faith is more than just believing! It is acting on the truth of God's Word! Won't you start believing on and acting on the Word of God today?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)