One of the most discussed yet most
misunderstood topics in the body of Christ is faith. You will rarely hear a
sermon in the Christian world today without hearing that word being mentioned
one or more times. Many times it becomes another term in the Christian jargon
which flies by your ears or rather into one ear and out the other. In this
publication we shall examine what faith really is, how it can be acquired and
how it can be released to work in your life.
The
scriptures distinctly speak about four types of faith:
(i) Faith for salvation: This is the faith
you used when you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and confessed Him as
the Lord of your life. This is defined in Ephesians, "For by grace are ye
saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8).
(ii) The gift of faith: This is imparted by the Holy Spirit as one
of His nine manifestations. This is special faith or wonder-working faith to
receive supernatural results in naturally impossible situations. This is the
faith required to walk on water, receive deliverance from lions and pass
through fire without being burned. It is listed among the other nine gifts of
the Holy Spirit and it operates as the Spirit wills, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another
the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another FAITH by the same Spirit;
to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit" (1Co 12:7-9).
(iii) The fruit of faith: this is the fruit or character of the
regenerated human spirit and is defined as faithfulness or loyal commitment.
This fruit is spoken about in Galatians, "But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, FAITH" (Gal 5:22).
(iv) The measure of faith: this is a deposit of faith made in
every believer and includes apprehending as a real fact what is not revealed to
the senses. This is given to every born again believer in a specific quantity, "For I say, through the grace given
unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to
every man the MEASURE OF FAITH" (Rom 12:3).
The last type of
faith is what we shall thoroughly examine and study in detail. This faith is
defined for us in the book of Hebrews, "Now
faith is the assurance (the
confirmation, the title-deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of
things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality - faith PERCEIVING AS
REAL FACT WHAT IS NOT REVEALED TO THE SENSES" (Heb 11:1 AMP). Faith is
revealed when we take hold of the unseen and glorify God like we already have
it physically. God created all things in heaven and earth by faith and He
expects us to use faith to accomplish His purposes on earth.
Let's examine an
interesting statement made by Jesus when questioned about faith by His
Apostles. "And the apostles said
unto the Lord, INCREASE OUR FAITH. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a
GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up
by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and IT SHOULD OBEY YOU. But which
of you, having a SERVANT plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and
by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not
rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and
SERVE ME, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and
drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded
him? I think not" (Luk 17:5-9). The Apostles made a correct statement
when they said "Increase our
faith" since they did not ask Jesus to give them faith. Many believers
have made prayers to God out of His will when they ask Him to give them faith.
Those are prayers prayed out of His will and they will not receive any answer
from God (1Jn 5:14,15). God has already made Himself clear in stating that He
has imparted to every man the measure of faith (Rom 12:3). God has no faith in
heaven to give you, neither has he any to add to the measure He has bestowed
upon you. All the facilities for using and growing in faith have been availed
to us here on earth. Jesus told the Apostles that faith can be compared to a
mustard seed which is sown into the ground as the smallest of seeds but with
the right conditions can grow into the biggest tree. Jesus even reveled the way
in which this faith can be planted and the secret lies in this statement, "And the Lord said, If ye had faith as
a grain of mustard seed, YE MIGHT SAY unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked
up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you"
(Luk 17:6). Here Jesus gives us a specific means of planting this seed into the
ground and it is by speaking to the sycamine or mulberry tree. Faith is
released by speaking words and then faith begins to work as your servant. There
is an interesting phrase at the end of Lk 17:6 stating that, "it should obey you", which
could be referring to the servant in verses 7-9. Jesus again refers to faith as
a servant who is plowing or feeding cattle or going about his daily routine.
This servant being referred to is your faith, he is the servant God has given
you to overcome the world with (1Jn5:4). Victory can only be achieved in your
life when you engage this servant called faith. The servant is not supposed to
do what he desires but is at your beck and call to fulfill you desires. The
servant is not supposed to serve himself until you have eaten and drunk to your
satisfaction, "Suppose someone has a SERVANT who is plowing fields or watching
sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field, 'Have something
to eat'? No. Instead, he tells his servant, 'GET DINNER READY FOR ME! After you
serve me my dinner, you can eat yours.' He doesn't thank the servant for
FOLLOWING ORDERS" (Luk 17:7-9 GW). Faith is the servant given to you
who will prepare your dinner without you having to lift a finger. But this
servant can not do his work until you command him to do it. The servant has to
be commanded by speaking to him and giving him specific orders. That is how
faith operates and it will do anything you apply it to because it is your
servant or slave.
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