What is faith? Sign in my office “Faith is not believing God can, but it is knowing that He will” Webster Dictionary—faith is to trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof. Synonyms for faith are confidence, reliance, and assurance.
Faith: GENUINE, authentic faith must be free of doubt. It is a faith which believes that the things which “God says shall come to pass, will come to pass.”
Acrostic for the word F-A-I-T-H Forsaking All I Trust Him
Faith is the measure of our victory and our success in the Christian life. Faith is the way we are saved and the way we live the Christian life. Faith is trusting not striving.
Five Ministries of Faith (Gen 13:15-18)
First ministry of faith is Eyes of Faith
Gen 13:15…the land which thou seest—see God’s glory and provision.
Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
God is telling us, “My child, in your humanity, you can’t see as I see. Trust Me, as you go through this trial. It is going to be good for your future.”
As humans we want to know there is a reason for life. Unless we understand who we are and trust God with the direction of our lives, we will be overwhelmed. When trials come into our lives and our faith is not in God, we will stop obeying Him.
Second ministry of faith is Ears of Faith
Gen. 13:15 …Abraham heard God’s promise-I will, I will, I will.
How do we hear God’s Voice?
Listen for guidance in that still small voice.
1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
Listen through His Word.
Romans 10:17…hearing the word of God. Word here means communication. Communication is more than “give me” It involves listening & waiting for God’s word or His communication to come to you.
When God’s word comes in, His outpouring love gives you courage, it energizes you for your tasks, it frees you, it brings love-filled changes to your life.
It is a message that is gentle and soft.
It is a message designed just for my ears.
It is a message that draws my spirit closer to His.
It is a message that helps me trust Him right now because He has brought me through past experiences.
Third ministry of faith is feet of faith.
Gen. 13:17 …arise, walk through the land—he stepped out and claimed what God had for him-walking in God’s will.
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
ll the course of our lives is graciously ordained. God in His lovingkindness has all the events of our lives fixed, settled, and maintained. Every step we take is of divine decree from Him. Think of the captain of a ship. When he undertakes to steer the course of the vessel, he makes sure that it doesn’t crash into the rocks or run upon the sands. He makes sure that the vessel gets safely into the harbor.
He delighteth in his way. Parents are pleased to watch the unsteady footsteps of their babies. Jesus is viewing our footsteps. He is watching how we walk through our trials and disappointments. He delights in the way we are walking when He sees us being faithful.
Fourth ministry of faith is the Movement of Faith
Gen. 13:18 Abraham removed his tent. When God said, “Move” Abraham moved. He moved when God spoke.
Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law…turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whitersoever thou goest.
The Africa impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see. Faith frees us to move from the flimsy enclosures of life where fear entraps us.
Fifth ministry of Faith is satisfaction of faith.
Gen 13:18 Abraham was satisfied with what God was doing in his life.
Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Shall abide satisfied…one that is satisfied hath a sure abiding-place. The word “abide” has in its original context is “passing the night.” Even in the hour of darkness, he shall be free from fear.
Fellowship and communicaton with God opens the door to faith.
Communication with God involves talking with Him not talking at Him. We share our hurts with Him and allow Him to wrap His arms around us and give us the strength to endure the trials as we go through them.
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt].
Positive thoughts of God develop our faith. Positive thinking is not faith. The object of our faith is Almighty God. When we center our focus on our trust and faith in God, we are able to see His plan for our lives, our faith begins to get stronger.
Salesmen and leaders are taught positive thinking about themselves. When we look to ourselves, we will fail.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us to look to Jesus. That literally means to look totally away from everything else.
am not putting my faith in my faith—I am putting my faith in Jesus. That is salvation. We must fill our minds with positive, constructive thoughts of God and His attributes.
The Devil wants you doubt your salvation. He puts doubt into our minds, “Maybe your faith won’t save you—maybe your faith is not strong enough” The Devil is trying to get you to look to your faith and not to Jesus.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
I live by the faith of the Son of God. By confidence in the Son of God, I look to Him for strength, and I trust in His promises and in His grace.
Psalm 9:10 And they that know His name will put their trust in thee.
I did a study on God’s names. This helped me really learn about His character and attributes.
Jehovah I Am—God never changes. His promises never fail. He is faithful—
Jehovah Jirah—God will provide.
Elohim-God is all-powerful creator.
El Roy-God who sees me—There are no circumstances in our lives that escape His awareness and care.
El Shaddai-He is the source of all our blessings—Our problems are not too big for Him to manage.
Daniel 11:32…But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.
When the object and origin of our faith is God and Hour faith begins to grow.
We must hear God’s Word. We can’t generate our own faith.
Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing-hearing by the Word of God.
When we get into God’s Word, we get assurance for our faith.
True Faith Will Come When We Focus on God’s Will.
Most of Jesus’ followers didn’t fully understand why He had to die.
John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the [wife] of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
Only three women were with Jesus at His most dreaded hour. How it must have grieved the heart of the Savior when to witness such a lack of faith and understanding in the very ones who claimed to be His followers.
Many times, when we face a difficulty or tragedy, we usually become stunned, disbelieving, and numb. Our emotions escalate and our anxiety and fears tend to make us question life, our purpose, and God’s purpose. It’s at this point we must choose to trust God and His Word.
I Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We must focus on being thankful. Lord, I don’t understand, but I choose to be thankful in this situation.
Quote from Alexander White: The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.
Maybe you failed-you fooled around with sin-you lied. The Devil comes to you and says, “You’re done for!” Faith says, “No you’re not.” Faith always brings us back to God after we have failed.
How can I get back to a new beginning with my faith?
- Get quiet and get on your knees
Lord, I thank You for this experience You have chosen for me. You know that I would not have chosen it for myself, but You know me better than I know myself, and You know the lesson I need to learn. Oh Father, help me to experience Your peace and joy which comes only when I trust You.
In the book of Matthew Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. When Jesus had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain to pray…when the evening was come, He was alone. About 3:00 in the morning, He sees a ship in the middle of the sea. A terrible wind came arose, and the ship was being tossed about. Jesus went to the ship walking on the sea. When His disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they became fearful…they thought He was a spirit. Then Jesus spoke, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it’s You, bid me come to You on the water. Jesus then told Peter, “Come.” And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Peter had his focus on Jesus, but when he took his eyes off Jeus, he began to sink.
We get so busy living that we get our focus off the Lord: He must send things into our lives to get our focus back on Him and His will.
Faith is obeying God even though you don’t understand your circumstances. Faith is trusting God with every aspect of your life. It is knowing that He made you the way you are, and He has a purpose for everything that happens to you.
Years ago, there were two missionary families who went to the Belgium Congo. They were in their early twenties. One couple was the Floods, and the other was the Ericsons. The Ericsons only lasted about 6 months because things were so difficult. The Floods chose to stay. They had one child. When that child was two years old, Mrs Flood got pregnant. During her pregnancy, she contracted malaria. She died giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. Her husband couldn’t handle his wife’s death and became very bitter. One day he went out and stood over her grave and said, “God, why did You allow this? We came here to give our lives and now my wife is dead at 27. All we have to show for this is one little village boy who probably doesn’t even know what we shared with him. You failed me God—what a waste of my life.
Mr. Flood took his 3-year-old boy back to Sweden and left his baby girls with some missionaries in the Congo. When he arrived in Sweden, he went into the import business. If anyone ever mentioned God, he would get angry and forbid them to ever mention God’s name in his presence.
In the meantime, the missionary family adopted this baby daughter. This couple named this little girl “Aggie”. Aggie grew up in a very loving home. Through the years, Aggie tried to locate her father who had abandoned her. She wrote many letters, but they were all returned.
Mr. Flood had remarried and had 4 children. He plunged into despair and became an alcoholic.
When Aggie was 40 years old, she and her husband bought round trip tickets to Sweden to locate her father. On the way to Sweden, she and her husband had a layover in London. They heard that a well-known evangelist would be speaking. Since this evangelist had lived in the Congo, the couple was especially interested in hearing him. They attended the meeting and were able to visit with the evangelist after it. Aggie spoke with him and said, “My mom and dad were missionaries in the Congo for many years and told the evangelist their names.” The evangelist began to smile, “Your mother led me to the Lord.” This evangelist was the one and only convert that the Floods had made while they were in the Congo.
Aggie and her husband got on the plane to Sweden the next day. They located her father—There were hugs and crying! Aggie’s father said, “I am so sorry that I abandoned you.” Aggie said, “That’s OK Daddy, God took care of me.” With that statement, her father got irate! “God didn’t take care of you—God ruined our family. He led us to Africa and betrayed us. Nothing came out of our time there. It was a total waste of our lives.”
“Oh, Daddy, you are wrong.” She then began to relate the story of the evangelist that they had heard in London. She said, “This evangelist is not only evangelizing Zaire, but he is preaching around the world.
Tears of repentance and sorrow overtook the father. He then realized that he truly had wasted his whole life because he got bitter and doubted what God was doing through the horrible circumstances of his life.
Faith is being so convinced that in my life, regardless of what is happening, regardless of what I understand, and regardless of how I feel-God will be faithful to His Word. Trusting God is crucial to building faith. It frees us to see all our life experiences as relevant and realize that these experiences are shaping us for a unique mission in life.