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Faith

7 Reasons Why Your Faith Must Be Based On God’s Word For It To Work

How potent is your faith? Many Christians are struggling to have their faith produce the results they desire. Some Christians are even wondering whether “this faith thing” is real. It is real; however, their problem may be that their faith is not on the right foundation, which is the word of God. This article gives the reasons why your faith must be based on God’s word for your faith to work.

 

My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips – Psalms 89:34 (NKJV).

 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God – Romans 10:17 (NKJV).

 

Christianity is called the “Faith”. Faith describes our Christian walk with God. We are saved by faith and we live by faith. Therefore, for you to make it as a Christian your faith must work; otherwise, you will be constantly defeated by the enemy when you’re only to reach out for victory (Already given to you by Jesus) by faith.

 

What is faith?

 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). It is acting on God’s word. It is putting the word of God above situations and issues of life. It is believing the word of the Lord as being the absolute truth and holding on to it till it overcomes.

 

Therefore, it means that where there is no word of God, there will be no potent faith. God’s word is the foundation on which your faith can work. So, you must have faith in the word of the Lord.

 

Why Your faith must be based on God’s Word

 

1. Faith comes by hearing the word of God

 

Your faith is built up as you hear the word: while studying the word, listening to anointed messages or reading anointed books. It doesn’t come by being current with the happenings around you, rather what comes on you most of the time is fear (Faith in the devil). As you hear the Lord speak to you through the above channels, your faith grows to believe Him to do what He had said He would do.

 

2. God does nothing outside His word

 

The Lord has no plans of breaking His covenant or altering what has gone out of His mouth. He will not change His words for any reason or anybody whatsoever. Whatever you want Him to do for you must be in line with what He had said in His word. Therefore, for you to get the Lord’s attention, your faith must be based on His word.

 

3. God watches over His word to perform it

 

The Lord is not moved by our circumstances or tears per se, but He is always moved by faith in His word. He watches to see you exercise faith in His word for Him to perform it in your life. This is why two people may be crying out to Him for help, one will be answered and the other will not be answered. One is exercising faith on what God had said and the other is not.

 

4. God hears us only when we pray according to His word

 

The scriptures state that when the Lord hears you, your answer is sure. However, He will only hear you when you pray according to His will, which is His word. The language God understands is His word. Anything outside His word, He will not understand. If He doesn’t understand you, you have not communicated at all, and so you will not get an answer from Him.

 

5. Having faith in God’s word is having faith in God

 

The Lord cannot be separated from His word. He is His word. So you can’t claim to have faith in God when you don’t believe in His word. The word reveals the Lord to you. The more of God’s word you know and believe, the more you’ll have faith in Him.

 

6. The word of God will never fail

 

Whatever the Father says must come to pass, it must accomplish what He pleases and must prosper in the thing for which He sent it. His word is not permitted to return to Him void. Even, if it remains one more second, faith in His word must produce His desire.

 

7. God’s word endures forever

 

Every other thing may pass away, including heaven and earth, but the word of the Lord will not pass away. Whatever, God said will surely come to pass whether you like it or not, believe it or not. Most of the things He said in the Old Testament have come to pass already; whatever remains will also happen as He had said. This should boost your faith in His word because what He said concerning your issue, if you hold on to it till the end, it will surely come to pass.

 

Abraham (Romans 4:16-21)

 

Abraham had a word from the Lord that He would give him a son from Sarah. He held on to this word for 25 years before Isaac was born. People must have mocked him and tried to deflate his faith, but he refused to allow them to shake his faith in that word he heard from God. He was fully persuaded that God who had promised was able to do as He had said. He chose to give the Lord all the glory, praising Him, instead of entertaining doubt. Surely, God visited Sarah as He had said and at the time He had spoken.

 

In conclusion, a Christian can never do without the word of God. It is the base on which your faith can work. Therefore, choose to study the word as much as you can daily and act on them to have your desired answers. The word of the Lord is the food for your redeemed spirit and for the growth of your faith. Apply yourself to it and your testimonies will never end.

 

Ngozi Nwoke is a teacher, speaker, counselor and author of “Peace Money Can’t Buy” and “The Man Jesus: What You Need to Know About Christ”. She has a passion to teach people how to enjoy peace, God’s love and christian living for more fulfilling life. Want more fulfilling life? Subscribe for free email updates today. http://stepswithgod.com

 

 

 

 

Faith

How to Make Faith Work

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~ Carl Bard

 

Is your faith as effective as you think it should be? Is it working for you? Are you seeing the results you want? If not, you may want to reconsider how you are using (or not using) your faith.

 

Here’s the first thing to understand: you do have faith. God created you that way. You are always believing something. If you say, “Well, I don’t believe that”, you just affirmed that you do, in fact, believe the opposite. You’ve just put your faith to work on the opposite side of the issue.

 

Actually, the title of this article is a bit of a misnomer. You see, you can’t ‘make’ faith work because it is always working. Faith is a supernatural power source. It works all the time, like gravity. Gravity keeps you from floating off the planet, but it can be a real ‘downer’ if you jump off a 20-story building! Gravity doesn’t change, but how you use it can.

 

Think of it like this: God created the ground to grow whatever you plant in it. If you want tomatoes, don’t plant beets.

 

… we also believe, therefore we speak (2 Cor. 4:13). Faith is planted by words. What you say is the harvest you will get. If you want prosperity, you shouldn’t ‘plant’ words of financial woe and lack. Faith always works. But depending on how you use it, faith will work positively or negatively.

 

The Bible says faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17). It doesn’t say ‘maybe’ faith will come. Faith comes. What you believe is based on what you hear. If you constantly say (and hear yourself say), “I’m broke. I can’t ever get ahead”, you are growing faith for that situation to continue. Your debt will get worse and your financial challenges bigger. Faith comes. You are planting for a harvest of lack and shortage.

 

But, if in the midst of your lack, you will begin to speak God’s promise that My God shall meet all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19), your faith in that promise grows. Every time you speak it, you hear it. Speaking what you want – based on Biblical promise – is putting your faith to work on the situation. Psalm 103 says angels hearken to the voice [speaking] His Word (v. 20). As you put faith to work by speaking what you want, you commission the powers of heaven to go to work on your behalf.

 

The Bible says even Almighty God ‘calls things that be not as though they were’ (Rom. 4:17). He started that process in Genesis. And it works… every time. Yet, even for Him, it was not always instant. He waited over 4,000 years from the first words He spoke of Jesus’ coming in Genesis until the birth of His beloved Son. Why did it take so long? Because He had to find people here on earth to agree with Him, and speak His Word out loud. Spoken words have power, either positive or negative. Which side are your words on?

 

Words create. God designed the system that way. The very first verse of the Bible says, “God created the heaven and the earth.” That first chapter of Genesis tells us how: “And God said… and it was so”. Can you imagine God thinking to himself, “I wonder what else I need to do to make this happen? I wonder if I should wave my hands, or jump up and down, or moan and complain.” NO. Words were enough to put the Holy Spirit, the angels and whatever else was needed into operation.

 

On the sixth day, God created mankind – you and me – as spirit beings in His own image and likeness (v. 26). If we’re like God, we also can create with our words. Let’s look at the concept again.

 

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:13, 18).

 

The primary way to ‘work’ the works of faith is with your words! You can change the ‘temporal’ things, the facts of your life by the words you speak. The truth of God’s Word trumps facts every time!

 

I heard a story of one woman, diagnosed with an incurable cancer, who made up her mind to speak only healing verses over herself. She declared aloud, “I shall live and not die” (Ps. 118:17) over a hundred times a day. She also took Jesus at His Word when He said ‘speak to the mountain’ (Matt. 17:20). She said, “Cancer, you can’t stay in my body. I am God’s and you have no place in me. You leave my body right now!” Can you imagine how much time and determination it took to stay with that plan for weeks and months on end? As I heard it, nine months later she was completely healed!

 

What would have happened if she had believed the doctor’s diagnosis more than the Word of God? What if she had told everyone that she’d been diagnosed with inoperable cancer? “The doctors say I’m going to die.” Her family and friends would have attended her funeral.

 

Another woman, also diagnosed with cancer, stood for three years on the promises she found in God’s Word. After she was sent home from the hospital to die, she looked up every scripture on healing and health, and wrote them down. She read that list out loud at least three times a day – like medicine. And at the end of her battle, he body was completely restored. No medicines or special treatments – the doctors had given up on her. But she put the power of faith to work by saying, by speaking The Word and nothing else.

 

Let’s look at Abraham. His wife was barren. They never had a baby even when they were both young. But God spoke to him (calling things that be not as though they were) saying, “I have made you the father of many nations” (Gen. 17:5). Abraham was 99 years old! Seriously?

 

Yet… Against hope [Abraham] believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, ‘So shall thy seed be’. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He 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 had promised, He was able also to perform. (Rom. 4:18-21).

 

Fourteen years earlier, God said the same thing. But Abraham didn’t believe. Instead, he tried to help God out by taking Sarah’s maid and Ishmael was born. God had to wait all those years for Abraham’s faith to develop enough to bring His prophecy to fruition. Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born.

 

Faith works when you are willing to rest in God’s promises, not demanding or requiring any other proof than the fact that He said it. Abraham ‘staggered not’. He set aside every doubt and question and hung onto the promise. You and I can do the same thing. It may not be easy, but it is do-able. The Bible is full of examples of God’s faithfulness to anyone who believed.

 

The woman with the issue of blood said, “If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.”

Jairus told Jesus, “If You will come and lay hands on her, my daughter will live.”

When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted The Word, the only weapon He needed.

The centurion said, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”

The leper said, “If You wilt, You can make me clean” and Jesus said, “I will”.

In Mark 11:24, Jesus taught, “What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” Did you get that? Faith believes the promise is real when you pray, not when you see it. “Shall have” is a result of working, active faith.

 

How much word ‘seed’ does it take to overcome your particular problem? I don’t know, but I do know that God’s promises are yea and amen (2 Cor. 1:20). God says “Yes! Absolutely!” if you ask in faith, never wavering (James 1:6). Jesus always said “Yes” to those who asked for healing or help.

 

Seed produces harvest. The more you sow, the greater your harvest will be. The Word is seed. Are you planting enough to fill a flower pot, a garden plot or a field? How much harvest do you want?

 

How will you know you’re faith is working? When you are able to cast the care of that situation or circumstance on God and not worry about it any longer. Are you are willing to believe that it is already taken care of, that God has it well in hand? As long as you maintain the ‘care’ (worry, stress, responsibility) of the problem, you’re not letting your faith (or God) work for you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).

 

If you feel like your faith isn’t strong enough, remember how to get more. Faith comes by hearing. Speak the Word to yourself over and over until it becomes real in your spirit. Those women didn’t experience healing the first time they said “I am healed”. But they didn’t give up at the hundredth or thousandth or ten-thousandth saying. They spoke the Word until they saw the results they wanted!

 

Being humble doesn’t mean telling God that you’re not worthy or good enough. It doesn’t mean begging Him to do what He’s already promised. It means submitting yourself to His Word, regardless of how you feel about the situation. If He said He will do it, you must also believe that He will do it for you.

 

The next time you are faced with a difficult situation, pour it on! Put your faith to work by speaking words of victory and deliverance. When the disciples came to Jesus asking, “What should we do?” He didn’t give them a list of requirements. Instead, He told them, “Believe only.” Faith will move mountains, heal bodies, supply prosperity and deliverance.

 

Faith believes. Faith speaks. Faith works when you put it to work. And it will give you a harvest of victory, plenty and peace.

 

For more information on developing life skills, better relationships, and becoming the best YOU possible, visit [http://seebecksolutions.com] and sign up to receive your FREE subscription to “Solutions For Success”, a weekly ezine of inspiration, motivation and humor from a Christian perspective.

 

Ruth Seebeck has built a reputation over the last three decades as a life-skills coach, mentor, Christian counselor and friend. She is a business owner, author, community volunteer and event coordinator whose passion is helping others overcome life’s challenges. Seebeck Solutions: Helping you make the most of What Matters Most!

 

 

 

 

Faith

Talk About Faith

What is Faith?

 

Faith is one of those words that is difficult to tie down to one simple definition. The concept of faith is a broad one. Generally, ‘faith’ means much the same as ‘trust’. Faith has been defined in many ways (free online dictionary) as;

 

• Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing,

 

• An allegiance to duty or a person,

 

• Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence,

 

• Secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.

 

• A set of principles or beliefs.

 

Of course, there is no ‘established’ terminology for different meanings or definitions of faith.

 

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives a brief initial characterisation of the principal models of faith and their nomenclature which may nevertheless be helpful. These are:

 

the ‘purely affective’ model: faith as a feeling of existential confidence.

 

the ‘special knowledge’ model: faith as knowledge of specific truths, revealed by God.

 

the ‘belief’ model: faith as belief that God exists.

 

the ‘trust’ model: faith as belief in (trust in) God.

 

the ‘doxastic venture’ model: faith as practical commitment beyond the evidence to one’s belief that God exists.

 

the ‘sub-doxastic venture’ model: faith as practical commitment without belief.

 

the ‘hope’ model: faith as hoping or acting in the hope that the God who saves exists.

 

FAITH AND CHRISTIANITY

 

Many Bible students will give Hebrews 11:1 as the meaning of faith and leave it at that. It states that, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” – NLT. However, even though this is the form definitions are given in, this verse is more of an expression of the power and importance of faith than it is a definition of faith. In fact, one already needs to know what faith is before this verse will make much sense to them. This makes this verse a frustrating answer to someone who is trying to get a footing on the foundational meaning of faith.

 

Biblical Definition of Faith

 

If you want a short definition of faith, it could be this: taking God at His word. It is true that our faith is in God. But we do not properly know the God we should believe in or know how to believe in Him unless He tells us in His word. This is why Paul says in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Biblical faith is not an “unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). It is full confidence in God’s word. FAITH accepts God’s word (His promises and His warnings) as FACT and acts accordingly. Since there are many evidences that the word of God is true, this is not a blind leap of faith. It is rather an intelligent, holy reaction to the wondrous words of God.

 

Faith as a Concept to the Gospel

 

Faith is also a central concept taught by Jesus Christ. It is the culminating element in reference to the Gospel which the Biblical Writers termed as the “good news”, which is proclaimed by Christians to the entire world. This is found in the most famous of all Bible passages, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 

(Mark 1:15). In the understanding of Jesus, faith is an act of trust and of self-abandonment by which a person no longer rely on his/her own strength and policies but commit himself/herself to the power and guiding word of him in whom he/she believes (Matthew 21:25,32; Luke 1:20, 45). Most of the definitions in the history of Christian knowledge and teachings still followed biblical principles as contained in Apostle Paul`s letter to Hebrews quoted above. As in other monotheistic faiths or religions, it includes a belief in God, a belief in the reality of a transcendent domain that God administers as His Kingdom from His Throne and in the benevolence of God’s will or plan for mankind and the World to Come.

 

Moreover, Faith in Christianity in the same vein differs from those Abrahamic religions in that it focuses on the ministry of Jesus, and on his place as the prophesied Christ. It also includes a belief in the New Covenant. According to most Christian traditions, Christian faith requires a belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (God the Son) from the dead by God the Father through God the Holy Spirit.

 

The precise understanding of the term “faith” differs among the various Christian traditions. Despite these differences, Christians generally agree that faith in Jesus lies at the core of the Christian tradition, and that such faith is required in order to be a Christian. The Christian tradition is sometimes called “the faith”, since faith in Jesus is so central to the tradition. Faith and the word “belief” are often used synonymously, which has led to Christians being called ‘believers’ i.e. those who believes in the Lord Jesus and have endeared themselves to His ways and teachings.

 

We then conclude that it is true that faith is much more than a mental acceptance of something as true; it also involves a trust in or reliance on that something.

 

 

 

 

Faith

Six Reasons Why Faith Is Key to Your Success

Faith has an important role in an authentic leader’s life. George Lancaster Spalding said, “Life without faith in something is too narrow a space to live.” Without faith, trust is a strange word. Having faith helps you move forward by giving you the confidence to take risks and trust the invisible. Here are six reasons why faith is key to your personal and professional success:

 

1. Faith removes doubt.

 

In the same way that darkness and light exist together, doubt and faith are also complementary. Khalil Gibran declared, “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” In order to become faithful, you may need to experience some sort of doubt first. As Lillian Smith noted, “Faith and doubt both are needed-not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.” In the same way that darkness disappears in the presence of light, doubt disappears in the presence of faith.

 

For instance, suppose that you have full trust in your team at the work place. You know that their performance is remarkable and they always deliver high-quality results. In such cases, would you have any doubt about how your team performs? Would you be worried about meeting deadlines or need to control the team’s performance? No, because you have faith in your team and their capability; you no longer waste your energy thinking about what-if ‘s. Rather, you spend more time with your team to enhance the relationship and empower them to do even better.

 

2. Faith eliminates fear.

 

An old proverb says, “Fear knocked at the door and faith answered. No one was there.” In other words, when faith is present, there is no room for fear and worry. Most of the time, we are afraid because we don’t know what is going to happen. Through faith, we face unknown situations with confidence and trust and we become fearless. By feeding your faith, you eliminate your fears.

 

3. Faith gives you courage.

 

Marcus Tullius Cicero observed, “A man of courage is also full of faith.” When you have faith, you become courageous enough to take actions that in the absence of faith you would never take because faith assures you that everything will be all right in the end.

 

I love this quote by an anonymous writer: “Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.” When you have faith, you never look back to remind yourself of the traumas of your life in the past. You never look around to invite fear, doubt, and worries into your life. You always look up for the signs and gain courage to move forward and do wonders.

 

4. Faith makes you strong.

 

When you have faith, you become strong enough to achieve whatever you put your mind to. Faith gives you the strength to face unexpected storms with ease. Faith helps you persist even if you have experienced setbacks. With faith, you can move mountains even if you have only a shovel in your hand.

 

When you become strong, you welcome change and embrace it because you know that change is the only way through which you can grow.

 

5. Faith energizes you.

 

When you have faith, you connect to your true self and to the life force energy. It is like plugging into a source of energy. Through faith, you can keep your inner batteries charged. When you are connected to the Source wirelessly, you never run out of batteries no matter where you are and how difficult the situation. Faith helps you radiate your energy to others and draw them toward you to support you in achieving common goals.

 

6. Faith is a catalyst that makes the impossible possible.

 

By definition, a catalyst is a substance that changes (typically accelerates) the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction. Many reactions do not take place without the presence of a catalyst because the rate of such reactions is so slow that it is impossible to generate any outcome otherwise.

 

Faith acts like a catalyst in our lives. Without faith, many things seem impossible. Having faith accelerates the rate of miracles and makes the impossible possible. As a catalyst, faith is not consumed by the miracle-making process. However, it may be poisoned or deactivated over time if it is not maintained. By connecting to the Source, the catalyst of faith will stay fresh and active at all times.

 

Author’s Bio

 

Dr. Kamran Akbarzadeh is the founder & CEO of International Academy of Leadership & Management as well as Dream Achievers Academy. He is known as Leadership Makeover expert. With years of experience in the corporate world and as a successful entrepreneur Kamran believes that the world in general and organizations in particular are in desperate need of authentic leaders who lead with their hearts and empower people to soar to greatness no matter where they are and what they do. He believes that authentic leadership is what differentiates the good from the brilliant in the 21st century. It was this conviction that inspired him to author his Amazon best seller, Leadership Soup, that recently became an award-winning finalist in the 2012 International Book Award.

 

Get instant complimentary access to the three-part LeadSucceed Jumpstart video training for your personal & professional success in happiness. CLICK HERE [http://www.internationalacademyofleadership.com/leadsucceed-pyramid/leadsucceed-jumpstart/]

 

 

 

 

Faith

Faith – What Every Christian Needs

The early church operated in powerful faith as seen in the following. The believers were passionately committed to God, to His kingdom and to His church. They were hungry for the Word and the presence of God. They operated in a spiritual environment that saw healing, miracles and gifts of the Spirit. As a result of their faith, they gave liberally to God: some of them even sold properties to help those in need. Led and empowered by the Spirit, they evangelized the lost and planted churches. Their faith was radical and life changing. Smith Wigglesworth said, “When faith lays hold, impossibilities must yield. When we touch the divine and believe God, sin will drop off; disease will go; circumstances will change.”

The Definition of Faith
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

The Bible says that we are to walk by faith not by sight. This means that we do not live our lives based on how things look. We must develop the ability to look at things through God’s eyes. God sees infinite possibilities; He sees miracles, breakthroughs and deliverances; He sees the way where there seems to be no way; He sees His kingdom and His purpose being worked out. By faith, He wants us to see what He sees so that our thoughts and prayers can be in agreement. God wants us to see into the realm of the Spirit so that we can see beyond the natural, into the spiritual reality that determines natural reality.

Faith calls us to have confidence in God. It recognizes the attributes of God. Through faith we see God as omnipotent: He is able to do anything; He is the almighty who by His great power created the vast universe and beyond that created every spiritual entity. Further, He is good and loving and will do those things that are in our best interests. Faith expects something from God and is confident. We pray in faith because we anticipate that God is going to do something. It makes no sense praying if there is no expectation. The expectation may be salvation of a loved one, missionaries to be sent around the world, financial provision, grace and wisdom to deal with a problem; whatever it is, there must be an expectation that God will do it. Faith is also confident: we are to come boldly before the throne of grace. In this light, faith causes us to recognize who we are: we are sons and daughters of God who have been given the right to come into His presence and present our requests to Him.

We must believe God for the right things: those things that bring God glory. For example, we can pray for the salvation and the blessing of others. There are many things that we can believe God for, which include some of the following. We can pray for revival in the nation: that God will move in a mighty way to save and to deliver and to transform society and government so that His kingdom is established. We could pray for the blessings of God on the church: God wants to bless the church so that it experiences His fullness and realizes its purpose. We can pray for deliverance for others: that God will set free those who are in some kind of bondage to demonic forces. Additionally, we can pray for family and self: for healthy marriages, financial provision, godly children, personal success, deepened faith. There are many other things we can pray for such as healing, anointing, wisdom, provision of a job or a promotion, protection, influence, favor and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The key principle is that God must be glorified in our prayers.

The enemies of faith are doubt, unbelief, uncertainty, ambivalence (doublemindedness) and worry. Doubt is the failure to believe God and to trust in His promises. It is the inability to see things through God’s eyes.

Circumstances are magnified while God is minimized. In one town, Jesus was unable to do many miracles because of the people’s lack of faith: God will hardly move in an environment that is saturated with doubt. People who doubt think naturally rather than supernaturally; they think in the flesh rather than in the spirit. Unbelief is a lack of belief, a lack of confidence in God, His Word and the moving of the Holy Spirit. God’s fullness does not come to the person who doubts.

People who are uncertain are not sure that God wants to intervene miraculously; they don’t know if what they are praying for is God’s will or they are not sure that God is interested in doing a particular thing for them. They may have a feeling that there are certain barriers preventing God from doing something miraculous. However, the prayer of faith can eliminate any barrier and break through to access the power of God. People who are ambivalent waver between faith and doubt. Such ambivalence paralyzes them from moving forward in faith. The Bible says that a doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways. Faith causes us to be sure, to be unwavering, knowing the mind and the will of God. Persons who are worried are anxious about the situations of life. They put all the responsibility on themselves rather than placing the majority of that responsibility on God. The enemies of faith must be overcome if believers are to experience the supernatural fullness of God.

Faith Is Needed to Please God
Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith is needed to please God. You could be pleasant, mannerly, respectful, knowledgeable, attend church, preach, fast, give and do a lot of other good things, but none of that really matters unless you have faith. There are two things we need to look at. We must believe that God exists: He is the I am that I am, the eternal, self-existent God – the God without beginning and end who does not depend on anyone for His existence; while we need God, God does not need us. He is Savior and Redeemer: the One who delivered us from the control of Satan and sin and graciously gave us eternal life. He is the Elohim, El Shaddai, Jehovah: He is the God of greatness and glory who created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing); He is the omnipotent God, the God who faithfully keeps His covenant.

We need to have a right concept of God. A song writer says, “I have made you too small in my eyes… Be magnified O Lord, for You are highly exalted and there is nothing that you can’t do, O Lord my eyes are on you.” God must quicken my understanding of who He is. That’s why worship is so powerful: in worship, we rehearse who God is. Our faith is stirred up the more we recognize who God is.

The second thing that we need to note from Hebrews 11:6 is that God rewards those who diligently seek him. There must be fervent passion when we approach God. We are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness: this is no 5 or 10 minute experience. Too many Christians spend hours doing things that have no eternal value: shopping, watching television, attending sports events and other activities, but devote very little time to prayer, to seeking God’s face and encountering His presence. The Bible tells us that if we seek God we will find Him and He will show us great and mighty things that we did not know. The seeking here is a passionate, heartfelt seeking that tenaciously pursues God. There is nothing casual and complacent about this seeking.

The problem is that we don’t want God bad enough. We are not hungry enough for the presence of God, not thirsty enough. At times we sing songs without grasping the full intent like “You are the air I breathe, you are my daily bread; I’m desperate for you, I’m lost without you.” We should be able to sing with all conviction, “When I look into your holiness, when I gaze into your loveliness, when all things that surround me become shadows in the light of you. When I’ve found the joy of reaching your heart, when my will becomes enthralled in your love… I worship you, the reason I live is to worship you.” People want house, car, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, money, popularity, position and whatever else before God. Passive Christianity is dead Christianity: God doesn’t want us to be lifeless, weak and anemic. When we seek God, He will reward us according to His perfect will. Scripture says delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart and that the blessings of God make rich.

Conclusion
Do you have faith? Do you really have faith? Faith produces results. Faith results in obedience and worship. Faith will move mountains. Faith releases the glory of God. Faith causes you to be a blessing. Faith brings victory and joy. Faith brings power to overcome problems. Faith releases God’s resources. Faith results in miracles. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Faith comes by getting a revelation of God: Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up; the apostle John had a revelation of Jesus Christ and fell at His feet as though dead. God wants to increase your faith, so that His supernatural presence is with you wherever you go.