All over the scriptures, there is one phrase that keeps occurring which is “All things are possible with God”. There are different phrases that send the same message e.g., “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” These statements were made to Moses, Mary, Zachariah, Abraham etc. God knows He can do all things. He is not confused. It is for our sakes that He keeps telling us this. It’s like He is saying ‘I can do all things but how much are you willing to believe for?’ You need faith to believe, and the strength of your belief depends on the measure of your faith. Yes, faith can be quantified. A man who has high faith today can have low faith tomorrow and vice versa. Therefore, faith must be constantly built. We must constantly work on our faith. By what Jesus taught, all things are possible with faith (Mark 9:23).
17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17).
Nobody just has faith when he or she feels like it. There must be a basis for faith. Faith is not stubborn wishful thinking. Faith is based on information. There must be information you have that causes you to believe a certain thing. Every time I cross the road; I am reminded what faith is. If I am on the side of the road and I see the green light for pedestrians, no matter how fast the cars are approaching, I still cross the road knowing that they will eventually slow down. Why? Because in school I was taught what red and green lights mean for cars and pedestrians. I didn’t assume anything. I didn’t guess. I used the information given to me. That is what faith is and that’s how it comes. Many times, people make faith look like it is inadequate. They are sick claiming to be believing God, yet they are becoming worse. They say they are believing God but there is no diligent pursuit of the knowledge of God, no renewal of spirit no entrance of the light of God’s word according to Proverbs 4:20-22. Some claim to be believing God because they can’t afford treatment. What are the steps you are taking to show that you are believing God? What resources have you accessed to believe in God? Healing faith doesn’t just come, it must be built up by accessing God-inspired information through scriptures, and other spiritual materials. People who have faith aren’t checking to see if what they are expecting will come to pass, they know it will come to pass. They know it can’t go any other way, so they are waiting for the manifestation just like you wait for the water to boil after setting it on the stove. There are very numerous stories of faith and I’m going to give as many examples as I can because I want you to understand this principle. Let’s look at this story in the bible.
42A man came from Baal Shalishah. He brought the man of God 20 loaves of barley bread. They had been baked from the first grain that had ripened. The man also brought some heads of new grain. “Give this food to the people to eat,” Elisha said. 43 “How can I put this in front of 100 men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. Do it because the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some leftover.’” 44Then the servant put the food in front of them. They ate it and had some leftovers. It happened just as the Lord had said it would (2 Kings 4:42-44).
I want you to notice the phrase ‘…do it because the lord says...’ Elijah didn’t just feel like feeding a hundred men with 20 loaves. He didn’t say I command these loaves to multiply and went on to impulsively share the loaves. He did it because the Lord gave him a saying, ...They will eat and have leftovers. The reason it looks like faith sometimes fails is that people who claim to have faith haven't interacted with God’s word diligently. They are wishful thinkers with no knowledge. They are sharing their 20 loaves without a word from the LORD, so when they give out the last bread, their baskets are empty and are left ashamed. Such people then conclude that God has failed them, or faith doesn’t always work. FAITH ALWAYS WORKS!!! The problem is a lack of knowledge. That is why those who despise the scriptures can’t have faith. You can’t disrespect God’s word by arguing against it, forming your own rules and attaching Jesus to them and eventually have faith. God cannot be mocked. What you sow, you reap (Galatians 6:7).
Moses was able to divide the sea because God told him what to do. The Egyptians (like most people today) followed the Israelites to cross the sea and eventually died. No word from the Lord as to whether they should follow or turn back, they just followed. Be careful when you are following a person of faith. Don’t just follow their statements, follow their pursuit of knowledge. Find out why they made such statements of faith. For another example, Bishop Oyedepo took his bible and a couple of books and after an in-depth study of the word of God concerning prosperity, he understood the blessing of God towards the believer. Then he concluded that he could never be poor. Some people will hear that and copy his statement for themselves not knowing that his mind had been enlightened by revelation. Bishop David Ibiyeomie heard him say that, did his study and got his revelation. There is no alternative to increasing faith. You must study. It’s not cliché, faith comes by hearing or reading in the case of the Ethiopian eunuch. Daniel 9 illustrates this point so well.
1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years (Daniel 9:1-2).
Here, we see Daniel gaining understanding from the scriptures rather than coming up with random desires of his heart. Israel had gone into captivity because they sinned against the Lord and would not repent. God spoke through Jeremiah that the captivity would last seventy years. It would have been futile to pray for deliverance before the end of the seventy years. At the end of seventy years, Daniel started praying because he needed understanding of where to go from there. Then God sent an angel to give him and the Israel understanding (Daniel 9:20-22). Every action they took from then on was a product of faith, but they had to get understanding first. Another incident that explains this point is Acts 14: 8-10:
In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
Indeed, when faith is present nothing is impossible. Notice here that Paul didn’t need to lay his hand on the lame man, nor did he need to pray hard. It was an effortless ministration. The word of God was preached, and faith was generated as the lame man paid attention. When faith was present, standing became certain. He couldn’t have been able to stand had he not heard the word of God. All things are possible to him who believes, and we can only believe by faith and faith is generated by the word of God. In the book Triumphant church by Kenneth E. Hagin, he tells an interesting story. In summary, a female minister of the gospel became mentally ill and violent towards herself and others. She had been to the asylum, but they could not handle her, so they returned her to her sister. Her sister took her to Kenneth Hagin for deliverance, but it was a case too much for him to handle. He had never dealt with such a tough situation as that. So, he contacted his wife and a member of the church. They along with the sister of the mentally ill woman started praying. Then the word of the Lord came to him saying, look at the woman and cast out that evil spirit from her. He spoke as he was commanded and though nothing seemed to have happened, he was convinced the situation was handled. About a week later, she was perfectly sound. Now some might say, ‘Couldn’t he have said that before?’ Yes, he could have except that it’s not about mere words but the Spirit. Jesus said the same things the sons of Sceva said, but the outcome was different. The situation was too much for Kenneth Hagin, he needed God’s direction. It is not faith to say “I know what to do” when you don’t know what to do. It is faith to seek God’s help at such times. Just be honest to God in prayer. True faith is dependent on God’s grace in times of weakness. When Jesus was afraid and needed strength to face the cross, He prayed. I believe God gave Him words and visions that infused faith in Him (Luke 22:43).
CONCLUSION
I don’t want you to get mechanical about these things. I am not implying that you should pray and wait for strange manifestations in every situation. It doesn’t always work like that. Let God do it if He pleases. I’m just calling your attention to fellowship with God through an in-depth study of the word of God and prayer not just to solve your problems but to grow in Christ. That’s what we should be chasing ultimately. Please note that this is not a quick-fix solution to your challenges. It is a slow and steady step, but it is sure. God bless you.
Add comment
Comments