Faith always begins where the will of God is known.
How does faith come?
Romans 10:17 NKJV (17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Before we are Born Again, we have no faith and so faith (to get saved) comes by hearing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What about after we are saved?
Romans 12:3 KJV (3) 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.
In the context here, Paul is speaking to Born Again people and says God has dealt to every man (believer) the measure of faith.
So, all believers have the same faith potential.
Faith always takes ownership of that which is expected.
Philemon 1:6 KJV (6) That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Paul is letting you know that it is essential for you to possess:
- a knowledge of exactly who you are in Jesus Christ.
- a knowledge of what Jesus has purchased in your redemption.
- a knowledge of every good thing that God has placed in you by Jesus Christ.
To make these truths real in your life, you have to put the key in the ignition switch.
- The key is the Word of God.
- The ignition is your mouth.
- The key is turned in the ignition when you open your mouth and start to speak the truth.
- The good things in you are activated the moment you start confessing the truth.
The way to make these blessings real in your life is to:
- thoroughly know them through diligent study;
- put these truths into your heart; and
- speak them out loud!
That is how you turn the key in your ignition and energize these truths until they begin to manifest in you!
So quit talking negatively about yourself, and begin to bring the words of your mouth into agreement with the truths God has deposited in your life.
- God’s Word says you’re healed, so begin to say you’re healed.
- God’s Word says you have the mind of Christ, so begin to say you have the mind of Christ.
- God’s Word says you’re blessed, so begin to say you’re blessed.
You turn the key in the ignition by getting your mouth in agreement with God’s Word. And as you start speaking what God says about you, all your potential will start becoming a manifested reality!
How do you build your capacity for great faith?
Joshua 1:7-9 NKJV (7) Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. (8) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
We need to understand there is a difference between speaking God’s Word out of faith like God does and speaking God’s Word unto faith where we are speaking and getting the Word into our hearts.
Sometimes we need to speak the Word of God as mentioned in Joshua 1:8 so that we get the Word into our hearts. This is a confession UNTO faith.
God created us to be able to hear our own words and build a capacity to believe them in our hearts.
Here is why this is so important:
If you do not understand the importance of speaking God’s Word, you will never be able to overcome the incredible power of doubt.
Anytime you begin to trust God, the enemy will come at your mind to manipulate your imagination to see your life going different from what God has said.
The best way to get a handle on your thoughts and imagination is through the power of speaking God’s word.
But then there are times when you speak forth your faith and you know that faith is in your heart and that which you have spoken is done in the Name of Jesus!
Four Keys to building strong faith in God’s Word:
- Find what the Word says about your situation (and or pray until you have a Word from the Holy Ghost)
- Meditate in the scriptures from God’s Word.
- Speak God’s Word.
- Act on God’s Word.
How is faith released? By words and action.
Mark 11:12-14 NKJV (12) Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. (13) And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. (14) In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:19-24 NKJV (19) When evening had come, He went out of the city. (20) Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. (21) And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” (22) So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. (23) For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (24) Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Notice Jesus came to the fig tree and desired fruit from it. It had none so Jesus cursed the fig tree saying, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
There was nothing that visibly changed immediately with the fig tree or else the disciples, especially Peter would have pointed it out. He said the words and then simply went on about His business.
They conduct their business in Jerusalem and are on their way out of the city and passed by the fig tree. There was still no visible change or else again, the disciples would have said something about it. This did not phase Jesus at all.
They go back to Bethany and spend the night and then head back to Jerusalem again. This time they passed by the fig tree and there was change because they noticed it. They noticed it but Peter is the only one that said anything about it.
Notice the fig tree dried up from the roots. This is the same as will happen with anything that we are using our faith on. The moment that you begin attending to the Word of God, the Word goes to work on the root of the problem, not the external things that you can see. If it were to address the leaves only, then the root would still be there and then it could grow back.
The key is not to quit when you do not see the immediate results.
Just know that as you are speaking the Word, it is working in you and on the situation just like weed killer.
Some people believe that it is enough for you to have the Word of God in your heart.
Our relationship with Jesus is begun with not only what we believe in our hearts but also what we say with our mouths.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV (9) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
Look at Abraham and what he did until the manifestation came:
Romans 4:16-21 NKJV (16) Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (17) (as it is written, “I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS”) in the presence of Him whom he believed–God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
(18) who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.” (19) And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
(20) He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, (21) and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Romans 4:20-21 Weymouth (20) Nor did he in unbelief stagger at God’s promise, but became mighty in faith, giving glory to God, (21) and being absolutely certain that whatever promise He is bound by He is able also to make good.
Romans 4:20-21 NLT (20) Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. (21) He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Abraham had the promise from God, letting him know what His will was in the matter and Abraham became fully convinced God had the ability to perform what He promised.
Notice Abraham was not in the necessary physical condition to bear children but He was fully persuaded of the promise of God and considered not his own body being dead.
Notice God calls those things which be not as though they were. He does not call those things which are as though they are not. To call those things which are as though they are not, is a lie.
We must remember that faith in God’s Word is not denying the circumstances of our lives and pretend that they do not exist.
Confession of Faith:
Mark 11:12-14 NKJV (12) Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. (13) And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. (14) In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:19-24 NKJV (19) When evening had come, He went out of the city. (20) Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. (21) And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” (22) So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. (23) For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (24) Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Did you notice that Jesus said in verse 23, if a person confesses something “and shall not doubt in his heart” – in other words, if he believes the words he is speaking with his mouth – he will have exactly what he says. The word “doubt” is from the Greek word diakrinomai, which means to hesitate, to waver, to doubt, or to differ.
In context, Jesus is saying that when a person’s heart doesn’t differ from what his mouth is saying, the combination of his heart and mouth in agreement will always make things happen!
James 1:5-8 NKJV (5) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
I call this concept “the heart-mouth connection.”
- For instance, if you believe in your heart that Jesus purchased your salvation, and you put your heartfelt faith together with the confession of your mouth, you can literally receive that salvation and make it an eternal fact.
- For instance, if you believe in your heart that Jesus purchased your healing, and you put your heartfelt faith together with the confession of your mouth, you can literally bring that healing into manifestation in your physical body.
God’s creative power is released when the heart and mouth get into agreement!
That is why you must be careful about what you believe in your heart and say with your mouth, because when your heart and mouth get “in sync” with each other, it literally makes things come to pass!
- Notice that Jesus did not pray about the mountain – He did not ask God to remove the mountain for Him. There is nothing wrong with praying about your mountain, but that is not enough. Speak to your mountain.
- Jesus said that we could speak to the mountain in OUR lives, but we don’t have the right to speak to the mountains in the lives of others (except those we have authority over or have their permission – that’s where prayer comes in).
- Notice that Jesus’ words went to work at the root of the situation and the effect was not immediately visible to the natural eye. The change started at the root (invisible) and then worked its way outward (visible).
Why does this work?
John 17:17 NKJV (17) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
God’s truth is the highest truth.
Psalms 138:2 NKJV (2) I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
God’s Word is the very foundation of His integrity and holiness.
The creation is never greater than the Creator. So, the creation is subject to the Creator.
Only that which is part of God, the Creator is permanent. Everything else is subject to change or temporary.
Everything in this visible realm was created by the Word of God and therefore is subject to the Word of God.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV (17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, (18) while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Those things that are temporary in our lives, are subject to the Word of God, and that includes us!