I want to know everything I can about faith. My search, my quest, my thirst for this knowledge, is not for the sake of knowledge itself, but for the reward of knowing my Abba-Father more intimately, and more passionately today than I did yesterday.
The Passion Translation of Hebrews 11:6 says: “And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that He is real and that He rewards the faith of those who passionately seek Him.”
Three points:
Faith is absolutely essential to the believer. It is a vital necessity for our spiritual life, more important than the air that we breathe.
Faith acknowledges God as God. God says, “I AM!” Faith says, “Yes! You were! You are! You will always be! Amen!”
Faith is rewarded with that which it seeks. Faith is the fulfillment of our heart’s deepest desire, our desperate longing… to know Him, which is the essence of eternal life. (John 17:3)
So when the Master begins to teach on a subject, any subject, but especially one as important as faith, I want a front row seat, right at His feet, so I don’t miss a word!
Let’s listen:
“Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Have faith in God.‘ (Mark 11:22)
Other translations render the verse this way:
(Worrell) – “Have the faith of God.”
(Passion) – “Let the faith of God be in you.”
(Godbey New Testament) – “Have God’s faith.”
Jesus told us, not just to have faith in God, but to operate in the same kind of faith that God has and uses. What does that mean?
How does God use His faith? A one-word answer to that question is “creatively”.
¹ “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. ³ Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)
God created. How did He create? He said! He spoke faith-filled words, and creation happened. Creation burst forth, immediately erupted, instantaneously exploded, into the reality we call time and space… scientists call it the Big Bang!
The account from Genesis 1 tells us:
Verse 3 – “God said… and there was light.”
Verse 6,7 – “God said… thus God made…”
Verse 9 – “God said… and it was so.”
Verse 11 – “God said… and it was so.”
Verse 14,15 – “God said… and it was so.”
Verse 20,21 – “God said… so God created…”
Verse 24 – “”God said… and it was so.”
In every creative act, God released His power through His Word!
²⁶ “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
We are created in God’s own image and likeness. We are designed to live by and operate in the God-kind of faith, using His Word to create, and to establish His will in the earth.
As the first fruits of the new creation, we understand that we will face challenges and obstacles to our progress. And we know that we will encounter opposition and adversity from the one who engineered the downfall of the old creation. We also know that we can only prevail in this fallen world through the exercise of the God-kind of faith.
“… for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world.”
(1 John 5:4, The Passion Translation)
Let’s return to the Master’s classroom. He is telling us how we can successfully operate in this world-changing, world-conquering faith:
“Listen to the truth I speak to you: Whoever says to this mountain with great faith and does not doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done.” (Mark 11:23, TPT)
The mountain represents anything in our life that is large, unyielding, and difficult to move. It is the so-called impossible obstacles or challenges that lie between us and our progress and success.
Notice that we are not told to pray and ask God to move the mountain for us. According to Jesus, we are to speak directly to the mountain itself, with faith-filled, faith-fueled words, and they (our words) will remove it.
“Whoever says…” This will potentially work for anybody and everybody who accepts this revelation of truth and applies it.
Carefully consider also that we are to speak TO the mountain, not ABOUT the mountain.
Our natural human tendency, as sense-ruled creatures, is to say what we see. Our enemy knows this, and will “magnify the mountain” we are facing.
His goal is to intimidate and overwhelm us. He does this by manipulating our thoughts, emotions, and feelings in order to get us to focus on and talk about the the overwhelming immensity and the seeming impossibility of the problem.
He wants us to become entangled in the problem 24/7 until we enter “full freakout frenzy” mode, consumed with worry, doubt, unbelief and fear; exhausted and paralyzed by hopelessness.
But Jesus realigns and refocuses us. He reminds us that we are the children of our awesome Abba-Father, and that we are to have and function in the God-kind of faith. Remember, faith is … “the evidence of things not seen”. (Hebrews 11:1)
When circumstances make your situation appear to be impossible, stop looking at the seen. Don’t focus on the “seen-mountain”. Refuse to even consider it.
Don’t calculate its size. Don’t analyze it’s soil and rocks. Don’t climb the mountain to see what it looks like from the top, or to see if there are other mountains behind it.
Don’t discuss it on Facebook. Don’t take pictures of it to post on Instagram. Don’t Google it to see if a mountain this size has ever been moved before.
Search the scriptures, and find out what God has said about your mountain, then SPEAK what GOD HAS SPOKEN!
Get your confession into alignment with His Word! God’s Word, spoken from your mouth, will act as a mountain-moving bulldozer that will pulverize the problem that confronts you and push the rubble into the sea!
Know this with unshakable confidence: Our Father-God lives within us The awesome power of His Word, spoken in faith, can move any mountain!
There us no such thing as an “immovable object” when the “irresistible force” of faith is applied to it!
Our faith is voice-activated!
Move your mouth… move your mountain!
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My wife, Grace, and I are very proud to be in partnership with Student Life Organization, Inc. We believe in the great work they are doing in Cebu City, and throughout the central part of the Philippines.
SLOI provides educational opportunities to
many physically disabled and financially disadvantaged children, helping them reach their God-given potential.
Your generous giving will help co-founders Ian Rustia and Anne Ruiz, as they faithfully declare and demonstrate God’s love to these precious children and their families.
“I mention this not because I’m requesting a gift, but so that the fruit of your generosity may bring you an abundant reward.”
(Philippians 4:17, TPT)
Would you please give today? If so, please use this link: paypal.me/anaferuiz
Thank you! We pray that you will experience God’s richest blessings as you give freely and cheerfully in Jesus’ name!
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