Putting your faith at work

(Continued from last week)

What Is Faith

Part 2

Hebrews 11:1-6

5. Faith does not originate from man; it comes by hearing the Word or accessing the voice of God. Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” That means the pastor cannot initiate a miracle. God has to speak to him first. The Lord Jesus made this clear when He said in Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” That means until God speaks you have no faith. Jesus Himself lived by this principle. John 5:19 (NLT), “Jesus replied, “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

This means He obtained the strategy of turning water into wine from the Father. Otherwise He would not have done it. 12:49-50 (BBE), “For I have not said it on my authority, but the Father who sent me gave me orders what to say and how to say it. [50] And I have knowledge that his order is eternal life: so that the things which I say, I say them even as the Father says them to me.” You can only initiate a miracle by praying and asking God for help. But, the ultimate decision as to HOW it happens depends on the Father. And He responds with an instruction which most people never hang around to hear; they never hang around after praying to hear what He has to say. Your breakthrough depends on what you do with that instruction. Abraham never had the Bible, but He knew what God said per time. He became hugely successful by doing what he was told to do per time.

The Father backs up everything He says. John 2:5, “His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

One of the major reasons the Holy Spirit was given to us is to make the will of God known to us in every situation. John 16:13-14, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” The voice of God gives faith a stronghold making you unshakable, unmovable, etc. Faith must be in two locations in order to be effective: in your heart and in your mouth.

THE SPOKEN WORD

The written Word is Christ described, the spoken Word is Christ revealed. One is a description of Him, the other is the revelation of Him. It’s one thing to have a written biography of a person, it’s quite another to have the man standing right there in front of you.

The Written Word lacks potency; the spoken Word is Powerful, Spirit and live!

But the spoken Word in any given situation must coincide with the Father’s will for that moment. Otherwise, it will lack potency.

You are not capable of hearing the Father directly, that will kill you. His voice is so powerful it can split cedars and blow mountains away! It’s louder than any thunder you can imagine!

The voice of Jesus is like the sound of many waters. It is unbearable therefore it has to be stepped down. That is why the Holy Ghost speaks in a still, small voice. He puts it in a frequency we can handle.

How do I then access the Father’s will in my situation? The Holy Ghost! The Father speaks, Jesus comes forth and He tells the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost tells us.

Let me come to what you can understand.

There are two definitions: functional/practical definition and technical definition. Most people are familiar with the practical or functional definition of faith i.e. what faith does but only a few know the technical definition i.e. what faith is. Let us look at both. Hebrews 11 is full of the testimonies of people who made exploits by faith.

Functional Definition

Many electronic devices are powered by electrical current. You can have a new electrical appliance that is in perfect shape, but it will not work if it is not connected to a power source and switched on. Your TV set for instance will not work if it is not plugged to the right power source. Just as an electrical appliance is useless without electricity, we are ‘faith-appliances’ and we are practically useless and ineffective without faith. Understand the tripartite nature of man: he is a spirit, he has a soul and lives in a physical body. We contact the physical world with our senses (what you can see, smell, taste, touch or hear) and soul and body, but we can only contact the invisible (but most important) spiritual realm with our spirit through faith. If all you know how to use are your senses, you are bound to struggle as a believer. Hebrews 11:6 “6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Faith is the spiritual and supernatural force with which God created and runs the Universe. It is the invisible but powerful force that makes things happen. Faith is a living force from the living Word of the living God.

Faith is produced and distributed by God and can be accessed and used by anyone who fulfils the conditions. Most of us use electric power whose source we may never see. So is faith. You don’t see its source, but you can have it and use it.

God operates by faith. Because we are made in the image of God, we are designed to live by faith. Your supply comes from the invisible spiritual realm. Philippians 4:19, “19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The only way you can access that realm is by faith. Like we said earlier, faith is what makes the transfer. The stronger your faith and the more you use it, the more things you are able to transfer. You need faith to accomplish results on earth-salvation, healing, deliverance, prosperity, promotion, a good husband, wife, etc.

(To be continued…)

Bishop Dr. Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l. Website: www.dayspringcmi.org e-mail: [email protected] Help line: 08035150515