By Brother Samuel
14th March 2022
Let’s Pray.
Heavenly Father, the king who reigns in Glory. We thank You for this wonderful opportunity to receive from Your word. Please grant light and understanding to our hearts and minds. Let the Spirit of revelation be activated in the house tonight and let us be living epistles of Your word. In Jesus Christ’s Mighty Name, I have prayed. Yes, and Amen.
**************
Today we are talking about a very popular subject in God’s kingdom realm which is FAITH.
I pray that God grants us understanding tonight.
Now we start at the very beginning tonight.
What is Faith?
[KJV] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
[NIV] Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
[AMP] Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
[Hebrews 11:1]
You see, the first thing I will say about Faith tonight with the help of God is that; without Faith, a believer can never be victorious.
Without Faith, the believer is bound to suffer an endless cycle of struggle/suffering.
I know it seems like I am scaring us but stay with me.
You see, God in His endless, vast, inexhaustible and ancient Wisdom made it such that as a believer, you cannot access anything in this kingdom without Faith.
My Father in the Lord sees one definition of Faith as the currency of the immortals.
To carry out any transaction with the Heavenlies, you need Faith. The proof is littered all over scripture.
Hebrews 11 gives a detailed account of the workings of Faith in the life of the believer. See what it says in the second verse:
[KJV] For by it the elders obtained a good report.
[AMP] For by [faith—trust and holy fervour born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report.
[Hebrews 11:2]
The Bible says that the men of old got testimonies and obtained good reports because of Faith.
PFMI, I, tell you the truth by Jesus the Christ of God you cannot live the victorious glorious life that God has called us into except by Faith.
The sensitive thing about Faith is that it requires unshakeable belief.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
21 being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised.
[Romans 4:18-21 NIV]
The Bible records that against all hope, Abraham believed. But he still did not weaken in his faith despite the fact that the odds were not in his favour. He never wavered in unbelief.
You see, let me let you in on a glorious mystery. The best thing you can do for yourself as a believer and for your Faith is to know God personally. Learn of Him through the scripture, become intimate with Him through fellowship (personal fellowship and fellowship with the brethren).
For when you study scripture, it is easy to gain access into the mind of God (especially on a matter) and when you know the mind of God, you know the CHARACTER of God.
Do you know why I just said the above?
It is because when you know God your Faith is at its peak.
The Bible said about Abraham in Romans 4:21 that Abraham was “fully persuaded” that God had the power to do what He promised.
The phrase, FULLY PERSUADED can only be used to describe a man that knows God, not one that knows about God.
Abraham knew that one Character of God was to always promise and deliver and so he never wavered in Faith.
You see one thing I believe the Holy Spirit made me understand recently is that Faith does not exist in a vacuum. Your Faith must always be hinged and tied to something or someone.
And for us believers, our Faith is solely in Jesus Christ who in Hebrews 12:2 was referred to as THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH.
So, I feel for believers who stubbornly make bold and dogged confessions without understanding.
Your confessions are awesome, but you must know that it is the Faithful God whom you have learnt to trust without any doubt that will bring it to manifestation in the physical.
Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12, “I know whom I have believed…”
Faith also rests in what God has said in His Word concerning a matter. Again Romans 4:21 says that Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He said. Meaning that Abraham heard and held on to the WORD. Faith is an action word (a verb) and thus must be put into action.
But you must be full of the Word of God because where there is no Word of or from God, your Faith cannot and will not grow because there is nothing to hope for also, don’t forget that scripture gives us the pattern for growing Faith in our lives.
So, then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
[Romans 10:17 KJV]
God has already prepared everything we need for a victorious Christian life.
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
[2 Peter 1:3 KJV]
So, He called us into finished work and all things are ours. However, we access said things by FAITH. In other words, God is saying all things are already yours, just believe Me for it.
Even this life you live should be by Faith, remember what Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
[Galatians 2:20 KJV]
That is Faith in Jesus Christ on display. The God kind of Faith.
There is even what I like to refer to as the Faith that overcomes and I will show you all from Scripture.
For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.
[1 John 5:4 NKJV]
I have good news for you; If you are born of God, you have overcome the world and you have the victory that overcomes the world which is your faith. The God kind of Faith because it is of God.
I want Everyone right now to declare:
I AM BORN OF GOD AND I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.
This means that Jesus the Christ has done it all for you and all that is left for you to do as a believer is to receive all He has done for you by Faith.
The Children of Israel did not enter God’s rest because of Unbelief.
We all have different measures of Faith however, we should learn to believe God on our level as it continues to grow. Keep exercising that Faith.
Shalom!
Nothing Missing!!
Nothing Broken!!!
**********
Thank You Father for Your Word, O Lord. Thank You because You are a Faithful God who always keeps His promises. Tonight, we ask that You help us to run with Your Word. Help us to know You and strengthen our Faith O Lord. Be thou exalted throughout all the ages. In Jesus Christ’s Name.
Yes, and Amen.
************
Question:
What’s the difference between knowing God and knowing about God?
Answer:
Knowing God means knowing Him for yourself. That is, through revelation by the study of His Word or intimacy by fellowship, etc.
The idea is that the more you spend time with a person, the more you know that person, his/her habits, character, likes, dislikes etc.
However, when you know about God, all you have or know about Him is what others have said and when that is the case, convictions cannot be birthed and trust becomes difficult.
For example, I can never know your brother as you do. The best I can do right now is to know about him through the testimonies of others.