You are welcome to the El Shaddai Heritage for June 2022
Our Spiritual Focus For The Month Of June Is FAITH.
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 ” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV).
Looking at the scripture above we see God telling us exactly what biblical faith is.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen
Faith is the substance of things hoped for
( Faith is Substance ).
Let us look at another translation of the above scripture to get more insight into what faith is.
” Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see( Moffatt’s Translation).
Please take note of the words CONFIDENT & CONVINCED.
For the purpose of this study, we will examine two types of faith.
(1) Natural Human Faith
(2) Bible Faith.
NATURAL HUMAN FAITH.
Every human being has this kind of faith and is not dependent on whether you are saved or not. It is based on what our physical senses tell us and it is dependent on what we can relate to physically. I have faith because of what I can see.
BIBLE FAITH.
Bible faith on the other hand is laying hold of the unseen realm of hope and bringing it into the realm of reality. The bible faith is actually acting on God’s word irrespective of contrary situations around us. Bible faith grows out of the word of God.
To further understand the bible faith let us take a look at,
Mark 11:23. ” Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe ( in his heart) that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.
From the above scripture, you discover a hidden truth, which many believers miss about what the bible faith is.
They want to get what they are believing God for before they believe they have received it
( get it first before I believe I have received it)
( I pray, I get it, and then believe I have received it)
But the bible faith is the other way, I pray, I believe I have received it, then it comes.
MENTAL ASSENT IS NOT FAITH.
Mental assent is agreeing in your head, this is not the bible faith we are looking at, a lot of believers see what God’s word says and they agree mentally that God’s word is true, but they are just agreeing with their minds ie their heads.
However mental agreement with the word is not what faith is, it goes a step further to act on the word you have heard, this is what yields the desired outcome/ results.
SUBSTANCE OF THE THINGS HOPED FOR.
You may say that you know God’s word is good but you will never really know God’s word is true until you have acted on it and, have reaped the result of it, this is what faith is, FAITH IS PROVING GOD’S WORD BY ACTING ON IT.
Acting on the word of God is giving substance to things hoped for.
CASE STUDY
Using the case of the impotent man who received his healing in Acts 14: 7- 10.
Points to take note of from the case above
Three things Paul did.
(1) He preached the gospel to the man.
(2) He perceived that the man had FAITH.
(3) He told the man to rise up and walk.
Three things the man did.
(1) He heard Paul preach the gospel
(2) He had FAITH to be healed
(3) He leaped up and walked.
Please note that ***
The main heard God’s word and FAITH was developed, based on the word he heard which he acted on he was healed.
HOW DOES FAITH COME.
Romans 10:17.
“So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
You can not believe and have faith without hearing the word of God
Hearing the word could be from it being preached to you verbally or you studying it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
There is power in God’s word, power to save, heal, deliver, change, etc, if we hear the word of God, believe it, and act on it we get our results. We must understand that God’s word is his bond, this fact helps us to have confidence and FAITH in his word
God has integrity he is faithful to his words.
DOUBT OPPOSES FAITH.
Looking at the circumstances around creates doubts in the heart of men, but we must take note of this fact.
THE GREATEST ENEMY OF FAITH IS DOUBT.
In the following scriptures, we will see that doubt will always hinder the believers from receiving God’s best. Jesus had much to say about doubt and unbelief and how it ravages one’s faith.
Mathew 13: 58 And he (Jesus) did not many mighty works there BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF.
Please read Mathew 14:22- 31 and Mark 11:23- 24.
In the above scriptural references, we will notice that in each case doubt which is the opposite of faith caused people nothing or to receive something less than the best God had for them.
In each case, the lord rebuked them for their doubt and unbelief.
HOW TO ACTIVATE YOUR FAITH.
( Romans 10:8-10 & Mark 11:23.)
Romans 10:10 “For with the heart( spirit) man believers unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
1, RIGHT-THINKING
2, BELIEVING
3, CONFESSION/ SPEAKING THE RIGHT WORDS (SAY ONLY WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS CONCERNING YOU).
(A) If our confessions are wrong it is because our beliefs is wrong
(B) if our belief is wrong it is because our thinking is wrong
(C)If our thinking is wrong it is because our minds have not yet been renewed with the word of God.
The greatest things that will ever happen to you will occur when you move out into this faith realm of ( BELIEVING, SAYING, AND ACTING )
THIS IS WHAT FAITH IS.
SEVEN STEPS TO THE HIGHEST KIND OF FAITH.
These seven steps must be in place to have the faith that moves mountains in our lives.
1, know the integrity of God’s word
2, know the reality of our redemption in Christ
3, know the reality of the new creation.
4, know the reality of our righteousness in Christ.
5, know the reality of the indwelling presence of the holy spirit.
6, Know the reality of our fellowship with the father.
7, know the authority in the name of Jesus Christ.
HINDRANCES TO FAITH.
Lack of faith comes from a lack of knowledge of God’s word, which could further be explained in the following light.
1, lack of understanding regarding the new creation.
2, lack of understanding of our place in Christ.
3, lack of understanding regarding our righteousness in Christ.
4, lack of understanding regarding our rights to use the name of Jesus.
5, lack of understanding about acting on the word.
6, lack of understanding about holding fast to our confessions of faith.
The only fight a believer is to faith is the fight of faith, what is this fight?
No matter what the devil does around me I keep confessing and insisting on the word of God until I see the reality of my confessions in the physical.
This is what faith is.
SHALOM! SHALOM! SHALOM!
Written By Pastor Violet Edebiri