Don’t you think we should revisit the word of God to catch the truth about what “faith” truly is –since more often than not, what we call ‘faith’ has not produced our desired result? A lot of people are offended by God because somehow, God has failed them by not responding to their faith. Could it be that the days of miracles are past, or our definition of faith is lopsided? Follow me as we examine the kind of faith God responds to!
Text: John 6:1-6, 1King 17:1-7, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:29, Exodus 14:1-17
Have this settled in yourself that genuine faith has its root in the Word of God. Thus, if your faith is not underpinned by the Word of God, it is not faith! Because faith is actually revelation –and revelation is “internalizing the Word of God”. The reason for which we do not see a correspondent result is because we have not internalized the Word of God. Faith does not operate outside the Word of God, so if you have not grasped that Word personally, thereby taking a step upon that conviction, you will not see the result. You cannot walk with God with someone else’s revelation –revelation must be personal.
Meanwhile, only tested faith produces results. So, before God will certify your faith for the result, it must go through a test –or sometimes, tests. Your steadfastness in those times of trials and the result thereafter is what builds your experience for the next phase with God. This means that God wants to do something with your faith that transcends the moment –He wants to build in you an experience that if well comprehended, would last you through the remaining phases of your life. That was what was achieved in David whilst in the wilderness, which was why he could come confidently to say ‘if God has done that, He could do this’ –he got an experience that became useful, not just when he needed to safeguard the flock, but to also bring the head of Goliath terrifying a whole nation of Israel down. See? It transcended the moment. It came through for him in the big occasion – the war front! That’s exactly what God wants to do with you! But how patient are you?
It is not that God wants to fail your faith, neither is it that He is not interested in your prayers. You are the one who is careful about the moment. God is not moved by that, God is not moved by your emotions –what appeals to Him is your patient faith, that can foster an experience, which will continually work for you for the rest of your life.
Phillip, at some point doubted the capability of Jesus when asked about the food to feed the multitudes that were with them. From John’s account in John 6:5, Jesus asked him “where shall we buy bread?” but from the perspective of the problem, Philip responded exclaiming a two hundred denarii worth of bread cannot be sufficient. Oh brother, Jesus was testing Philip, asking him, “do you think I can do this?’’ hence the word “where”, but Philip (just like you), was looking at something else, he wasn’t answering “where”, he was answering “how big the problem was”. You know sometimes, you’re engrossed with how great your problem is, and you want to with that, de-authenticate God’s power, right? But there is something you can do, let’s see that together.
“YOUR SOUL” –THE CENTRAL FACULTY
Your response to problems tells whether or not you will overcome them! Man is a tripartite being; he does consist of the spirit, soul and body. And these three have their senses that appeal to them, speak to them and govern them. Of course, the senses of the body are –see, smell, taste, feel and hear. The soul consists of your will, thoughts and emotions. However the soul is governed by just two things –Faith or doubt.
Now, naturally as humans, we want to respond to situations based on our feelings, based on what we hear the doctor says to us, and a lot more. Your body wants to send a signal to your soul, so does your spirit –all dependent on what you feed them with. The battleground, however, is your soul.
Meanwhile, a Christian is not supposed to be led by the carnal desires of the flesh, we are to build our spirit till we can respond to situations from the angle of God, and send a righteous signal to our soul to execute. Now, when you feed your spirit man with the Word of God, when a situation arises, you’re not quick to unplug from God and respond to emotions. Once emotion is activated, faith is killed! And with that, you cannot see the result. But because you want to have a commensurate result sponsored by your spiritual sense, you will need to imbibe the culture of the Word. The bible says, “Faith comes by hearing -hearing the word of God”. When you feed so well on the Word of God and build your spirit-man, you are most likely to always respond to challenges with the sixth sense.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Faith is the sixth sense. Although God gave you five senses, he never meant for them to lead you, they are only supposed to make you relate with your environment. God designed for his children that they be led by the sixth sense –faith! Faith is simple; faith is easy to practice, if only we can begin to take steps from the Word of God.
In the Miracle of God, you cannot distort nature and principles. God doesn’t do magic, His miracles can be explained. When you use a drug, you definitely are patient to see the drug work. To begin with, you take a step upon how you’re feeling to go see a doctor, and you take another step to use the drugs as prescribed, and then wait for the result. But why don’t you do that with faith? Why can’t you also see a spiritual instruction in the bible, and take the step as prescribed by the Word of God and be patient to see the result? Trust me, if you do, you will see results. But most times, patience is what is lacking, or perhaps, the fact that we don’t even have faith to begin with –we don’t believe it will work. You’re just carrying it out as a random exercise; you have not internalized that Word enough to believe that when you take a step towards it, you will see the result. So I can ask my question: in whom do you trust when you take a step? When you take a step according to your feelings, you have not trusted God, so you don’t expect to get a result from Him. When you wake up to pray, what sponsored that exercise? Check that first to know who you’re trusting in? Are you just carnally fasting to prove a point to your colleagues? I’m sorry, but God is not moved by that, He’s not trying to impress anyone. The basis of faith must be from the word of God, your motives must be vetted right by the Word of God if you must see a result.
FAITH BY EXPERIENCE
Since it is a step by step exercise, it has to be by experience. How? Take a step by the Word of God. Perhaps David had run away from the bear at some point –responding to fears, and the bear would have successfully taken one or more sheep for a prey, but one day, he took a step of faith, and he got the result. You know what? He had got experience. An experience that must have given him confidence when a lion appeared! That was not all, God was giving him those experiences because a Goliath lied ahead that must be conquered. If you don’t begin to build your faith by experience, you may not be able to bring down that Goliath. If you don’t have faith for healing, how can you have faith for salvation, and if you don’t have those, how can you have faith for rapture?
I challenge you today, build your faith! Every Child of God must have an experience of God. God has never and will never put faith to shame. Amen! Shalom!