Where is Your Faith?
I made a pretty bold statement to our church family one day. I asked, “If 2,000 of you are growing and 2,000 are not, what could be the problem here? We checked on the preacher; he's alright. We looked at the vision for our church, and it seems solid. We evaluated our worship team, which still leads us into God's Presence every week. So why is it, my friend, that good people like you come to church week after week, but your faith doesn't seem to be increasing?”
One of the most incredible benefits of attending church weekly is that it supports your faith. If you're young, one day, you'll realize you must quit coasting and get serious about your faith. One day, the enemy will come at you like a flood, and you'll need to believe in God for something. One day, those test results will return with bad news from the doctor's office, and you'll need to believe in an excellent report from heaven. One day, you'll hit a wall, people will talk about you, and life will get hard! You need your faith to be ready before that happens!
Faith is like a spare tire. You don't think about it until you get a flat and need it! Romans 1:17 says the righteous live by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it's impossible to please God without faith. So, where is your faith today? Do you have little faith, strong faith, or no faith at all?
I believe your faith needs to do three things:
Faith has to see past your circumstances. Every one of us needs to picture our situation changing. If you're sick, see yourself as well. If you're broke, see abundance. Keep your eyes off the problem and look for the Solution! When Jesus fed the 5,000, the Bible says He looked up to heaven. With Lazarus, He looked up and told Martha, “If you believe, you'll see God's glory.” He took His eyes off the dead guy and onto the solution, namely His Father in Heaven!
Faith speaks with belief. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold tightly to the confession of our faith without wavering.” The Greek word for confession is homolegio. Homo means "the same," like homogeneous. Legio is from logos, God's written Word. How do you speak or confess your faith? You say what God says! When you and I repeat God's Word, we show our belief that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith stands by the Bible. Ephesians 6:13 says, “After you've done all you can, stand firm!” My friend Tim Storey says there's an impartation, an incubation, and a manifestation. You first get implanted with faith (impartation), then you patiently wait (incubation), and then you see it happen (manifestation). You may be waiting in the incubation zone, but keep standing! Speak God's Word over your situation. Then, you'll see His power manifest through your faith.
Let me leave you with this. You may have studied faith, but now you must stand in it. Come to God knowing He'll reward your faith if it's based on His Word.
"Without faith it's impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
Keep the faith!
Thank you for reading. Please share this with a friend or on social media. Thank you!