Faith is the oxygen we breathe as Christians, it is the currency of transactions in the spiritual realm, without faith we cannot go further and far in life, move on, make progress or do great things.
Out of the three things mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:13, today we will be looking at faith being the first thing while others will be looked into later on.
There are 11 levels of Faith described in the Bible and there are also different kinds of faith – faith for salvation, faith for exploits, faith for miracles, faith as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc.
12 THINGS WE NEED FAITH FOR
1. WE DO EXPLOITS BY FAITH; without faith, we cannot do exploits which are great things people do or achieve in life or ministry. In Luke 17:5-6, the disciples approached Jesus and inquired that He increased their faith as they would love to do the great exploits that Jesus was doing at the time. Jesus made them to know that they only needed faith as small as a mustard seed for them to clear off mountains and do marvellous feats in life and ministry.
As long as we operate in faith, diseases, sicknesses, problems, challenges and mountains will OBEY us and shall give way for us.
In Hebrews 11:29-35, we see that the Israelites went through dry land in the sea by faith and survived while the Egyptians drowned in the same sea as they didn’t go through it by faith. The walls of Jericho fell down by faith as the action they took didn’t appear reasonable. Rahab, the harlot, was not destroyed with the people because she had faith to have accommodated the spies believing that she and her family would be saved when the Israelites eventually arrive to destroy the land.
So much more were accomplished by faith which time wouldn’t permit us to enumerate concerning Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, Samuel and the prophets. Even women received their dead back to life by faith – 2 Kings 4: 18-38, 8:1
2. WE LIVE BY FAITH; You can exist but not live if you don’t live by faith. The just shall live by faith, Romans 1:17. There are so many forces contending with our very essence and life but for the faith we have in God, we would have been consumed. Galatians 2:20
3. WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH; To be justified is to be declared not guilty, acquitted and discharged and every offence cancelled and declared free of sin and have peace with God. Romans 3:28 and Galatians 2:16.
4. WE GAIN ACCESS INTO GOD’S GRACE BY FAITH; Romans 5:2, Grace makes available to us things we do not qualify for, deserve or merit. God has made so many blessings available for us free of charge, but faith is what will make them to be delivered to us.
Grace makes the blessings of God available but faith makes them obtainable. There are many believers who have not obtained what grace has made available for them because they do not apply faith in downloading these to themselves. Faith is the key to gain access into the unsearchable riches of God.
5. WE STAND BY FAITH; We maintain our stand in the Lord by faith. Romans 11:20 says because of unbelief, they were broken off but you stand by faith.. 2 Corinthians 1:24…for by faith you stand. No matter the wind, the oppositions and enemy against us, we will stand as we operate in faith.
6. WE WALK BY FAITH; 2 Corinthians 5:7, We may not have seen the total picture ahead of us, but we take steps by faith because we believe God’s Word and the God of the Word. Has He said it and will not do it? Numbers 23:19; Ezekiel 12:25.
7. WE ARE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; Ephesians 2:8, by grace we are saved and not of ourselves but it is the gift of God.
8. WE UNDERSTAND BY FAITH; Hebrews 11:3, we understand spiritual things by faith as spiritual dynamics are not exactly the same as physical dynamics.
9. WE GIVE OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES BY FAITH; Hebrews 11:4, Abel offered a more excellent, befitting and honourable offering because he gave it in faith believing that God would make it abound in return as a great harvest. People are stingy and don’t give because they don’t understand and believe that they will be blessed in return. In Hebrews 11:17 Abraham offered Isaac to God in faith accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead.
10. WE PLEASE GOD BY FAITH; Hebrews 11:6, to please God and diligently seek Him is to believe that He is a Rewarder of those that seek Him.
11. WE WORK FOR GOD BY FAITH; 1 Thessalonians 1:3, our work for the Lord is by faith and God who is righteous will not forget our labour of love which we have shown towards His name, Hebrews 6:10-12; 1 Cor. 15:58
12. WE RECEIVE FAITH FOR MIRACLES & ENDURE PERSECUTION/TRIALS BY FAITH; In Mark 6:5-6, Jesus couldn’t do much mighty works because of their unbelief but in Hebrews 11:11, Sarah received strength to conceive Isaac even at old age by faith. Further down in Hebrews 11:36-39, they didn’t give up in spite of trials and persecution because they lived by faith.
In conclusion, the indispensability of faith is the reason God gave us all our own measure of faith when we got born again, Romans 12:3. What you do with the measure of faith you received is up to you. You can build your faith, increase your faith or let it evaporate and dwindle.
We can increase or build our faith by feeding on God’s Word; Romans 10:17, but when we listen to the news around us then our faith may be weakened. We also grow our faith by praying in the Holy Ghost Jude 1:20.
Prayer Point; Dear Lord, please make us men and women of faith in every area of our lives.
Culled from 7th June, 2020 Sunday Service by:
Rev. Tony Akinyemi
Lead Pastor, TSF International Church.