Introduction
Have you ever felt like your faith has not produced the desired results in your life? You are not alone. Many of us have experienced setbacks in our faith journey, but we have learned to get back up and continue perfecting our walk of faith.
The scripture teaches us that having faith pleases God, and as such, He expects us to live every day with faith towards Him. When God sees us taking steps of faith towards Him, it fills His heart with joy.
As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, we do not need to perform great acts of faith to bring joy to the heart of the Father. A simple decision to take a step, because God said you should, is enough to make Him happy. Therefore, it is as easy as acknowledging God in all you do and doing it for His sake.
Faith is an essential component of our spiritual walk. It is a master key that opens all doors in the spiritual realm and is nicknamed the "currency of heaven". To pray and receive answers to our prayers, we need faith..
As humans, we rely on faith in our daily lives, not just towards God but also towards inanimate objects such as cars, chairs, and houses. We wouldn't enter a house that we don't believe can stand, nor would we get on a car or aeroplane that we doubt can take us to our destination.
So, what is faith exactly?
Definition of Faith
Faith is a noun that refers to a process consisting mainly of three significant steps. Unfortunately, many people see their faith cut short or interrupted, and as a result, their expectations never materialize. This often happens because they don't complete the process, and some give up too soon, causing the process to stall.
The scripture defines faith as “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). Faith, as prescribed by God, is a process that comprises three major steps:
1. Believing in God
2. Expectation and
3. Consciousness
Believing in God
The first and ultimate step of faith is in God Almighty. As Christians, our faith is directed towards God through Jesus. Jesus says, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22, NKJV). He is the only one we serve and depend on.
Belief is the expression of absolute confidence in someone or something, especially in God Almighty. The strength and solidity of your faith is determined by the intensity of your belief. This is a process that cannot be rushed, as everyone must rise through the ranks towards the ultimate belief. Believing in something or someone comes as a result of their track record and the information you have about them. You cannot simply rush to believe unless you have enough information to convince your heart. We are all on different levels of believing in God, which is why the Bible says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). The more you hear about God, who He is, and His deeds, the more you grow up believing in Him based on what you know about Him.
Expectation
When you exercise faith, it's important to be specific about what you want. Whether you're seeking healing, financial prosperity, a home, a car, a spouse, children, or anything else, you need to clearly articulate your desires to God. Even though, God knows everything, he still wants you to tell him exactly what you need. In Mark 11:23, Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." Similarly, in Mark 10:51-52, Jesus asked a blind man what he wanted before healing him. When the man said he wanted to see, Jesus told him his faith had made him well, and he immediately regained his sight and followed Jesus.
Consciousness
Consciousness is the expression of active awareness. It means being continuously aware and walking in your conviction. According to the Scripture in Romans 4:17 NKJV, God is the pioneer of consciousness. The passage says that God calls those things which do not exist as though they did. This means that we should walk in the awareness of having already received an answer from God before it manifests physically. You just need to picture or imagine living in the answer to your request. Jesus emphasized this in Mark 11:24, where he said that whatever things you ask for when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11: 24 NKJV).
If you're seeking healing, try to envision yourself being completely healthy and take small steps towards achieving that. Similarly, if you're aiming for financial prosperity, try to cultivate a mindset of abundance and visualize yourself already having the wealth you desire.
The process of believing God and walking in the consciousness of your expectation is the act of FAITH.
Believing + Act of Consciousness = FAITH
Dimensions of Faith
To comprehend the various forms of faith, we need to explore its concept further.
Foundational Faith is the first level of faith that every believer in Christ starts with. It is the faith given to us by God, in accordance with Romans 12:3 NIV, and it is the faith that enables us to receive salvation through Christ. Without faith, it is impossible to be saved.
However, Foundational Faith is subject to growth and development, and it can either remain stagnant or become supercharged depending on our personal actions. To grow our faith, we need to feed on the Word of God. As Romans 10:17 NKJV says, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." When we read and meditate on God's Word, our confidence in Him is strengthened, and our faith grows.
This growth happens because our minds are renewed by the Word of God. As Romans 12:2 NKJV says, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God".
The Gift of Faith is a special ability/spiritual gift that comes directly from the Holy Spirit, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9. This is not the faith we develop by reading and meditating on the Word of God, although it can be enhanced by it. It is a sudden and powerful infusion of supernatural faith that allows us to perform miracles. However, it's worth noting that the individual's own faith often comes before the manifestation of this incredible gift. That is to say, to perform a miracle, you may need to start with your own faith before the super faith is released when your own faith is not enough to handle the situation.
The Spirit of Faith is known as the Godfather of the Faith Realm and it is none other than the Holy Spirit. According to 2 Corinthians 4:13, "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written...", our faith is activated by the Holy Spirit. It is important to note that without the Holy Spirit, our faith will remain dead and inactive. He is our Helper and without Him, we are incapable of achieving anything.
God Bless You.
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