Jesus taught faith to His apostles and repeatedly demonstrated faith. Jesus eventually sent them out in pairs to practice what they learned. They continued to practice these teachings long after His death and resurrection. The spiritual laws and faith principles that Jesus taught and demonstrated work without fail when properly understood and applied.
Somewhere down the line, the Church let these truths slip. She stopped teaching and demonstrating faith. The demonstration of the gospel began to weaken until it had all but disappeared. We must now contend for the faith that was lost by the early Church.
Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
How faith works has largely been forgotten by the modern church. In fact, most Christians have never been taught how faith works.
Most Christians approach faith legalistically. They try to believe harder, read more, pray longer, cry louder, confess constantly, but nothing changes. The result of this striving trains one to think that faith is unpredictable. It also suggests that God’s will is always a mystery. But that’s not biblical faith.
When we understand biblical faith and we operate according to the principles that Jesus revealed, faith works every time. The practical application of faith will always produce measurable results. We need to understand how faith works. Let’s start with the gospel of Mark.
Mark 11:23-24 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
This passage of scripture reveals the mechanics of faith. Notice the order.
First: We speak to the mountain; we speak to the problem. We exercise our God-given authority and command it to move, stop, leave, live, die, whatever the case may be.
Second: We refuse to doubt in our hearts. We maintain our confidence regardless of what we see or feel.
Third: We believe that what we said will come to pass. Not hoping and wishing. Believing! We reinforce that belief by calling things that don’t exist as though they did. (Romans 4:17) We speak the answer, not the problem.
Fourth: We believe we receive the answer the moment we pray, not after we see results.
Fifth: We shall have what we believed we received if we don’t quit.
This is the divine order of faith. None of this works without first being filled with truth. It’s essential to have a constant intake of the Word of God.
F.F. Bosworth, the author of Christ the Healer, makes a very profound observation in his writings. He is quoted.
“Faith begins where the will of God is known.”
The Bible is God’s Word, and His Word is His will for man.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes by hearing His Word, and His Word reveals His will. The prayer of faith never contains the words, “If it be thy will Lord”. The prayer of faith is prayed when the will of God is known.
It is God’s Word that fuels our faith in Him and His promises. It feeds our faith the nourishment it needs, it strengthens us when faith seems weak. It is God’s Word we speak and stand on to move the mountains we face.
Our faith in God is governed by spiritual laws like the natural world is governed by physical laws. When we understand the laws and operate accordingly, we get results. If we violate the laws, results are delayed or denied.
Laws work off of legalities and faith is a legal exchange. Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God. The promises of God are ours, but we can only receive them in exchange for our faith.
Now, let’s break down this law step by step. First, faith requires declaration. Notice Jesus said, “Whosoever shall say, not whosoever shall hope or think, whosoever shall say.”
Faith without corresponding works is dead.
James 2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
The primary work of faith is declaring what we believe. We must speak. We must declare. We must voice what we believe.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Notice the pattern. We believe in our heart, and we confess with our mouth. Both are required. We can’t just believe in our hearts and stay silent. We must give voice to our faith because words are the creative force that brings life to our faith. It is only a living faith that brings things from the unseen realm into the visible realm.
Here’s where many Christians fail. They declare and confess their faith, and then they start talking about the problem again. They declare God’s promises one day and then complain about their circumstances the rest of the week. And then they scratch their heads and wonder why faith didn’t work.
Strong faith requires consistent intake of God’s Word and consistent confession, not occasional, but consistent.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
“Hold fast” means to maintain, to keep, to continue. Our confession must be unwavering until we see the manifestation.
The reason many believers don’t see results is that they don’t hold fast to their confession. They believe for a moment, confess for a day, and then go back to speaking doubt and fear.
Faith requires sustained confession. Our faith-filled words tell everyone listening that we still believe. Our words reveal to all people listening, to God, the angels, devils, and ourselves what we actually believe.
We must keep saying what God said, no matter the circumstances. It does not matter how we feel or how long it takes. Our consistent confession is what keeps faith activated.
When we stop declaring the answer, we stop the answer from coming. If we start speaking doubt and unbelief, we actually reverse the process. We give the enemy license to steal from us and take back any ground we have gained.
Romans 4:20-21 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
This passage describes Abraham’s faith. It says, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. He was strong in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Abraham was fully persuaded, not partially convinced, not mostly sure, fully persuaded. And that full persuasion came from meditating on God’s promise until it became more real to him than his circumstances. This is the primary area where Christians struggle. I believe this is the reason the early Church let faith slip.
Without a heart and mind full of the Word, they say the right things. However, the words are empty and powerless. This is because they don’t believe them in their hearts. They declare their healing, but are still convinced they’re sick. They declare provision, then continue to worry about money. They declare the victory but then talk defeat defeat.
There is a disconnect between what they say and what they believe. This cancels faith. Faith requires heart belief, not just mouth confession.
We cannot separate what we believe in our heart from what we confess with our mouth. If there is any contradiction, our heart’s belief will always win. We can say, “I’m healed a million times.” But if we believe in our hearts that we’re still sick, nothing will change.
Faith requires agreement between our words and our convictions.
That agreement comes from getting God’s word so deeply rooted in our hearts that it becomes our reality. We meditate on the word. We speak the word. We think the word. We see ourselves through the word.
Over time, our hearts will come into complete agreement with what God said. When that happens, when there’s no doubt in our heart, faith produces results with absolute certainty. That’s the foundation and the beginning of the process. The Word in our heart creates faith. The Word in our mouth creates our reality.
Believing and receiving are supposed to happen when we pray. The having happens later. There’s usually a bit of a time gap with faith, and most Christians can’t handle that time gap. They pray and believe for a minute, but when they don’t see immediate results, the doubt starts. Faith requires us to maintain our position. Once we’ve prayed, believed, and received, we must stand on that belief regardless of how long the manifestation takes. Faith stands until.
Faith doesn’t keep praying the same prayer repeatedly. Faith doesn’t beg God to give us what He already promised or provided. Faith says thank you for the answer. Faith speaks as if we already have it. Faith acts as if it is already done.
The difference between getting results and failure lies in our actions. It is found between the moment we pray and believe, and the moment we see the answer.
Feelings are not the indicator of whether we received. God’s word is. So, if God’s word says, “By whose stripes you were healed” in 1 Peter 2:24, then you were healed.” Past tense, finished, and you believe that regardless of what your body feels.
The same thing applies to deliverance, to provision, to any breakthrough in any area. We find what God promised in his word. We speak, pray, and ask for it based on the integrity of God’s Word. We believe we receive it the moment we pray. And then we thank God, declare the answer, and thank God for the finished work.
We then continue to feed our faith with God’s Word. We speak only words that affirm our belief in Him. These words confirm His finished work.
Faith isn’t hoping God will do something. Faith is knowing He has already done it in Christ. We are receiving what He provided by believing what He said.
John 14:12-14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
JESUS IS COMING!
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