Justyn continued our series on spiritual gifts, looking at the gift of faith.
A slogan in H. Samuel says faith is 'hope with a little bit of pixie dust'. Scripture says in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” RT Kendall simplifies it to 'Believing God'. Steve Backland says: 'God's promises, not our circumstances, are the evidence of what is really true. We don't deny negative facts in our lives, but we choose to focus on a higher reality: God's truth. '
We are all called to a life of faith - Gal 3:11 - the righteous shall live by faith, and 2 Cor 5:7 - we walk by faith and not by sight. It's about us living from Heavens perspective.
In Hebrews 11:6 we read that without faith it is impossible to please God. Our Father loves us consistently, but there is something that brings delight to His heart.
We live in the context of an apostolic and prophetic mandate to extend the kingdom of God and to bring heaven to earth. That requires faith and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 2:12-14 talks about how we need the Holy Spirit to reveal the things of God to us. Faith doesn't deny the reality of things around us, but lives in the greater truth and reality of Heaven. Faith roots us in the supernatural
Pastor Emmanuel says faith is you hear from God, do what you can do, and then see what God will do. In the west we have an immediate expectation.
In Hebrews 11 we see many men and women of faith who didn't see the fulfilment of the prophetic words God had given them in their lifetime. Abraham didn't see his descendants to be as numerous as the stars in the sky!
We need to have a culture that embraces mystery and celebrates each others faith steps whether it is successful or a seeming failure.
We need to declare the truth of God's promises. Steve Backland says: 'Faith indeed comes by hearing (Romans 10:17); therefore, we choose to speak these powerful truths to build our own faith. By doing so, we are believing that our experience will catch up to our beliefs, as Romans 12:2 teaches us.'
Application questions to select from:
- What does faith look like to you?
- Are you static in faith adventures because of past hurt and disappointments?
- Do you have prophetic words or scripture promises that you have 'shelved' and are passively waiting for God to fulfill? What does it look like to you to 'do what you can do, and then see what God will do'?
- With the new building project and gift days, do you feel in faith or fearful about giving? Can you identify why, and come through to the place of believing God?
- Use some of the declarations on the declarations download sheet linked below, or use them to inspire the declarations that relate to the specific prophetic promises that God has given to you.
Declarations Download
