HOW DOES FAITH COME? (1)

God has given to everyone THE measure of faith (Rom. 12:3b). Many Christians are not able to increase their faith because they are ignorant of the only way FAITH comes.  So today we want to look at how to grow your faith.

We know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But how are we to get the faith to get saved? Romans 10 tells us how.

Romans 10:8-14 says, “But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the Word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if (1) thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and (2) shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ….13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

You can never believe in God without hearing what the Bible has said about God. You can never have faith for the miracle/breakthrough you need in any area of your life without hearing what God has said in His Word concerning it. For instance, you can never have faith for divine healing without hearing what God has said in His Word concerning divine healing. You can never believe in prosperity without hearing what God has said in His Word concerning prosperity. You can never believe in divine protection without hearing what God has said in His Word concerning divine promotion.

This is because the supernatural faith you need for anything in life is imparted to you only as you hear what God has said in His Word concerning that particular area of your life (Rom. 1:16-17).

Acts 14:9-10 says, “The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.”

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

This is why this statement is true: Supernatural faith begins only where the will of God is known. The will of God includes all the promises He has made to us in His Word. Without knowing what God has promised you in His Word, supernatural faith can never exist in any area of your life.

In Ephesians 5:17 the Bible says, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

Therefore beloved, you need to grab your Bible and find out what the will of God is. God has made some very specific promises in His Word and it's His will to fulfill every one of them in your life. In fact, those promises are divinely guaranteed by a contract that's been signed and sealed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Think of it this way: Your Bible is the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. It is a record of your inheritance. Everything that belongs to you has been written down in that book and the smartest thing you can do is to find out what is in it.

Just find out what God has said concerning the situation you are in and act on that Word which is the will of God for you even in that situation. That is faith!

1 Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babies, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may GROW thereby.”

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Here God has told us how to grow our faith. So if your faith does not grow, God is not to blame.

This is true for the faith you need in every area of your life.

 2 Peter 1:19-21 says, “We have also a more sure Word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts”

For your faith to grow you must keep looking at the Word.

In Proverbs 4:20-22 God said, “My son, (1) attend to My Words; (2) incline thine ear unto My sayings. (3) 21 LET THEM NOT DEPART FROM BEFORE THINE EYES; (4) keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health [medicine] to all their flesh.”

Look at the instructions to obey so as to grow your faith:

1. Attend to the Word of God,
2. Incline your ear to the Word of God – keep hearing the Word (Rom 10:17),
3. Keep your eyes on the Word of God, and
4. Keep the Word of God in the middle [or center] of your heart.

You see, many people fail because they see themselves fail. This is because they keep their eyes on the wrong things instead of on what God has said about them in His Word.

If you know that God’s Word says, “…Himself, [Jesus] took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matt 8:17), then if that Word does not depart from before your eyes, you are bound to see yourself without sickness, and without disease.

But if you do not see yourself without sickness, prosperous, eternally secured, promoted, etc. then that Word has departed from before your eyes.

In order for this medicine in verse 21 to work for you, it has to be taken according to directions [instructions/prescription].

In Proverbs 4:21 God says, “LET THEM (My Words) NOT DEPART FROM BEFORE THINE EYES; keep them in the midst of thine heart.”

So just keep looking at what the Word of God says concerning your situation. That is the instruction. Do not look at the conditions, the symptoms etc. Just look at the Word!

When you know the will of God concerning any area of your life, and you mix that knowledge with faith, you’ll instantly receive your breakthrough/miracle (Heb. 4:1-12). The more you hear the Word of God, the greater your faith will become (Rom. 10:17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). The more the Word of God you know and meditate upon, the stronger your faith will be (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:1-3).

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is provision for every need – salvation, deliverance, safety, preservations, healing and soundness. Whatever need you have, the faith to receive your answer comes from hearing the Word of God. As you determine to feed on the Word of God continually, you will certainly see your faith grow to the point where you are able to receive the wonderful promises God has already provided for His children.

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

Your friend: I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor)                                   15.09.2019