The Kingdom Principle of Faith - How do I get faith?
If faith is so important, How do I get faith?
This is an important question and one that is slightly complicated. Why? Because some people have never considered it, others have different answers than the one I’m offering, and I have to condense my answer to fit a short post(!).
What are some other answers given to the question, How do I get faith?
Some say, and I’ve heard this from pulpits before, “We must ask God for faith.” After all, the father who came to Jesus concerning his son who had a dumb [or mute] spirit, said to Jesus, if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus answered, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:22-24) Clearly, he prayed and asked for help concerning his faith. The only problem here is what we read next: When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. When He saw a crowd gathering and a spectacle in the making, He simply spoke to the spirit and cast it out. This is not a precedent which establishes a principle of asking for faith.
What about Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. The Lord had just taught them, 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Their response was, “This is so hard! We need more faith.” What was His answer to this request? 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you, followed by an illustration of a servant, which ends, 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:6-10) Instead of increasing their faith, He basically tells them, Just do it.
Then there are many who teach that faith is a gift from God. How do I get faith? God gives it to me. He either gives it to me and I have it or He doesn’t and I don’t. They primarily base this on Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: I can positively and emphatically declare the “gift of God in this verse is not faith but salvation itself. I encourage you to read my blog post from January 18, 2016, “Is faith the gift of God” where I deal with this in detail (You can read it here)
As I quote in that post:
“Not only is the theme of salvation the overall context of the first three chapters of Ephesians, but the immediate context of Ephesians 2:8-9 is of salvation, not of faith. These two verses thoroughly document how a person is saved, not how a person believes.
Salvation is by grace.
Salvation is through faith.
Salvation is not of yourselves.
Salvation is the gift of God.
Salvation is not of works.”
So, if I don’t pray to get faith, and it’s not just given to me by God, How do I get faith? I’m glad you asked, for the Bible has the answer!
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, the promise of God, the voice of God. Faith is always a response, so, if I as a believer feel I need faith or more faith, I need to get in the Word. It of course would help if I was regularly in and under the teaching of the Word because the Word builds me up in grace and knowledge and faith. At the very least, find a promise relating to the situation. This is why whenever we are ministering to others and praying with them, we always want to give them a promise from God.
But the Scriptures are not just a catalogue of faith building promises. There are promises, but as we immerse ourselves in the Word, we learn about God, what He’s like and how He works. This builds our faith! We read what He’s done for others, how He saved, healed, delivered, rescued, answered prayer … Come and see the works of God (Psalm 66:5). All His mighty works inspire faith in our God!
Oh what a joy and blessing it is to also be full of the Holy Spirit! For He often brings to mind the Word and promise of God which brings faith. Sometimes we know it and He quickens it to us. Other times we have read it but forgotten it and He brings it to mind. Sometimes He speaks it to our spirit when we didn’t know it and later on we find it. I recently heard the testimony of a Muslim man who said he had a strange encounter in his room – the room was filled with light and a voice said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me.” He had no idea what was going on. He mentioned this to a Christian friend who excitedly showed him John 14:6. Shortly after this he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ!
I believe the Holy Spirit speaks to us in other ways that build our faith, and I have personally experienced this. He may give a word to our spirit, perhaps a dream. He may give us a word from another believer. There have been times when I was listening to a sermon or a teaching and the Holy Spirit moved mightily in me, sometimes even saying, “This is for you.” And I responded with faith, “Yes, Lord! I receive it!” Hallelujah!!
What about the people in the Gospels of whom we read things like: Great is thy faith and according to thy faith and as thou hast believed be it done unto thee? I don’t know that we can quote a promise they were claiming. What stirred them to believe Jesus was able to heal them?
It was Jesus Himself. As they were hearing the testimonies of His mighty works and miracles, they began to feast on them and faith grew in their hearts – He can do this for me! When you need to be saved, and you look around and see people being saved, faith grows; when you want to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and people you know are being filled, faith grows; when you are sick or held captive and people are being healed and set free around you, behold faith grows; when you hear people testify, “He answered my prayer”, faith grows - He can do this for me, too! This is why it is helpful to listen to Christian music, read stories of saints who have gone before, and why testimony time at church is so helpful.
Draw nigh to Jesus and He will draw nigh to you. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. (1 Chronicles 16:27) Immerse yourself in the Word and Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. (Colossians 3:16) Be filled with the Spirit. Soak up the testimonies of those who know God and have experienced His grace. And in this way your faith will grow and increase.
One final practical suggestion. In your devotional time, enter His presence with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; ask the Spirit to speak to you as you read the Word; and as you read, let that Word and the Spirit direct you in your prayers – you will be amazed at the faith and joy you will have in your prayers!
It is no secret what God can do
What he has done for others
He'll do for you
(Stuart Hamblen)
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 72:18-19)
Next: O thou of little faith
No comments:
Post a Comment