WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD
21st Apr 2021
I’m sure that you like me want to see the power of God in action, to see miracles take place, people healed and mountains move. We understand that nothing is impossible to God, but a certain element is always required, and that is “faith”.
I have been re-reading the gospels and particularly noticing where ‘faith’ is mentioned. Jesus said to the woman whose bleeding stopped the moment she touched Him, “Your faith has healed you.” (Luke 8:48) He told Jairus whose daughter has died, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
To the Roman Centurion who said, “But say the word, and my servant will be healed,” Jesus declares, “I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” He declared his faith and the miracle happened. (Luke 7:6-10)
When Jesus is teaching His disciples and mentions 70 x 7 as unlimited forgiveness, the disciples response is, “Increase our faith!” Jesus replies that it isn’t the quantity of faith, it is the presence or absence of faith, as He goes on to declare that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.
When Paul is ministering in Lystra and meets a man who had been lame from birth and had never walked, he saw that he had faith to receive healing and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that the man jumped up and began to walk.” (Acts 14:8-10)
Faith is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He causes us to to believe, to understand and to receive a promise.
Faith comes when a written word suddenly becomes alive and we know that if we believe and obey we will see something supernatural.
Mary, the mother of Jesus told the servants at the wedding feast in Cana, “Do whatever he tells you.” They obeyed, filled the water pots, took it to the master of the banquet, and a miracle took place, water became wine. Jesus tells us that He only said and did what He heard from the Father; so in this situation He was himself exercising faith in what He had heard was the answer to the problem.
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Preaching and exposition can release faith; personal study can result in revelation; prophetic words can release faith. Asking, seeking and knocking will result in finding.
I want to live with faith, so that whatever situation I find myself facing, I hear what God is saying, I listen to His instruction, I obey in detail whatever He tells me and I see His power released through faith to achieve the desired result.
I’ve seen God do wonderful things, but the appetite for more never leaves me. So my personal cry is “Lord give me more faith and give me the courage to act on what You are saying.”
by Joyce Sibthorpe
