You may be struggling with your finances to make ends meet. Additionally, you may have ongoing health and other personal issues in your life. and you see nowhere out of your situation. Know that you do not have to be dealing with these circumstances on your own. The Creator has the power to change your life and it is called FAITH. It is by faith in God that you can change your circumstances and live the fulfilled life that God has promised you, or has planned for you. That being said, my focus for this week is faith in God. Several definitions of faith, the value and testing of your faith, choosing faith over facts and ways how to increase your faith are presented.
Faith is a very common word but it has many different meanings to various persons. Put simply, faith means not worrying about the circumstances that you are encountering. However, the Scripture says that faith is calling those things which are not, as though they are. Faith only deals with what you cannot see, taste, touch or smell. Myles Munroe noted that “Faith is confessing the invisible and believing it’s true.” Another author opines that your faith is like your physical muscles. The more you exercise and train it, the stronger it becomes. The stronger your faith, the more successful you will become in life. Faith is designed to remove any impossible situation in your life. It is not the reports of doctors, employers, colleges and bankers that matter. It is what the Creator says that you trust, and believe in. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. He speaks to us and we come into agreement with Him. In other words, whatever He promises, you believe Him and you speak the same things into existence as if you already have them. Your faith delivers the promises of the Creator.
The testing of your faith is the Creator’s way of trusting you. Myles Munroe argues that God will never trust what He did not test. How you handle challenging circumstances, negative attacks, persecution, insults and setbacks are prerequisites for testing you. When you go through these situations, do not misunderstand it to be the hands of the devil. It is also the Creator’s way to have us on the potter’s wheel to test and prepare us before He can use us. God will also allow people to trample, embarrass and ridicule you in order to strengthen you, spiritually and emotionally mature you – and to test your faith. It is said that your faith is as strong as the test it survives. In your personal life the bigger the test, the bigger the job or assignment that is coming up next in your life. The enemy will try to use the testing period of your faith to get you to doubt the great promises that God told you. Satan knows that your faith in God is the only thing that threatens him and he will do anything to rob you of it. Know that it is not the Creator’s intention to hurt you during the brokenness, as He will never give you more than you can bear.
You have to continue fighting the good fight of faith even when the odds are against you. In all circumstances, we have to choose faith over facts. You stand in faith and you still believe that all things are going to work out for your good, even if you lost your home, if you are bankrupt or if you are terminally ill. When you take the limits from God He is going to amaze you with His goodness. He is moved by your faith. When you believe and exercise faith, it activates God’s power. If you want to see God’s best, you got to choose faith in spite of the facts. Facts may tell you, you will never get healed, out of debt, or you may never break that addiction. Remember, it is the Creator who controls the Universe. He is not limited by facts or what experts may say. God has the final say on everything that happens here on earth. Do not let the facts keep you from your destiny. You are encouraged to exercise faith over facts. The Almighty is only limited by what you believe or whether you have any faith in Him.
So how do you develop and increase your faith and receive God’s blessings on your life? We know that you can develop faith by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Another way of increasing your faith is to remember God’s past faithfulness in your lives. We quickly forget the good things that God has done for us in the past. We have to remind ourselves of this which will give us the confidence to believe and trust that He will come through for us again in the present and the future. Rejecting the thinking of negative people is arguably one of the main paths to develop your faith. If you continue to surround yourself with people who are always negative, and who consistently struggle to trust God, over time their negative thinking will influence you to operate and live out of fear rather than faith. When you do so, you will miss out on something great that God has for you. We have to also recognize God’s power, and we have to factor it in our situations whatever we are trusting Him for. Our abilities, finances and connections are not enough. We have to be cognizant of the fact that God has the power to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think.
Faith causes you to see what the natural eyes cannot see. We do not worship God by emotions. We worship and please Him by our faith in Him. Faith in God is the only instrument that defeats the devil. We live by faith not by sight. It is not our job to achieve. It is our job to believe and receive the promises that God told us. Circumstances and tribulations come to test your belief and faith in God. Your faith in God will also help you get blessings, plus double for the troubles that you had to endure. Your faith is as strong as the test it survives. The bigger your purpose in life, the bigger the burdens you have to overcome. God will never test your faith beyond what you can bear. There are times in life when facts are not your friend. However, if you still believe and keep the faith, one touch of God’s favor can override the facts. For example, you can get vindicated, healed or out of debt. Nothing is too big for the Creator to solve. I encourage you to tap into this power source. Only through Him all things are possible, and He has the final say on all matters here on earth. We are never defeated unless we give up on our faith in God. All things come together for the good of all those who never waver in their faith in God, despite the persecution, rejection and ridicule by others. Only through your faith in God, you can overcome evil and receive peace from all your enemies.
