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How to Access Faith From Faith See
more at the bottom of The
Reality of Faith All progress in the Christian life is by trusting (faith). “This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his
sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by trusting (faith). As the
Scriptures say, The just shall live by trust (faith).” – Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:7, 11;
Habakkuk 2:4 How to Access Faith There are
several ways to increase faith. One who truly wants to believe God must take
the following steps: 1. This is the
first step of the Christian experience. One who is in Christ is a new
creature, and old things, including unbelief, have passed away, and all
things have become new, and all things are of God (2 Cor. 5:17). Anyone who
has had any experience with God in a real, personal way will remember that
the beginning of the new life was of utmost simplicity and child-likeness in
many ways. In the matter of faith, the newly born-again one was so confident
and simple that he would believe God for anything. There were not the many
arguments of unbelief or the many questionings about what is the will of God
in prayer. It was taken for granted that anything which God had promised as good for
one is the will of God for every believer. It was easy to get answers to
prayers and to believe God for anything that was wanted. It was only when
questionings and reasonings about truth occurred and when one began to hear
that God doesn't answer every prayer, that it is not His will to give
everything that He has promised, that He knows best what to give and what not
to give, and that all prayers should not be expected to be answered and many
like theories that prayer began to be unavailing. As long as one was simple
and child-like and believed that God was good enough to give to His children
anything and everything that was good, prayers were answered
in such supernatural ways as to make a believer feel that s/he is indeed a
child of God. A simple
faith is naturally born into the new child of God by the Spirit. Faith at
once takes root, and God is taken at His Word. There is not a doubt to begin
with that God will answer prayer. If this confidence in God would be
nourished and developed normally as one grew in grace and knowledge we would
never have had so many failures to get prayers heard. But by listening to old
converts who sometimes live in doubt and unbelief the
new one also begins to follow their example by wavering and questioning God
about everything. Christ is the
author and finisher of faith in everyone and naturally a life of faith begins
when Christ is received in the life (Heb. 12:1-2). As we receive Christ we
are to walk in Him (Col. 2:6-7), and if we would continue as we started,
faith and zeal would never be dampened, and one would never revert to a life
of failure and constant questioning as to what the will of God would be in
the matter of getting the benefits of the
promises. 2. KNOW THE WORD OF GOD The second
step to take in getting faith is to get thoroughly familiar with the Word of
God. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.
10:17; Acts 10:44; 15:7; 1 Cor. 1:18-21; Gal. 3:11; 2 Thess. 2:13). After
getting into Christ, the next thing to do is to start reading the Word of God
and meditating on it day and night. We are promised that if a person would do
this he would be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that will bring
forth its fruit in its season and that whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Ps.
1, Josh. 1). So many
people in praying
never think of what God says about what they are asking. If one should ask
the average person what promise of God he was depending upon as the basis of
his faith to get what he was asking, he would not have in mind any particular
Scripture. It is no wonder that such people are seldom heard of God. Jesus
said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what
ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). The Word of God and
prayer must go together if definite results are to be expected. There is no
ground for answered prayer outside of the Word of God. It is the Bible that
reveals the will of God in all things and promises certain benefits through
Christ and faith, and no person can get prayers answered normally who does
not know the truth. Download
passages of the Word of God regarding faith. (This link requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) 3. DO NOT PRAY FOR FAITH IN GOD Prayer for
faith is a prayer of unbelief.
Consequently, there cannot be an answer to it. Praying for faith is simply an
attempt to evade faith in the Word of God and get things from God contrary to
truth. The Word alone can give you the basis for answered prayer. Simple
faith in the Word of God may not be considered sufficient or even sensible to
the natural person who lives in their senses and who wants always to see and
feel everything with which he has to do, but this kind of confidence is
necessary if one wants what the promises of God
offer. We are not told to pray for faith, but to "have faith in
God" (Mark 11:22-24). 4. HAVE FAITH IN GOD If we would
learn to put confidence in God as we do in men and if we would have
unwavering faith in the promises
as we do in the word of people, answered prayer would be a great success. Prayers would be
answered without so much effort on the part of us. Prayer would be a simple
transaction of everyday business between God and us. It is sad to say that
people will trust people and put their whole confidence in people more than
they will God and His Word. At the same time we do this we claim that they
believe God more than any man. We would not boldly declare that we do not
have confidence in God or that we do not believe that God is faithful to His
Word, but by action we prove this to be so. If somebody says to us that it
may not be God's will to answer, or that if He does not answer He knows best,
or some such excuse for unbelief,
it is generally accepted that this is so. Very seldom do people go to the
Bible to see exactly what it says and intelligently follow it. Even if we find
that we are definitely promised the answer, the average person questions the
will of God by some unreasonable argument of unbelief. We would not possibly
be turned aside so easily if man had made such promises. We would go to court
or fight to the last breath to hold man to his obligations, but we are so
full of unbelief that we don't want to bother God with the same problems, or
we will not put forth the least fight against demon powers and unbelief
to get what God has promised or to hold God to His obligations. Is it any
wonder that God will ignore such unbelieving and disinterested requests for
things that He has promised? We would do the same. In fact, we would not be
as tolerant of others who reject us and our word and constantly fail to
believe us as God is toward failing, unbelieving man. We would be so
disgusted with such half-heartedness that we would withdraw all offers of
help. But in spite of man's failure, God goes on year after year, seeking to
prove to us that He means what He says and says what He means. He is
constantly trying to show us that He is faithful to His Word and that He will
not go contrary to His Word for any person. He will meet His own obligations
all right, but on the grounds of His own revealed terms of faith, nothing
wavering. Man is to blame for all failure - so the quicker we realize the
trouble and corrects it the sooner we will get what we want from God. 5. LISTEN TO GOOD PREACHING / TEACHING When we hear
constantly the stories of the triumphs of faith in the Bibles when we read of
miracles such as God's dividing the waters, raining manna from heaven,
sending quails, giving water from rocks, multiplying food, quenching fire,
raising the dead, healing the sick, defeating His enemies, and causing the
hundreds of other miraculous events that are written in Scripture for our
instruction and to build up our faith, our faith runs high. We fully realize
that what God has done He can and will do again in meeting His obligations to
give to men what He has promised.
Our faith naturally becomes powerful and expectant. Personal experiences of
men in all ages are also a good source in building up faith. Accept and believe
any record of any dealing of God with any person if it is in harmony with the
Word of God. 6. REJECT When we go to
churches where the ministers question these miracles and make fun of them as
being mere fairy tales and they try to explain away such facts by
high-sounding, clever, pseudo-scientific generalizations, our faith is
hindered. There must be a consecration on our part to renounce all such
foolish theories as of the devil
and cleave to the plain Word of God in all things. No man can expect to build
up faith and get to the place where benefits can be received who spends his
time going to such places where the Word of God is criticized. If one wants a
simple, unwavering faith he cannot listen to this kind of preaching/teaching
and come out without some questioning as to some things. Yes, all
faith-killing, Spirit-quenching, truth-destroying, man-made traditions and
sects and creeds, be they ever so clever in doing away with the simple gospel
truths, must be rejected and renounced once and for all. Don't tolerate any
person or church to slander God or His Word, which is the source of your
happiness, faith, and eternal life. 7. COMPLY WITH THE WORD OF GOD Comply with
the Word of God to the letter, regardless of how foolish it may appear. God's
ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are as
high as the Heaven above the Earth compared to our ways; so accept His Word
as the right thing on every question and yield to the letter, and it will be
proved the right thing to do. It will be proved to be true in every respect.
The test of this age is "the obedience to the faith among all
nations." People who fail in compliance to the faith will have to be
rejected of God in the end and consigned to eternal Hell for their failure.
Thus it is all-important that we conform to the Word and yield to the letter
what is plainly written. The secret of answered prayer is very clear in
Scripture. Note how simple the Bible is on this point: "Have faith in
God For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed, and cast into the sea; and SHALL NOT DOUBT IN HIS HEART, BUT
SHALL BELIEVE THAT THOSE THINGS WHICH HE SAITH SHALL COME TO PASS, HE SHALL
HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH. Therefore I say unto you, WHAT THINGS
SOEVER YE DESIRE, WHEN YE PRAY, BELIEVE THAT YE RECEIVE THEM [Believe that
you have got them], The central thought in all these
passages is: "BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE 8. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH By exercising
your faith you will cause it to grow (Rom. 1:17). One of the best secrets of
how to increase faith is the use of what faith that one does have for use. It
is a divine law that whatever we do not use we lose: "Whoever hath, to
him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that
which he seemeth to have" (Luke 8:18). Just as any muscle that remains
useless becomes dead and lifeless, so it is with faith. We must use what we
have if we want it to become strong and dynamic. It is not
only a natural law that faith will increase when it is used in all the
problems of life, but God will supernaturally see to it that it is increased.
He will impart more faith - the divine kind - to them that show the proper
exercise of human faith. Our faith must work by love;
that is, we must exercise our faith for the good of all persons, regardless
of whether they are friend or foe (Gal. 5:6). Unless we have fervent love for all persons
our faith can never attain to the highest peak of efficiency. Where there is
love there is faith, for both are the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Where love,
unity, peace, and true Christian fellowship prevail in a church there will be
found little sickness and defeat and few failures in prayer. Where malice,
jealousy, gossip, and constant division and strife exist, there will be much
more sickness and failure in prayer than in the other kind of church.
Experience, observation, and Scripture establish this fact. The fall
would not have been possible without doubt and unbelief in
God and His Word. God demands us to learn that He is faithful to His Word and
that He means exactly what He says, before He redeems us and before He
answers prayer. God must demand faith and freedom from doubt in order to
redeem us from the fall. These steps must be retraced in the redemption and
complete reconciliation of man to God. We must learn the lesson of faith and
absolute confidence in God sooner or later if we expect to live with God
forever; so there is no better time than while we are on probation to learn
this lesson. This is why God requires faith in all that He says, before He
obligates Himself to answer man definitely. At first there is naturally a
struggle on our part to trust God whom we cannot see, but after we learn to
do this the hard part of faith in God is over and we enter into a place with
God where we get things easily by simply asking and receiving through faith
in God and His Word. Whoever uses faith can master all; have
all he desires; and there are no bounds to what he can get. Faith will break
through all barriers of reasonings, questionings, doubts, and thoughts of
unbelief. It will take hold of what is wanted by an unshakable determination
and will refuse to be denied. Faith will do all the Bible says it will do.
Work what faith you have and refuse to be discouraged. Every impossible thing
has finally yielded to pounding and increased pressure. What we do not use we
lose is a divine law that never fails. Likewise it is a divine law that
whatever we use increases (Luke 8:18; Rom. 10:17; Gal. 6:7-8). The Scriptures cited above also prove
the unlimited possibilities of prayer if one will use the faith that takes.
Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that
believeth" (Mark 9:23) and "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 17:20; 21:21-22). This is
how men got answers in Bible days (Matt. 9:2, 27-29; Heb. 11). This is the
only way we will get answers today; so we might as well stop deceiving
ourselves that God might answer apart from firm, unwavering faith. He will
not, for He said He will not, and He cannot lie (Heb. 11:6; James 1:5-9).
Faith and prayer will move mountains, but faithless prayer will not move an
anthill. 9. YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT Faith is not
only a natural ability or exercise of a created faculty of man, but it is a
fruit of the Spirit and a gift from God (Gal. 5:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:4-11). When
we use our own powers of faith in God and His Word properly we make contact
with God in a supernatural way, and we become a partaker of the divine nature
(2 Pet. 1:3-4). We are then free to walk and
live in the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit will naturally be manifest in
our life (Gal.
5:16-26). We should constantly add to our faith
the virtues of God by yielding to God in daily life (2 Pet. 1:4-10). This kind of faith becomes a natural fruit of the Spirit and of holy
living. It is not an effort to have this faith. It grows in the life of one
who is yielding to God and who loves God enough to draw near to God in daily
conflict. It is a fruit, not a work. It is a gift, not something we earn by
works (Rom. 12:3;
2:4-5; 12:4-11; Gal. 5:22-23). The human faith in union with the divine will make all
things possible to the believer. Let us all have faith in God, in Christ, in
the Holy Spirit, in the Word of God, in the atonement, and in all the gospel
truths. Have faith in God and look to Him for needed daily grace for body,
soul, and spirit. The more we love God and conform to His Word the more faith
will grow. This faith will grow until it rests solely in the Infinite. In
this place in God, we can reach up and pull down the unlimited blessings of
God for ourselves and others. Remember this, the secret of faith is faith in
God. Confess
Who You Are in Christ These
confessions when spoken aloud will cause the energy of faith to rise to
new levels in your heart. You will be
quickened to operate in a higher level of faith and expectation. (This link requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Unlimited
Possibilities By taking these
scriptures and the principles of God’s Word, you can access the unlimited
possibilities for your life. Substance is given to your world through your
choice of words! (This link requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) An Essential Note About
the Power of God’s Grace “Most of us are aware that it is by grace that we are saved [Eph. 2:8]. Everything we receive from God must come by grace through faith. And all knowledge of faith must be built on a clear understanding of grace, because even faith comes to us by grace, as a gift. When you understand grace, you can walk in faith and receive God’s blessings [benefits]. God’s grace isn’t complicated or confusing. It is simple, and that’s why many people miss it. There is nothing more powerful than grace. Everything in the Bible, salvation, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with God and all victory in our daily lives, is based on it. Without grace, we are nothing, we have nothing, we can do nothing. Today, don’t just hear about grace, but understand that everything in our lives depends not on our merits or abilities or works, but on God’s willingness to meet our needs. This is grace. Focus on that truth and watch your faith grow.” -Joyce Meyer Back to Faith See more about the kinds of faith Link to the
“short list” of 99
benefits of the 750 New Testament promises The Key That Unlocks All Promises Link to the
list of 250 separate
benefits of the 750 New Testament promises “Beloved,
I wish above all things that you
may prosper and be in health, even as your soul
prospers.” – 3 John 1:2 See the reality of evil, Satan, or the
devil See the bondage of unrighteousness (sin) and
corruption See The Source of Sin, Sicknesses, and
Diseases See How to Get Health and
Healing From God This site
relies mostly on the “King James Version” (KJV) of the Bible. Here are
some of the reasons. Link to God's Plan for Mankind Thank you Finis Jennings Dake
and Dake Publishing Thank you Derek Prince Ministries and
his book Faith to Live By
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