FAITH: CONCEPT OR SUBSTANCE

FAITH REVOLUTION SERIES

PART 1 – FAITH: CONCEPT OR SUBSTANCE

“And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint; Saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, “though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said,

Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8, KJV)

From the scripture above, we see that faith is one thing that God wants to see in man. God wants us to abound in love and be enriched in the hope of the return of Jesus Christ but He also wants to find faith in us. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith, it is impossible to please God. What God delights in is seeing faith in His people. He has pleasure in it. He wants us to desperately rely on Him and have absolute belief in His existence and sovereignty to reward those who seek Him.

What Christians lack these days is quality faith. They make no commitment to the Christian walk and have no perseverance therein. Faith in God goes beyond mind believing. It involves a diligent pursuit of God and His kingdom. In the Bible, particularly the gospels, we see what this diligent pursuit entails. Jesus taught the people about giving themselves wholly to God, the beatitudes, love, forgiveness, giving, prayer, fasting and many lessons.

Faith is not just a concept; it is a substance we possess, a deposit in our hearts to pursue God to the salvation of our souls.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT QUALITY FAITH

1. Faith looks up to Jesus Christ and Him alone. In Matthew 5:5-10, we see a centurion who searched for Jesus and came to Him. He recognized the authority of Jesus over the powers of darkness and pleaded that Jesus heals His servant. This man looked up to Jesus for His miracle and so does quality faith. In Hebrews 12:1-2, the author admonishes us to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…
2. Faith has expectation in the provision of God. “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meet from God.”  - Psalms 104:21. In this scripture, we see an expectancy in the lions. They seek their food from God though they chase their prey. Christians need to learn to depend on God in their everyday pursuit. We need to open our eyes to the active constant working of God in our lives and have an expectation in His provision.
3. Faith glorifies God for His promises before, during and after their fulfillment.“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” – Romans 4:20. This text in the Bible reveals that Abraham gave no thought to his weak body and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He rather gave glory to God and did not waver at His promise. This is quality faith.
4.  Quality faith knows this:

·         The authority of Christ is beyond that of kings and kingdoms.

·         Christ’s sovereignty exceeds place and time.

·         Every power is brought into subjection under the name of Christ.

          

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 By Samuel Entsua ©2014-2017 Christ for Humanity Outreach 

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