How Can I Have Faith?

Faith is the currency of the kingdom of God.“Have faith in God," Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:22‑24).  According to this verse, you can have anything you ask for in prayer if you have faith.

           

What is faith? Faith is trusting God when there is no one else to trust. Faith is relying upon God in the midst of trouble. Faith is having confidence in God’s promises. Faith sees the invisible and believes the impossible. Faith is a conviction that no matter what the circumstances look like, God will fulfill His word. Faith is knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will take care of you. Faith is believing in God more than you believe in your problems. 

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 - KJV). Recently, I purchased a plane ticket. When I bought the ticket, I did not demand to see the plane I would be riding in. I had faith the plane would be at the airport when the time arrived for me to leave on my trip. The ticket represented the promise of the airline. Faith is like that ticket, it is the substance which guarantees God’s promises will come true.

We should “live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Faith is similar to the title deed to a property you have never seen. Once the title of a property belongs to you, the property also belongs to you. You can say with assurance, “I own this land” even though you have never seen it.

Where does faith come from? Jesus is both the “author and the finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus is the source of our faith, he is the object of our faith, and he is the guaranteer of our faith. The Apostle Paul wrote, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith is ignited when we hear the word of God. God has already given a measure of faith to every person (Romans 12:3), but the more we hear God’s word, the greater our faith grows.

           

We absolutely need faith. Repeatedly, the Bible drives this point home with this simple verse, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). Those in right standing before God must live by faith. You will reign in heaven or rot in hell based on your level of faith in God. Because “...without faith it is impossible to please God...anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). 

God always moves in response to faith. God is no respecter of persons, He is a respecter of faith. The Centurion told Jesus, “Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” Sure enough, Jesus met him at the point of his faith when he said, “It will be done just as you believed it would” (Matthew 8:5-13). The man’s servant was healed that very hour. Just as Jesus responded to the faith of this desperate man, the power of God will meet you at the point of your faith. God will move heaven and earth because of faith.

If you do not work your faith, your faith will not work. Faith is like a muscle, the more you use it, the greater it grows. Faith is not faith until you take action.“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). Faith without works is dead. “Workless faith” is an oxymoron. As a matter of fact, faith without works can not even be called faith. When the four men lowered their friend through the roof, Luke says Jesus “saw their faith.” In other words, he noticed a physical action which demonstrated their faith. They acted on their faith, and Jesus took notice (Luke 5:17-26).

It is vital to act on your faith. You can put action to your faith by moving your body in a way you could not move it before. If you have a paralyzed arm, try moving it. If you could not walk, stand up and begin walking. If you have a tumor on your body, place your hand on the tumor and begin praying. Act on your faith right now by reaching out towards Jesus.

This is an excerpt from Daniel King's book, "Welcome to the Kingdom." Over 600,000 copies are in print. Get your copy by clicking HERE.