By: Francis D Edwards
What is Biblical faith?
Biblical faith does not believe whatever comes to mind. Biblical faith believes what God has said in His Word and then acts on it. God says things in His word that are contrary to what we see in the world. This requires us to walk by faith not by sight. If someone says they believe something and never act on it do they truly believe it? The God kind of faith requires action.
Biblical faith begins with the Word. It cannot exist apart from the Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). The Word is seed and the soil is our heart. When we study and meditate the Word we are sowing seed and it will produce faith in our spirit. Take time to sow the Word daily. I will explain this process in a future blog. It is also essential to be in a Bible believing church and sit under sound preaching based on the Word. It all works together for good (Rom 8:28).
When we are born again God gives each of us the same measure of faith (Rom 12:3). It is up to us to grow our faith. No one can do it for us. He is patiently waiting to help. He will show you scriptures to grow your faith if you look in the Word. He expects us to study the Bible.
Why do we need to grow our faith? God is not moved by need. He is not moved by anything except Biblical faith. Faith is the coin of the realm in God's kingdom. Faith is required to accomplish anything spiritual.
Levels of faith
1) The measure of faith (Rom 12:3). This is saving faith. The measure of faith is where we all begin.
2) Weak faith (Rom 4:19, & Rom 14:1) Weak faith is where a believer has begun to sow the word into their heart. They are starting to learn what God has said in the Bible. They believe a few scriptures. However, they are still ignorant of the word and have many doubts.In Rom 14:1 we are told to accept those who are weak in faith and not look down on them. We should never say or do anything to cause them to stumble.
3) Little faith (Matt 6:30, Matt 8:26, Matt 14:31, Matt 16:8, & Luke 12:28). In Matt 8:26 Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was asleep in the boat. A storm arose and the disciples were terrified they were about to die. They awoke Jesus. He spoke to the storm, and a great calm came. He told them they had little faith.They were all active in ministry and doing a work for God. Yet Jesus told them they had little faith. He wanted to help them grow their faith. Their faith would later soar on the day of Pentecost after his resurrection.
4) Strong faith (Acts 3:16, Rom 4:20, & 1Cor 16:13). In these 3 verses God talks about strong faith. Strong faith drives out unbelief (Rom 4:20) and gives us perfect soundness (Acts 3:16). Strong faith should be every believer's desire and goal. God would not call us to have strong faith if it were not attainable.
5) Great faith (Matt 8:10, Matt 15:28, & Luke 7:9). In Matt 8:10 a centurion came to Jesus to receive healing for his servant. Jesus said he would go with him. The centurion said he was unworthy for Jesus to come to his home. He told Jesus he was a man under authority and he tells the men under him what to do and they do it. He told Jesus to just speak the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus marveled and said he had never seen such great faith in all of Israel. He then spoke and the man was healed. This centurion had the faith of Mark 11:23 that could move mountains. He had great faith.
6) Shipwreck faith (1 Tim 1:19). This is not a level of faith. This is a total loss of faith. This is the kind of faith to be avoided at all costs. The only fight God calls us to fight is the good fight of faith. There are many twists and turns in our faith walk. Setbacks will come. However we are overcomers (Rev 3:20). We overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. (I will cover this in a future blog.) We're never finished when we're defeated. We're only finished when we quit. During WWII Winston Churchill gave a speech where he said he would never, never, never give up. We need to have that kind of bulldog tenacity in our fight of faith. When a setback comes don't give up. Get back on your feet, dust yourself off, and press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling we have in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14).
In closing
Every believer begins with the measure of faith. To grow your faith sow the word as seed. Sow it in the soil of your heart by studying and meditating the word. Then expose yourself to sound preaching centered on the word. Let the seed take root and grow into strong faith. Don't ever let the devil shipwreck your faith. Get up and keep pressing in. We are saved by faith alone. However growing one's faith takes effort and work. It's not automatic. It's well worth the effort. You'll never regret doing it. When you get strong faith don't stop there. Don't be satisfied with weak, little, or even strong faith. Press in for great faith like Paul had. God is not a respecter of persons. He wants every believer to have great faith. What he did for Paul he can do for you. If you're willing to work you can have great faith too.
Prayer
Dear Father, please give me the discipline and strength to do everything I need to do to achieve great faith. I ask this In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Confession
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me (Phil 4:13). By the grace of God I will do everything I need to do to have great faith. I make this confession in the name of Jesus.
Question
Is your faith everything it can be?
I am Francis Edwards the sound engineer and head of the CD Ministry at Believer's Worship Center in Benton, LA.. If you enjoyed my article I want to invite you to learn more about God at http://www.believersworshipcentersermons.net. God bless you!
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