Do you have faith?

"When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:8

God expects His people to have faith.

The Holy Spirit says,

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

It is man's responsibility to believe in God and in His promises. The woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years was healed because of her faith! Jesus commended her and said, "Daughter, your faith has healed you." Mark 5:34

Jesus also commended the centurion's faith and said about him,

"I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." Matthew 8:10

Faith pleases God and releases God's will on earth as it is in heaven.

How can the believer strengthen his faith?

In the account of the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus reveals how the believer can receive from God.

In response to the Samaritan woman, Jesus replies, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10

The key to strengthening one's faith is to grow in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of that which God freely gives. It is as the believer fixes his eyes on Jesus that his faith is strengthened and "perfected" (Heb. 12:2).

The greater the revelation of God, the greater the faith to believe for the impossible!

If the Samaritan woman had known who it was that was speaking to her and knew what He wanted to give her, she would have had the faith to ask and receive! Faith releases the glory of God - the manifestation of His presence and power.

Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40

The believer must understand that faith is required. "If you believed.." There is a condition to the revelation of God's glory - faith!

Unless the believer grows in his knowledge of God and the will of God, his faith will not grow. For this reason the apostle Paul prays,

"We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.." Col. 1:9,10

The believer needs spiritual revelation of God and His will!

I encourage you to spend time in God's presence and in His Word so that you grow in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of His will. It is as we grow in our knowledge of Him and His will that we will be able to pray with faith and confidence and then see the glory of the Lord!

"When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:8

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Do you really believe?

James writes,

"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 2:18

Conviction or opinion?

Faith is conviction and whatever someone is convinced of he will reveal with his life - his thoughts, his attitudes, his speech, and his behaviour. Our lives reveal what we believe and are convinced of. The person who believes that prayer is "powerful and effective" (James 5:16), for example, will be a person of prayer. Our true convictions are always audible and visible! The spirit of faith speaks (2 Cor. 4:13)! Conviction without action is opinion. Our outward lives demonstrate what is truly inside our hearts. That is why John says,

"If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." 1 John 4:20

1 John was written to help believers know whether they truly believe. John writes,

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13

Evidence of our faith.

What things does John write about that demonstrate that we believe? If we truly believe and are convinced that we are in Christ,

• We will walk in the Light. 1 John 1:7
• We will acknowledge our sin. 1 John 1:9,10
• We will obey God. 1 John 2:3,4; 3:24; 5:2,3
• We will walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6
• We will love the Church. 1 John 2:9,10; 3:10,11
• We will acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ. 1 John 2:22,23; 4:2,15
• We will receive spiritual revelation. 1 John 2:20,27; 5:20
• We will do what is right. 1 John 2:29; 3:7,10
• We will not continue to sin deliberately. 1 John 3:6,9; 5:18
• We will lay down our lives for one another. 1 John 3:14-16
• We will have pity on the needy. 1 John 3:17
• We will love with actions. 1 John 3:18
• We will know by the Spirit that we belong to God. 1 John 3.24
• We will overcome the spirit of the world. 1 John 4.4,5; 5:4,5
• We will love. 1 John 4:7-21
• We will have a testimony in our hearts. 1 John 5:9-12

Our actions and words demonstrate what we truly believe, especially when no one is looking!

What do you really believe?

It is both challenging and helpful to look at one's life to see what one is truly convinced of. For example, what does your daily routine tell you about what you believe concerning,

Prayer, Worship, Giving, Loving others, The lost, etc.

True Faith.

I believe God is calling His people to true faith - faith in Him and in His Word. Sadly many believers say they believe in God and in His Word but they demonstrate by their words and actions that they don't actually trust in Him or in His Word. Many demonstrate that they trust more in man, in formulas, in their demonstration of "faith", in the natural (superstition), etc. than in God.

Growing in Faith.

If we find that we aren't really convinced and don't really carry the convictions we should, I want to encourage you to spend time with God in prayer and in His Word so that you will grow in your knowledge of Him. Our convictions cannot be mustered up but will only develop as we look at Jesus. The writer to the Hebrews says,

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith." Hebrews 12:2

In other words, the more you look at Jesus and get to know Him, the more He will convince you of His nature and power and the truth of His Word. As you look to God, He will build convictions in your life and make them stronger so that you will stand firm in your faith and your life will demonstrate your true convictions - the fruit of your faith.