Day 16 - FAITH

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. — Hebrews 11:6

Faith is one of the most fundamental avenues of increase that God has provided for us. In the book of Mark, Jesus explained to His disciples how to operate in faith:

MARK 11:23, 24 - 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.

It is not enough for us to believe that our pastor receives from God. It is not enough for us to believe that our brother or sister in Christ receives from God. Jesus says that we must believe in our heart and say with our mouth that we receive the answer to our prayer; then we will have it. So see yourself with the answer. See yourself possessing the promises of God. Assume that you have already received the desire of your heart that is based on the Word.

Faith Is a Spiritual Law - In order to live by faith, you first have to understand that faith is actually a spiritual law. A law works the same for everyone. For example, if a person jumps off a two-story building, the law of gravity will immediately go into effect, causing that person to fall to the ground regardless of his or her color, age, gender, or social class. On the other hand, if the law of lift is applied correctly, it can supersede the law of gravity and lift a five-ton airplane off the ground.

Similarly, the law of sin and death will keep people trapped in the pit of condemnation, failure, and defeat. But faith receives forgiveness and up roots bitterness If the avenue of

faith is walked out, it will lift those same people out of the pit and up into victory! Regardless of how hard life is or how bad our situation is, we can choose to believe our father loves us. We choose to believe that He lifts the poor out of the pit and raises the needy out of the dunghill (Psalm 113:7).

Faith Acts On God’s Word - Second, faith is acting on what God said in His Word. Here’s something to think about in relation to the subject of faith: Most jobs do not pay you the wages you have earned until after you have worked at least one full work week. You wouldn’t be at all ashamed to tell a friend that you work at a job all week but don’t get paid until Friday.

But how can you say that you get paid on Friday when you haven’t seen the money yet? You might answer, “Well, my boss told me he would pay me on Friday.” You don’t really know if your employer has enough money to pay you, but you have faith in his word.

Well, do we have more faith in what our boss says than we do in God’s Word? Why don’t we give God equal respect by having faith in His promises before we ever see the manifestation?

Remember, faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).