The presence of God

Luke 5:17-19

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” 

God we know is everywhere but aside from that, there is also the presence of God that descends on a place when the word of God is being preached or taught, or real heartfelt worship is going on in a place. This is the kind of presence that was present in our text. Whenever such a presence comes, it is for a purpose. It is one thing for the presence to be in a place it is another thing for that presence to benefit you. This is what happens in a lot of gatherings and this is why two people can be in the same service and one gets healed and the other does not. What is that ingredient?

“And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.” And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” Luke 5:18-20

“And when he saw their faith…”

Faith made the difference. Faith was used to connect with the power of God and channel healing to the paralyzed man. As it was then, so it is now. The power of the Lord may be present to deliver, but you will have to connect with your faith to receive whatever you have need of. Make that faith connection today. 

How do I make the connection you might ask. The faith connection was in what they did because the Scriptures said, “when Jesus saw their faith…”. He saw what their faith moved them to do. Your faith connection is revealed in what you do for there is always something to do to show one’s faith.

Living by faith

Habakkuk 2:4

“…but the just shall live by his faith.” KJV

I want to reiterate here why it is vitally necessary that you learn how to live by faith. Over and over again I see that Christians coast along without actually knowing the principles of this faith life. 

The reason is that every aspect of the believer’s life is faith ruled, this is the reason the Scriptures say, the just shall live by faith. Check this out:

Prayer, a vital aspect of the believer’s life does not get answered without faith. James 1:6, Mark 11:24

We walk by faith. 2Corinthians 5:7

We stand by faith. 2Corinthians 1:24

Without faith we cannot please God. Hebrews 11:6

Anything that is not of faith is sin. Romans 14:23

All things are possible through faith. Mark 9:23

It is by faith we have access into the grace of God. Romans 5:2

Jesus wondered if He would find faith when He comes back. Luke 18:8

The righteousness of God is revealed through faith. Romans 1:16,17

Faith acts as a shield over all the other weapons of warfare. Ephesians 6:16

The woman of Canaan

Matt 15:22-28

“And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”

Here is another woman that walked in such faith that she received commendation from the Lord. She is known only as the woman from Cannan. 

She came to Jesus to ask of Him help for her daughter who was tormented of the devil but He did not answer her.  After His disciples spoke to Him to send her away, He responded by telling them the reason He was not answering her. This was His reason:

“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

If you were the one that got this response, what would be your response? Most people would be discouraged and move away but what does this woman do? 

“Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord,  help me.”

This is the stuff that distinguishes faith people from every other person. Faith is what makes people to keep persevering when others give up. It takes faith to worship God when your answer is negative. But after worshipping, rather than get better, it became worse. 

Before worshipping, she was just given a “No”. Now she is called a dog, she is reminded that she belongs to an inferior class, who do not deserve such blessing. But this woman came to receive and was not going to settle for any other thing except that. This tenacious faith brought forth wisdom that enabled her to lay hold on her desire.

“But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.” 

This woman came to the Lord determined to receive and she went through the period of silence,  rejection, prejudice and provocation. At the end of it all she was commended that she had great faith.

Be that detrermined with your faith and you also will receive whatsoever you desire.

How do I know if I am in faith?

Habakkuk 2:4

“…but the just shall live by his faith.” KJV

2 Thessallonians 3:2

“And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.” KJV

Let me take a break from the faith lessons from those unsung heroines and share this thought with you today.

Someone can read our two texts for meditation today and think there is a contradiction in Scripture or just be confused. That is you might be thinking, If I am supposed to live by my faith, how come all men have not faith. How do I know I am of them that have faith. 

Firstly, let me say that there is nothing confusing or contradictory in those two Scriptures. The people have no faith is very clear from the second text; they are those men that have not been declared righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, such men have not faith. This tells you that the faith you are expected to live by comes to you at the point of conversion. 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

At the point of conversion from sinner to saint or believer, God drops faith in your heart as a gift. That is why our first text say, “the just(you the believing one) shall live by his faith.”

Maybe you reading this, haVE never considered this, but until you receive the sacrificial work Jesus did on the cross of calvary, you do not have the faith to live by nor can you please God. Pray and ask Jesus to forgive you and come live in your heart today.

Faith walk of women

Hebrews 11:35

“Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” NIV

The scriptures talk about women receiving their dead back to life. Let us examine the faith walk of one of such women:

“And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.  Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.” 2Kings 4:8-11

The story continued with Elisha speaking into the woman’s life that she was going to have a child because up to that point she and her husband did not have a child. It happened as the man of God said it would and then one day the child died. Here was where her stand of faith came in. She laid the child on the man of God’s bed and went looking for him. But everytime anybody met her and asked if everything was alright, she would answer, “it is well”. She never spoke contrary to what she wanted.

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say…  and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mark 11:23

She had what she said, all things became well in her household.

Today, all things can be well too for you if you will choose to say only things that agree with God’s word for your life.

Moses' mother: Her faith

Hebrews 11:35

“Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” NIV

We are still learning from Moses’ mother faith lessons. This next act of hers should speak to parents when it comes to believing God for their children especially when it is time for them to leave home. 

By faith she kept him in the house for three months, then put him in an ark made of bulrushes and put him by the bank of a river. He was found by Pharaoh’s daughter who now employed her to look after him until he was weaned. 

Now comes the real test of her faith in God, his release to the palace to grow up as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. She had to believe that her God will sustain him and all he had been taught concerning his God and his people. It goes without any argument that the release of Moses to the palace is an act of faith which we can emulate in this this day and time. 

Egypt at that time was the most civilized nation and the reigning power at that time. She believed also in Proverbs 22:6;

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Did her faith work?

“And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.  And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.” Exodus 2:10-12

Let me speak to parents, be strong in the Lord your God and don’t be overtly concerned regarding your children. Your faith in God regarding them will yield dividends. They will serve your God, they will not depart from the faith you taught them.

Still on Moses’s mother

Exodus 2:1-3

“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.” 

We are continuing our study of the faith of Moses’s mother. We saw yesterday that it was because she saw something on the child that enabled do what she did concerning the child. To me what she did next was a more daring act of faith.

“And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.”

She put the baby in a basket and put it by the river bank. When you have seen the invisible you also step out into the unknown.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8

This is the element of the faith walk that a lot of us get stuck at or stumble at because we want to have some measure of certainty before stepping out But all we need is what Peter told Jesus, Lord if it be you bid me come to thee on the water. All we need to know is that it is the Lord’s voice we heard. You cannot wait until every thing makes sense, or fits together before you step out.

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Genesis 22:1,2

Did you notice the last part of the sentence,  “…which I will tell thee of”? This is the way God operates, He does not tell us everything at the start but He gives you enough to start out with so that you can lean on Him in faith.

Moses' mother: Her faith

Hebrews 11:35

“Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” NIV

There are some women in the Bible from whom we can also learn the faith walk or principles of faith. In the chapter from which our text was taken only Sarah was mentioned by name, so we want to dig out the nameless heroines and learn faith from them.

“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.” Exodus 2 : 1-3 KJV

This story is about Moses’ mother. When she gave birth to Moses, the Bible says she saw that he was a goodly child, so she hid him for three months.

So the first thing was that she saw something about the child that was not seen by everybody. For you to step out in faith, you must be able to see something everybody is not seeing. 

Oral Roberts says for you to do the impossible, you must see the invisible. It takes faith to see the invisible. Moses’ mother through the eye of faith saw something about the child which propelled her to risk her life and the lives of all her family in hiding the baby for three months. Faith is a risk but for anyone to take such risk of faith, you must see something beyond what everybody around you is seeing.

Today, can you see beyond the surface, beyond the natural? Can you see what others are not seeing? When all the other spies saw giants in the land and themselves as grasshoppers before the inhabitants, Caleb saw the same people as bread whose defenses were departed from them. The Bible described Caleb as having another spirit within him. Guess what it was? It was a spirit of faith. See the invisible today and do the impossible.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” KJV

In this verse I see something that I believe that can help you to have a closer walk with the Holy Spirit. It is the place of faith in relating with the Holy Spirit. Our text for meditation says, “faith is the evidence of things not seen”. Let us look at this in another translation and see how that will help you to walk with the Holy Spirit.

“…the conviction of things not seen.” NASU

“…it (faith) gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” NLT

“…It's our handle on what we can't see.” MESSAGE

“…(faith)being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]” AMP

What falls in the category of the unseen if not the Holy Spirit? But according to the Message Bible, faith is our(your) handle on what you cannot see. To handle the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, faith is the answer. 

It enables you to perceive as real the presence of the Holy Spirit even though that presence is not revealed to the senses. You must be willing to take it by faith. 

You cannot walk with the Holy Spirit if you are not willing to do it by faith. Embrace His presence and anointing upon you today by faith and watch Him come alive in you. Where the presence of the Lord is, there is liberty… and the Lord is that Spirit. Go in the power of His presence into today and prosper.

The things then that touch the heart of God

Isaiah 56:4-5

“For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” KJV

Pleasing God is doing things that touch His heart. 

What are the things then that touch the heart of God? There are a number of things according to the Scriptures, some of which are:

1.     Living by faith – Hebrews 11:6

2.     Worshipping God, praising Him and giving Him thanks – Psalm 69:31

3.     Doing acts of kindness, being generous – Hebrews 13:16

4.     Ministering to the widow and orphans – James 1:27

5.     Ministering to the poor, underprivileged – Psalm 41

6.     Abstaining from fornication/adultery – 1Thessalonians 4:1-4

As good as all these are they do not compare with the redemption of God’s prized possession – man.

Psalm 8:4

“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?” AMP

The love and care which God has for man is also exemplified in Jesus’ last words to Peter.

John 21:15-17

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” KJV

Faith and hope

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” KJV

The next thing I want to show you, is the dwelling place of both faith and hope which shows also that they are not one and the same. Faith is a heart thing while hope is a mind thing.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9&10

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul…” Hebrews 6:19

It is because faith is a heart thing that some call it a conviction in the heart.

Lastly, from our text, the Bible calls faith the substance of things hoped for. The word translated for substance is “hupostasis” and it means, “that which stands under” something else or “provides the basis for” something else. So faith provides the basis for hope or faith is the underlying reality of things hoped for.

The difference between hope and faith

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” KJV

Let us continue in our study of the difference between hope and faith. This by no means is to undermine hope because hope in itself in the right place is a strong force to man. But this study is necessary to help people move from hope to faith so that they receive from God. This next differentiation will drive home to you this reality.

Now have you heard this statement before: “I believe God will heal me or bless me”. Maybe, you have said it yourself. You know what you are really saying is “I hope God will heal me or bless me.” It is hope because the word translated hope in the Bible means to have a confident expectation of good. 

So a person who has a strong expectation in his mind might think he is exercising faith, and will be expecting manifestation which will not come because faith is what delivers manifestation.

So, hope is an expectation, something that of necessity looks to the future but faith is in the present, faith is here and now. Therefore, instead of saying, “I believe God will heal or bless me”, you say, “I believe I am healed now or I am blessed or prosperous now.” That is when manifestation can occur.

Faith and Hope

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” KJV

Have you heard this statement before, “your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you”? I am sure you have heard it said, maybe you too have said it to somebody or even yourself. Now as good as this sounds and makes you feel good, do you know that is all you get from it,  a good feeling. 

Do you know why?  It is because it is not actual a faith statement but a statement of hope. Hope is a good thing, don’t misunderstand me but when it comes to delivering the goods, hope has to be changed to faith for that to happen. So, what is wrong with saying your best days are ahead of you? It puts it in your future, and every time you say it, it will always be put off to the future, and hope is futuristic. 

But faith is present, now. If you keep putting off your best days to your future, when will it become a reality? So what you are to say, is my best days are not behind me anymore, they are here now. I am living in my best days, my best season, and my best moments now. I don’t know about you, but that just stirs up something within me that makes me want to shout! Glory to God!  

Today, understand this difference between faith and hope: faith is in the present, while hope is in the future. To be successful in your faith walk, you must understand this difference and apply it in your walk and talk of faith.

Bible Faith and Natural Faith

Heb 11:1

“NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” AMP

There's a vast difference between what is known as Bible Faith and natural faith. Bible faith is actually Word faith which is based on the Word of God only and not in anyway based on what is felt or seen. Whereas natural faith is based on what is seen and felt, you see or feel therefore you believe.

You cannot get anything from the Almighty God through natural faith, no you cannot.

Faith of any kind is based on knowledge and if that be the case, I question what we called natural faith which is based on feeling and sight. The Dictionary defined the word 'belief' in general term as 'confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.' That is from the dictionary! So I wonder where the idea of natural faith been belief in what one sees and feel came from.

This means that natural faith was an uneducated statement, an actual jargon. You don't believe what you can see or feel, you know. You know you are wherever you are. You don't believe it, you know.

Someone actually said that for you to believe what you can see and feel, you need your head examined!

Faith in God is based on the knowledge of the Word of God, what He has promised and what He has declared as His will for you, which you cannot touch or feel physically, but you trusted its integrity.

What I am saying to you is that faith is not a natural thing but a spiritual, supernatural thing and man was created to live that way. You were created to live that way, so live that way!

Forgiveness

Mark 11:25-27

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and  let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.” AMP

Since we are talking about love, let us also pay attention to something that is a necessity in this love walk – forgiveness. The reason for this is because while some are celebrating love, some are remembering again a relationship that didn’t work out, a heart break, etc. 

We have to understand that people  in relationships will hurt one another and the same thing applies to married people, more son married people. Therefore we must decide that we will forgive, for unforgiveness is a great hindrance to the free flow of love between two people.

I believe for people to forgive easily, they must have faith that it pays much more to forgive than not to. If people believe this, people will be more eager to forgive rather than hold on to a hurt or offence for as long as they can. So faith is needed if we are going to walk in forgiveness. 

Married couples have to consistently forgive one another so that their love for each other will continually be renewed. Unresolved issues and bottled up hurts will turn the water that flows from the fountain of your love into bitter water, the consequences of which will be anything but pleasant. Believe and obey the Lord concerning forgiveness and watch God bless you today.

Celebrating love

1 Thess 1:2-3

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;”

Today is February 14 and almost everywhere in the world if not everywhere people are remembering and celebrating love. So I want our meditation to be along this theme. Paul in 1Corinthians 13 tells us after all said and done these three things are the ones that will abide, faith, hope and love. So I see these three things as necessary tools that must work together to enable people have a good relationship or enjoy their marriage. Look at the way Paul put them together in our text above: work of faith, labour of love and patience of hope.

To those not yet married but in a relationship, you are in that relationship because of love, you probably were first attracted to each other from the physical perspective, but I want you to know that to maintain that love there is labour involved. Love is not

abstract, love is real, it can be felt and it can be seen. But right now your relationship is one hanging on hope and that hope makes you put your faith in the person you are in relationship with and also in God that it will lead to marriage. The Scripture says, hope maketh not ashamed for the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If that love you feel for that person sprung from the Holy Spirit, the hope you have of this leading to marriage will not be disappointed in Jesus name.

To those already married, this applies in a slightly different way:

1 Thess 1:3

“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”NIV

Because you are already married, this means you already have faith in this relationship and in one another and in God, so let your faith be accompanied with works or corresponding actions. You cannot be speaking wrong things about your marriage and expect it to work or last. The Scripture says if you have faith, you will show by your works that you do, so show by your works that you have faith in God as far as your marriage is concerned and you have faith in your spouse.

Then it talks about love prompted by labour, simply put, if you say you love your spouse help her with house chores, or with the baby(ies), etc. And lastly, because you hope for a better marriage, you endure. Don’t give up on your marriage, yourself or your spouse, have hope of a better life together.

May the Lord keep you strong in your love one for another.

All things are possible

Matthew 19:26

“With God all things are possible.”

Mark 9:23

“All things are possible to him that believeth.”

Sometimes when we talk the power of faith or the potential of anyone who can believe God, it sounds like an undue exaggeration. But when you examine the two texts for our meditation today more closely, then you can better appreciate what we are talking about. There is a common denominator in the two passages, “all things are possible”. But one passage applies it to God while the second applies it to anyone who believes. What does this mean? 

Let me quote the late Derek Prince on this. He put it this way: “it means that, through faith, the things that are possible to God are made equally possible to the anyone who believes. Faith is the channel that makes God’s possibilities available to us.” Glory to God! Did you get that? Through faith, all that is possible to God becomes equally possible to you the believer. Don’t undermine the power of your faith in God, for ALL THINGS are possible to you when you believe. 

Believe God today and keep on believing Him, if you don’t give up on your faith, the impossibility will eventually become possible. The Scripture says, “blessed is she(he) that believed for there shall be a performance of that which was told her(him).” (Luke 1:45)

I declare to you today that there shall be a performance of that which has been spoken to you by God, only believe and not do not doubt.

The report of the Lord

Hebrews 11:2

“For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good report.”

Yesterday we looked at the fact that it is when we believe the report of the Lord that the power of the Lord is revealed to us. The report of the Lord is every word of God spoken or written. But our text for meditation today takes it to another dimension, it is about you obtaining a good report in  life. 

Now you know what it means to receive a good report if you have ever been to school. A good report in school is when report paper is made of straight As or in some lesser cases you have some Bs. But a good report to someone who got their bank statement from their bank and there is surplus or to someone who got a report from their doctor and a test shows that what they said you had is no more present. 

These are all good reports but there is also another good report, it is when you hear from the Lord, “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”, this is the ultimate good report.

Now the Scripture says, those who had gone before us obtained their own good report by faith. Let us address the ones that are for here, I mean good reports from the bank, doctor or school any one for that matter. You can by believing God turn any report that is evil to good by the exercise of your faith. 

If the elders did it, it means you and I can do it. The Scripture said they obtained it, this implies that initially it might not have been a good report they had, but at the end they obtained it, they possessed it. You too will possess yours today in Jesus name.

Then obtaining the final good report, some are very fearful when it comes to this but when you understand that it is not of any man that willeth or runneth but of the Lord that shows mercy, then you can exercise faith in the mercy of God. Keep believing God one day at a time and you too will hear the Lord say, “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Today you will make it, you will obtain a good report.

What is the arm of the Lord?

Isaiah 53:1

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

What is the arm of the Lord? It speaks of the power, might or strength of the Lord. Now our text asks, to whom is this revealed, that is who is it that the power, strength and might of God is shown. It is that person who believes the report of the Lord. What is the report of the Lord? It is every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, which might be the written or spoken word. 

The strength of the Lord, His power will be revealed to those who believe God’s written or spoken word above their circumstances. This reminds me of the children of Israel in Numbers 13 who chose to believe the report of the spies above the word of the Lord.

“But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:31-33

Do you know what God calls any report that contradicts His word? An evil report! Now what is the end of a people that do not believe the report of the vis a vis those that do?

“But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. 

Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” Numbers 14:21-24

I pray for you today that your faith will be strong and you will see the revelation of the strength and power of God.

Faith begins where the will of God is known

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Let us take more thing from the prophet Zechariah. This is found in the tenth chapter, first verse:

“Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.”

What has this got to do with faith you ask and I say everything. Why? This is because faith begins where the will of God is known and faith thrives when you are in the center of God’s will. Faith has confidence when you operate in the will of God. Where is the will of God? The Scripture says ask for rain in the time of the latter rain, in other words come ask for a thing when you have found out that is the season for that thing. 

When you know it is the season for a thing, it is easy to have faith for it. What I am saying to you today is this, to operate in faith for a thing find out the mind of God over that thing. This is probably the number one reason why some people’s faith don’t produce, they are not sure whether it is the will of God for them to have that particular thing. Now some people know it is God’s will to heal but they are not sure if it is His will to heal them. 

Some know that prosperity is the will of God but they are not just sure if it is God’s will for them. I want you to know it is God’s will that you be healed, that you prosper, that you succeed and that win in life, but you need to be persuaded of this yourself for your faith to grab a hold of it.

The prophet of hope

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

We are still on learning faith lessons from Zechariah. We have said that according to a commentary, Zechariah was regarded as a prophet of hope because he gave the people something to look forward to through his prophecies. I also see him as a person of the spirit who knows the place of the Spirit of God in God’s scheme of things. When you are such a person, you cannot but be a person of faith because faith is of the Spirit.

“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.” Zechariah 4:6,7

Remember a place where there was a talk about mountains been removed? How was it to move? By you speaking to it, this act of speaking to mountain is regarded as a faith action.

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mark 11:24

And we see in Zechariah that for the mountain to become plain, grace was spoken to it, this was why he said it’s not by might but by the Spirit of the Lord because when it is by grace it is not by might. Also when it is by grace, then it has to be also by faith.

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” Romans 4:16

Speak to the mountain in your life today and be assured that it will become plain, it will be done by the power of the Holy Spirit and not by your might, know how, or anything of yours for that matter.

From the life of Zechariah

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Another prophet we want to look at is Zechariah, he prophesied to the people at the same time as Haggai and he was referred to as the prophet of hope. This was because he gave the people at his time something to look forward, the hope of a better future, a better tomorrow though they have been scattered;

“Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion.” Zech 1:17

 So he came to give the people hope and you know there can be no faith without hope, for faith is that which gives substance to hope. When a man has lost hope, such a one cannot be helped. What kills people is not because of what they are going through, it is when they lose hope, the will to continue to fight. So don’t ever give up or lose hope. The bible said concerning Abraham, “who against hope believed in hope…” When natural hope comes to an end, lay hold on supernatural hope:

“…Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls…” Hebrews 6:18,19 NLT

Put your hope on God today. The Scripture says, hope maketh not ashamed. You will not be put to shame. Hope thou in God.