“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen” (Hebrews 11:1, TPT).
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ Mark 9:23-24.
As we talked about in Part 1, too often we think we believe, but it’s more of a mental agreement than an experiential belief. When confronted with a crisis and we realize our belief is more of a desperate hope rather than faith, our response is like the distressed father: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” And the Lord can work with that! The problem is when we are unaware that our hope does not have the foundation of faith; and then, when our hopes do not materialize, we become discouraged, disillusioned, and sometimes even angry at God.
For example, far too many of us Christians say we believe that we are more than overcomers, but live as if we are defeated. Circumstances in our lives and in our nation can sometimes seem so overwhelming that our faith falters, and rather than hold fast to the promises and the revelation God has given us personally or through His prophets, we accept the lie that it is a hopeless cause and we are powerless to change things. But the truth is, the only battles satan wins are
1. the ones we don’t fight in the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, and
2. the ones we quit in the middle of because we’re tired of the battle.
Far too many of us (and I include myself) have been weenies (“a scared person who is afraid to take chances or step out of their comfort zone,” Urban Dictionary) when it comes to spiritual warfare. Like Gideon, (Judges 6, 7) when God called him to tear down the altar of Baal, our response is, “Who, me? I think you have me mixed up with someone else, Lord!” But Gideon had an encounter with God; he chose to trust God and what He said, and he went out and tore down the altar of Baal. Then, at God's instruction, he and his army of only 300 men attacked and defeated the armies of the "Midianites and the Amalekites, all the people of the East, [who] were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude" Judges 7:12. Gideon became what God saw him and called him to be: a mighty man of valor.
Valor definition: “Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.” Oxford Dictionary
Like Gideon, we need our own encounter with God to know His will and to grow our faith, and the best way to accomplish both is to get in the Word.
Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
We must search out the will and promises of God in His Word and meditate on them: think upon them, repeat them out loud, and study them until they become part of us. God reveals Himself and His will through His Word. God is not trying to hide His Word and His will from His children and His Church. It is imperative that we know them! We have a responsibility to know the will of God and to protect, nurture, and grow our faith through searching the Word. The more thoroughly rooted and grounded in the revealed Word of God we are, the more we are sure what the will of God is and the bolder our faith to call forth His will on the earth.
Satan uses our uncertainty and timidity to accuse and berate us: “See, you’re not a real Christian! You don’t even know what He wants! You’re weak, and too stupid for God to use you!”
But God says, “Repent, turn back to Me, trust Me, obey Me, and I will make you a mighty man or woman of valor! I will cause you to do mighty exploits in My name! I will send you out to pull down the altars of Baal and the strongholds of Jezebel and Athaliah, and you will pull them down and destroy them. In My hand you will become a sword that cuts through and destroys deception, corruption, and the evil schemes of the enemy. Your words will come from your mouth as a flaming sword when you declare and decree My will. I am pouring out My Spirit, and those who will forsake all and align with Me will be astonished at what I do through them in this hour. My light always overcomes darkness, and you will be My bright and shining light. You will burn brightly in a dark world, and demons and evil spirits will flee before you. Do not fear, but rejoice because I go before you and I go behind you. I surround you with My presence and My shield. Nothing I call you to do shall be impossible for you to do, because My Holy Spirit leads you, guides you, teaches you, strengthens you, and empowers you. Forget what is behind you; choose to believe Me and trust Me and step into your future as a mighty man or woman of valor. Just as I called forth Gideon to tear down the altars of Baal in his land, so I call you forth this day to tear down the altars of Baal and the strongholds of Jezebel and Athaliah in your own land, for I have called you mighty in valor!”
Beloved sisters and brothers, let’s build ourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit more than we have ever prayed before. And then let’s go out and do exploits in the mighty name of Jesus! Let’s go out and bring the will of God, the way of God, and the glory of God to our nation! Let’s let God transform us from weenie to warrior!
“I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” ~ Jesus, Matt. 17:20.
Love, Hugs, and Blessings,
Syandra