Greetings everyone and welcome to today’s edition of …
Learn & Grow with Jesus Every Day
Today’s Topic is: Faith
Date: Friday, April 9, 2021
Bible Reading: Luke 17: 5-6 NIV
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:5-6 NIV
Discussion Question: Is your faith tried and true?
The very first step to authentic faith is to BELIEVE IN GOD. But that is not enough, even the demons believe—and tremble! The second step is to BELIEVE GOD. It is one thing to believe in God and a totally different thing to believe God. The bible says that Abraham BELIEVED the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 NIV.
To believe in something doesn't take much effort or involve much personal risk. However, to believe something connotes much riskier investment of your trust, reliability, confidence, assurance, conviction, hope, and the earnest expectation that you will not be disappointed.
When I say I believe you, it means that I am staking my destiny, my trust, and my confidence on your integrity, and risking my everything with an assurance based on your track record of faithfulness and consistency in honoring and delivering on your commitments, that you will come through for me.
Faith is like a two-party contract. In the contract are terms and conditions, with roles, responsibilities, and obligations for each party to the contract. Prior to your signing the contract, you thoroughly review the contract with your counsel to ensure that you understand what your contractual obligations are, and that you are well able to deliver on those obligations within the time period agreed to on the contract. Once you are done with your review of the contract and agree to the terms and conditions of the contract, you append your signature to the contract as evidential proof that you and/or your legal counsel have done your due diligence and exercised due care in reviewing the contract and that you accept the contract in its entirety, and have explicitly agreed to be bound to the language, spirit, and letter of the contract. Upon signing of the contract by all parties to the contract, the contract is said to be ratified and in full force and effect. No further negotiations will be entertained without the consent of the parties to the contract and an amendment to the contract. Any deviation from the agreed terms and conditions is considered a legally enforceable breach of contract.
Faith is much like a contract between you and God. You and God have roles, responsibilities, and obligations to the contract. You fulfill your contractual obligations and play your role as stipulated in the contract and God does the same. Problem arises when you either shift your own obligations to God or shelve them entirely, relying or hoping on God to do everything for you. That is simply gross negligence of duty, complacency, and breach of contract.
Every blessing of God has a condition attached to it. Most of those conditions demand our obedience, diligence, and faithfulness to the Word of God. Many of us do not take the time to read, and understand God's expectations of us, and the obligations we must meet to fulfill those conditions, but are rather quick to claim the blessings, and if it doesn't come to pass, we blame God. We must be intentional about reading and understanding the context and conditions attached to God's blessings and promises; and we must be ready to come to full compliance with those instructions or conditions so that we can reap and enjoy the full benefits. God is ever faithful and never ever fails.
Faith without good works is dead. Your good works compliments and completes your faith. If you fail to identify and understand your role, responsibilities, and obligations on your journey of faith, you will be doomed to fail.
Faith is predicated on a personal relationship with God that drives us to seek His help, through prayer, through His Word, and through obedience. The greatest tragedy of faith is faith predicated or based on misinformation or falsehood. You can believe rightly and you can also believe wrongly. If your faith is based on incorrect information, you will weary yourself out vainly in very painful disappointments, frustrations, bitterness, and pursuits.
The greatest wrecker of faith is ignorance or lack of knowledge. When you lack basic knowledge of God, His ways, and principles, your Christian journey will be laden with vinegar and deep animosity towards God and man.
The bible is abundantly clear...Those who KNOW THEIR GOD shall be strong and they shall do great exploits. If you don't make that critical investment in intentionally pursuing the knowledge of God through the study of His Word, you can be sure your faith would be like the outcome of the blind leading the blind.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The word of God gives light that dispels every darkness and ignorance. The word of God illuminates and enlightens your mind and understanding. The word of God sanctifies and purifies your spirit. Your faith is empowered and effective when your convictions, actions, declarations, and confessions are anchored on His word.
God graciously gives us all a measure of faith even without us asking, but God will not increase our faith. The only way to increase your faith is to use it. Much like how you increase your muscle mass and strength through strenuous workouts in the gym, the capacity, effectiveness, and efficacy of your faith only increase as often as you wear it into battlefields, into uncharted territories, and paths unknown. The more faith you use, the more faith you will have, and the more scars you might get in the process.
Much like the sharp edges of mountain rocks give mountain climbers scars as badges of honor, so does faith. Faith has sharp edges too, and more often than not, will cut through your fears, doubts, anxieties, and mistrust as you patiently walk through the fire to your breakthrough.
Apply yourself to God's word and wear your faith into battle and watch God deliver the victory to you.
Stay uplifted in Christ always and live cheerfully every day.
Leader Chinedu Nicholas Obodo for Exolom Fellowship, Maryland, USA. Find us at exolom.com