Believing and Faith
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17
If we truly have faith we must believe and be fully persuaded that every word in scripture is true. We experience our belief through faith, therefore faith depends on believing and faith is needed to enhance belief. This is spiritual growth that enables faith to fill our hearts, minds, and souls.
Faith in God is knowing that our prayers bring glory to God, and believing that his promises answer our prayers. As soon as we give a prayer to the Lord, we can believe at that moment that God will answer. We continue to pray knowing that our prayer is in his hands and that we have no need to worry. We believe and depend on God to answer our prayers according to his divine understanding and not to limit our prayers to our own understanding. This is faith that trusts God’s divine will over our own will. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5).
God’s promises take root in our lives because we believe. The more faith we exhibit in our lives, the more we believe God’s truth, which leads us to having more faith. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). The Lord is molding us to have the mind of Christ which means our hearts will continue to trust the Lord as our belief increases. In his book titled “12 Principles to Make Your Life Extraordinary,” E.W. Jackson states: “It is knowing in a deep way that what you believe will happen, has in fact already happened, such that your entire being responds before there is any physical confirmation.” This is spiritual growth as our belief and faith interact with each other, which increases both.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16). For our prayers to be powerful and effective, it is necessary to be a righteous person; this means that we are serving the Lord and reflecting Christ to others through kindness and a caring heart. This pleases God because it shows that we trust the Lord enough to follow the Spirit instead of just worrying about our prayers being answered. Serving the Lord and trusting him to answer our prayers shows we know him and his love.
Today believe God’s promises and demonstrate that belief by your faith. Pray for belief and faith to grow in your heart. Seek to know the Lord and his ways because the closer we are to the Lord the more Christ-like we become. Reflect his love to everyone because the more love that is in our hearts, the more faith we will have.
Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to believe and to walk in faith. Draw me closer to you so that belief and faith will continue to grow in my heart. Continue to mold me to be more Christ-like as I keep my thoughts on you. In Jesus name, Amen.