And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
Every sickness, every disease, every healing that took place was done by faith. Watching and listening to all of the Covid19 news and stories, you see many living in fear, many with doubts, and many feeding those doubts and fears. This virus is serious, as is any other sickness and disease and we need to take it seriously as it is causing death, anxiety, destroying lives, and stealing our resources and economy. Personally, it sickens me when I hear of death and sickness no matter what it is. It reminds me how precious life is, why we are here and why Jesus Christ came to the earth. Jesus came that we may have life and life more abundantly and that we would not have a spirit of fear, but of love, peace and sound mind. I see many extending hands of love through giving and stepping up offering helpful advice, a helping hand, a glimpse of hope. I applaud all those that are helping and loving people in this time, doing all that they can, especially those that are on the front lines, in the hospitals and putting their lives at risk to help others. The scripture states “13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
We as believers need to combat this spirit of fear and this evil virus that was sent to steal, kill and destroy with the weapons of our warfare. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this world. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the most powerful weapon we have. It allows us to do things that only our Heavenly Father could do, that He sent Jesus do, and was passed onto us. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Without faith in Christ we have nothing, it is by His example and believing in Him that His power has been passed to us. He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us. ”However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
Our faith is what changes things, the words we speak into the atmosphere create the atmosphere that we live in. We allow the loudest voices to speak into the atmosphere; negativity, fear and things that are against our Father’s will. Christians should be the loudest voice, the biggest voice, the voice of truth, speaking His kingdom and His will into the atmosphere; life, love, healing, protection, peace, righteousness, faith, and most importantly Jesus Christ. Each one of us has our own part to play. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” But we are all to have faith. “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” And without faith it is impossible to please God. By faith the dead are raised, by faith the blind see, by faith the lame walk, by faith we have eternal life, by faith demons are cast out, by faith sickness and disease are healed, by faith mountains can be removed; but this can only be done by prayer and fasting.
We as believer’s need to start exercising our faith more, we need to come to a unity in our faith that we are not sending mixed messages to the world, where some believe this mountain can be cast out to the sea and others that we must go up and over the mountain enduring all of the evil that is thrown at us. Understanding that all are at different places in our faith. We have to reach higher and challenge ourselves in our faith to do things that are outside of our comfort zone. Like anything that we learn, without challenging ourselves to go to the next level we become stagnant, unable to accomplish a task if we don’t reach for the goal. The struggles that we face in our faith His word can overcome. Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God. You are tested at times and those tests don’t require physical action to overcome but spiritual. If we seek first the kingdom of God the rest will be given. We need to show our faith by our works. We do things as the Spirit guides us, no matter how difficult they may seem. We know that this is what God wants us to do. If we believe something then we need to act on it. If we believe in His power, we need to act as if we truly do and not side step until we get through. It’s time for us to put our faith to our works and let Him lead us to the Kingdom, here on earth just as it is in Heaven.
Here are just some scriptures that I pulled on faith and how Jesus responds to those with and without. It is interesting how all of the miracles that happened, happened by faith. And things that did not happen, though they should have, did not because of lack of faith. We can, let me rephrase, we need to apply this to our everyday life. The past is in the past and we cannot change that but we can learn from where we went wrong, where we strayed, where we fell short. Give it to Jesus and move forward, changed by His grace and glory.
Let’s pray!
Father, all praise and glory to you, we give ourselves to you. I know that I have fallen short and have much room to grow but your grace abounds and you are with me. You will never leave me or forsake me. Forgive me where I have fallen short and increase my faith to remove this mountain in front of me. Lord test my faith, strengthen my faith and lead me to the secret place of the Most High. Help me to see what I thought was a challenge, to be a testimony of faith as I move to the other side, the promised land! You are a faithful God, a jealous God, that desires me and loves me. Release your Spirit into my heart as I read your word and seek your face to see You and understand You the way You want me to. I open my heart to you, increase my faith, increase my love and help me to walk as You walk, speak as You speak, and see how You see! In the mighty name of Jesus, amen!
Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened.
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
He saw her. He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [a]unbelief; for assuredly, 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. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Luke 18:7-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.
Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
“The just shall live by faith.”
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
