TRUE FAITH
“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5 NKJV)
Heresy is not always a complete lie but mostly a mixture of truth and lie.
Apostle John admonishes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 NKJV).
Apostle Paul also admonishes, “Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thess. 5:20-21 NKJV).
There are many heretical teachings spreading like wild fire across the churches today. One of such teachings is presenting faith as a mere presumption, a wishful thinking, as the almighty force that can compel God to act, or the almighty formula for solving any life’s problem.
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The concept of faith as the “almighty force” that can move, motivate, compel, or manipulate God to give or do anything you wish or want is absurd and unbiblical.
Many believers today are frustrated and depressed in a bid to use their faith to compel, persuade, manipulate, or control God to grant their wishes, desires, prayers, or to carry out their commands.
If your idea or notion of faith is a sort of “almighty formula” (name it, claim it, and have it), then you are completely ignorant of the true and biblical faith and how it works, and you are setting up yourself for a real frustration and disappointment in your Christian life.
A proper spiritual understanding of faith and how it works is very crucial to Christian life, for a call to be a Christian is essentially a call to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).
The Christian life, race or journey starts by faith in the provision of God’s grace and only by faith in God’s grace can it be successfully finished or completed (Eph. 2:8, Col. 2:6).
It is impossible to live a victorious, overcoming, triumphant, or prosperous life in this evil world without a true and living faith in God (1 John 5:4-5).
Moreover, the Scripture warns that whatever does not proceed from faith is a sin in the sight of God (Rom. 14:23). So, any believer who is not living and walking by faith is simply living and walking in sin.
It takes a true, living and dynamic faith, not a mere wishful thinking, to walk daily, consistently and progressively with God (Gen. 5:24).
The Scripture bears witness to Enoch’s walk of faith with God, saying, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Heb. 11:5 NKJV).
It is a life of faith in the finished work of Christ that pleases God!
Without a living and dynamic faith, you cannot appropriate, possess or enjoy in this world all your inheritance or blessing in Christ (Rom. 5:2). It is therefore very crucial for you as a believer to understand what true, living and dynamic biblical faith is and how it works.
Contrary to the popular but false and unscriptural teachings about faith in the Church today, faith is not seeing what is not real, it is not speaking what is not true, and it is not seeking, claim or possess what does not exist.
True faith is not seeking or striving to motivate, compel, manipulate, persuade or impress God by your protracted fasting and prayer, good works or performance to promise you what He has not promised you before in His Word, or to give you what He has not given you before in Christ, or to do for you what He has not done for you before in and through Christ Jesus.
Rather, true, living and dynamic biblical faith is simply appropriating, receiving, and possessing what God has already given to you in Christ and done for you through Christ.
True faith is not striving or seeking to move God by any means; rather, it is you moving to say what God has already said about you and your situation, and to receive what God has already given to you in Christ and done for you through Christ.
True faith is not laboring through fasting, corporate prayer, prayer of agreement, tithing, offering or sowing all kinds of “prophetic seeds” to appease God as though He is angry, or to motivate God as though He is slothful or reluctant to save, heal, deliver and bless His children, or to perform miracles.
When you say, give or do anything with the intent or motive to appease, persuade, motivate, compel or manipulate God to give you something or do something for you; you are no longer operating in true faith in the finished work of Christ, but in your imperfect works (Gal. 5:1-4).
Sadly, many preachers today are constantly calling undiscerning believers to move or motivate God to act according to their wishes or desires by giving some generous offerings, by praying or fasting for some days in certain ways or at certain sacred places.
True and biblical faith is not trying to motivate or persuade God to respond promptly and positively to you by any good works. Rather, it is you responding promptly and positively to God – to what God has already said, given, and done for you in Christ and through Christ.
True faith is your positive response to God’s Word!
It is your positive response to the finished work of Jesus Christ for your salvation, healing, deliverance, victory, fruitfulness, success, breakthrough, or prosperity in life.
You are not operating in the true and biblical faith when you are still seeking to appease, impress, persuade or motivate God by your self-righteousness, performance, or good works to bless, heal, deliver, or prosper you.
Seeking to motivate God to bless you by your performance or good works apparently shows that you don’t believe God’s Word that He has already blessed you with everything in Christ through the finished work of Christ (1 Cor. 3:21-23, Eph. 1:3, 2 Pet. 1:3).
If you truly believe that you have been healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ, you will not be begging or imploring God to heal you again.
Rather, you will be confessing that you were already healed by the stripes of Jesus and then begin to act as one who has been healed until your healing manifests fully in your body or in the physical realm.
Faith does not push, force or motivate God to do anything for you that He has not already done by grace.
Faith simply takes hold of, receives, and appropriates what God by grace has already done, given or provided for you in Christ and through Christ.
God’s grace has made salvation and all its benefits available for free to all men. There is absolutely nothing good that Christ’s atoning sacrifice or finished work of redemption has not provided and made available to all men.
The Scripture amply states and affirms this truth.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” (2 Pet. 1:3 RSV).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 1:3 RSV).
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32 NKJV).
“Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come–all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Cor. 3:21-23 NKJV).
Faith is you believing the truths of God’s Word and speaking and acting according to the truths. Faith is you seeing and receiving what God has already given in Christ and done for you through the finished work of Christ.
Faith is not you seeking to push, motivate, compel or force God by any means to give or do anything for you on the account of your self-righteousness or holiness; rather, it is you believing that God has already given you everything on the account of the finished work of Christ.
Faith is you believing in, confessing, and acting upon spiritual realities in God’s Word and then waiting patiently but confidently for their manifestations in the physical or natural realm (2 Cor. 4:13).
Beloved, if you have the true and living faith, you will rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and continue steadfastly in prayer, giving glory to God “and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Rom. 4:21 NKJV).
But how does true faith operate?
Find out in the next piece!
Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for opening my eyes of understanding to what true, living and dynamic faith is. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me to live and walk daily by the true and biblical faith, in Jesus’ name. Amen.