I live this life knowing that I have seen the glory of God. I have seen Him work miracles in me and my family over and over again. I’ve seen Him restore brokenness, and I have experienced Him breathe life into the areas of my life that I thought were dead. I write because He has done the unexplainable. He has left His mark on us; we are astonished, and so, my only response is to give Him glory. I share my past, my present, and my faith for the future, so that you might have hope that He will do the same for you. My prayer is that with ever word, you could feel His Spirit drawing near to you, because He is no respecter of persons. He loves you just has much as He loves me. And He has good things planned for you… regardless of your past, regardless of your present. If you are wondering whether He can do it for you, the answer is yes, if only you’ll allow Him to. He is a God of the impossible, and there is no mountain that He can’t move. He is able.
So maybe in all of this, you find yourself at a crossroad. You have heard stories of great faith, and you want that for yourself. You want God’s will for your life, but you aren’t sure where to start. You aren’t sure how to allow the power of God to transform your life. I have been there before, in the space where I wanted the blessings of God, but I didn’t know how to get there. But God showed me how. He showed me how to build my faith; He showed me how to believe Him; He showed me how to wait expectantly for His promises to manifest in my life, and through the grace of God, I want to share this with you.
God wants us to believe Him.
The thing we first have to understand is that God already has a plan for each one of us. Before we were even a thought, He knew us. He set us apart to walk in a specific purpose.
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1:5, 8 NLT)
This means that, contrary to what society tells us, we don’t have to carry the burden of figuring out what to do with our lives. If God already has a plan for us, we don’t need a plan, all we need is Him. He leads us; He guides us along the path that He has for us. Our job is to seek Him, and depend on Him. And as we do this, He shows us which path to take
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)
He has spoken life over us; He has written a beautiful love letter to each one of us, in His word. And in it, He has told us of His promises. He has told us that He will go before us and protect us. He has told us that He is our provider, healer, and restorer. He has told us that He is our deliverer. And all He wants is for us to believe Him.
Unbelief blocks the promises of God.
In the book of Numbers, we read about when God sought to take the Israelites into the promised land. He gave them instructions to first scout out the land, but the report of the majority of the scouts discouraged them. They felt like they had no chance of seeing a victory over the inhabitants of the land. But they were seeing the situation from the wrong perspective. They thought that it was all about them, when it was all about Him. This was an opportunity for God to show Himself strong in their lives, but they didn’t have the faith for it. Instead of trusting their Savior to fight for them, they shrunk back in fear; they decided that it would be better for them to be in bondage, than to believe for freedom and prosperity. And because of their unbelief, they missed out on the promise that God had for them. This was their crossroad. This was the point where they had to choose between their past and their future. They had to choose between going back to what they knew, or walking in faith towards the promises of God. And their choice, cost them everything. Just look at how God responded to their unbelief.
And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? (Numbers 14:11 NLT)
God said, “Will they never believe me…?” Because that’s all He required of them. He didn’t need their wisdom. He didn’t need their strength or effort. All He needed was their faith. If they would have done their part and believed, He would have done His part. He would have fought for them; He would have given them the victory, and they would have seen the promised land.
In the book of Matthew, we read about a time that Jesus went to visit His hometown. While He was there, He taught in the synagogue, as He did everywhere else. But their response was different, because they knew Him. This was where He grew up. They knew His brothers, sisters, and parents, so they belittled His anointing. They could not see that they were looking their Savior in the face, because He seemed familiar to them. And because they thought they knew who He was, they didn’t believe in Him. And their unbelief, disqualified them from receiving what He wanted to do in their lives.
And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:57-58 NLT)
Imagine Jesus, He was probably excited to go back home. He probably planned to heal and bless more people there than anywhere else, because these were people that He knew. But there was a problem; they did not believe. And so, they were unable to receive what He wanted to do in them. This, is what I want us to see. If we don’t have faith in God, we will miss out on the amazing plan that He has for us. We must believe that His word is true; we must trust that He has good things planned for our lives.
We have faith in God when we believe that His word is true.
Our belief in God is the fuel for our miracle. Remember, He already has the plan, He’s just waiting for us to believe Him for it. And when we believe Him for what He already has planned, He sees our faith, and He moves to work on our behalf. But maybe you are thinking to yourself… okay, I understand that I have to believe that God’s word is true, and I have to believe that He has good things planned for me, but how? How do I begin to believe? How can I practically begin to have faith, so that I can see the promises of God?
Believing in God starts in our minds, and it is proven through our actions. So if we are to have faith in God, and believe Him, we have to allow Him to renew our minds first… we have to allow Him to change the way that we think.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)
Our thoughts are the result of our environment. This is why this scripture says not to copy what we see in the world, instead, we should allow God to transform us. And how does God do this? By changing the way that we think. Our thoughts dictate every action that we take, so if we are to walk in faith, we need our thoughts to reflect faith.
If we want to build faith, we have to feed our minds faith.
And we feed our minds faith through reading God’s word. This is why the book of Romans says that faith comes through hearing the word of God.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 NKJV)
We have to take charge of what we allow to enter into our minds, because our faith is dependent on it. If we want faith, we have to feed ourselves the word of God as much as possible. We can do this by reading and listening to the word of God. We can do this by surrounding ourselves with other people known for their faith. We might not have anyone in our circle that has this quality, but we are surrounded by resources through media. We have to find what we need. Remember, these are our lives, and our promises, that are at stake. We are in control of what we allow to affect our faith in God. So as we seek His promises, it is imperative that we feed ourselves the word of God as much as possible.
There was a time when I had very little faith that my life could change. When I thought about everything in my life that was messed up, I often became overwhelmed by the amount of mountains that I needed God to move. I believed in God, I believed that He could do miracles, but I wasn’t sure that He would work a miracle in my life. And even if He wanted to, I wasn’t sure that I had enough faith to make it happen.
God has given us all a measure of faith.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3-8 NKJV)
In this passage, Paul is speaking to the church in Rome. He tells them that although they are all one body of Christ, each person has an individual part to play. He tells them that each of them has different gifts that contribute to the function of the entire body. And while Paul is writing for the purpose of encouraging them to exercise their spiritual gifts, I want us to pay close attention to His wording, because I believe that it relates to how God intends for us to use our faith. He tells the Romans that “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” He tells them that they should use their gifts, “according to the grace that is given to” them. And He tells them that if their gift is to prophesy, they should do so “in proportion to [their] faith.”
All of this tells me that God has given each of us all the faith that we need, to do what He is asking us to do. He has give us the specific measure of faith that we need to believe Him for what we need in each moment. You see, we don’t need faith for tomorrow, we only need faith for today. He will give us the faith that we need tomorrow, tomorrow.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV)
We don’t need enough faith for the entire journey of where God is taking us, we just need enough faith for where He has us now. As we trust Him, and believe Him today, He will give us another measure of faith for us to believe Him tomorrow. This is why in Romans, Paul said to do what God asks us to do in proportion to our faith. God isn’t asking us to use faith that we don’t have. He is asking us to trust Him enough to exercise the faith that we do have—to use the faith that He has already given us.
In the book of Matthew, we read about a time when the disciples were unable to cast out a demon. And when they asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out, He told them that it was because of their unbelief.
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your 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. (Matthew 17:19-20 NKJV)
Jesus told them that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for them. This passage is interesting to me. Jesus equates the faith needed to move something enormous, with something as small as a mustard seed. Jesus tells them that it’s not the size of their faith that matters, it’s what they do with the faith that they have that matters.
God doesn’t care about the size of your faith. He just wants you to use it.
If God has given you a measure of faith, don’t judge it. Don’t tell yourself that you don’t have enough faith to believe God for your miracle. He has given you exactly what you need for what He’s called you to do. He has given you the tools that you need to trust Him. He will never ask you to do something that He has not equipped you for. So trust what He has put inside of you. Don’t hold on to your faith, use it. Whether that means you believe Him for the peace that you need today. Or maybe you need the faith to wait on Him, today. Whatever it is, even the smallest of needs that you have, believe Him for it. Ask for His help, and trust that He will come to your aid. His Spirit lives inside of you, this is His job—to comfort you, to strengthen you, to encourage you. If you are feeling weak, and you don’t know how to believe, ask to Holy Spirit for help, and He will show you how.
But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] (John 14:26-27 AMP)
Your seed of faith will grow as you use it.
It’s interesting that Jesus compared the faith that we need to something as small as a mustard seed. But when we think deeper into this concept, we have to understand that seeds are never meant to remain the same. Whomever plants a seed, intends to see it grow into something so much greater. As I continued to study Jesus’s use of the mustard seed, I came across another scripture.
Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32 NKJV)
When I read this scripture, I felt like the Spirit of God was showing me what happens as we use our faith. He is the sower; He is the one that gives us the measure of faith that we need. And although it is almost too small to be noticed initially, His hope if for it to grow into something so large, that other people will be able to find rest under its shade.
God plants the seed; it is our job to water it.
There was a time when my faith was so small, that I didn’t just struggle from day to day, I struggled from moment to moment. And instead of thinking in faith, I thought about all the things that could go wrong. I thought about the fact that it was much more probable for things to get worse, than for them to get better. But even still, I knew the promises that God had given me, and I was determined to have faith in Him. So what did I do? I surrounded myself by faith. I read the bible, listen to worship music, and listened to speakers that were known for their great faith. But for me, this was not enough. I needed to be reminded of His word when I woke up in the morning, so that I would have no choice but to wake up to His promises. I began to post scriptures on the walls of my home, and I began to post reminders of what I was believing God for. I did whatever I needed to do to water the faith that He had placed in me. And over time, that faith grew. As I trusted Him in the small things, and as I saw His faithfulness, I gained the confidence that He would continue to be faithful in the future.
Obedience proves our faith.
When we obey God, we are proving to Him that we trust Him, and that we believe that what He says is true. Remember, He gives us the promise, and He is ultimately the one that delivers the promise into our hands. It is only through His strength that we can do anything at all. But, He only does His part, when we do our part. In the case of the Israelites, He asked them to scout out the promised land, so that they could prepare themselves to enter into it, but once they were faced with the giants of the land, they shrunk back in fear. They decided that they would rather return to bondage, than to obey and walk towards their promise. This was the decision that prevented them from seeing the land that was promised to their ancestors. And when God saw their unbelief, He said, “Will they never believe me?” He didn’t just want them to make it up in their minds that He was their God and that they trusted Him; He wanted them to submit completely to His plan… instead of leaning on their own understanding.
He does the hard part. He parts the seas; He fights the giants; He does the multiplying. And all He asks is for us to believe Him. He just wants us to allow Him to do what He desires to do for us. He holds the promise; He has the plan; but will we believe Him enough to walk in it? Will we trust Him enough to water the seed of faith that He has planted inside of us?
He’s not requiring anything from you that you don’t have. If you only have faith enough for a moment, than use that moment of faith. And if you feel like you don’t have any at all, ask the Holy Spirit for help; He is here for you. Ask Him to breathe the breath of peace over your heart and mind. Ask Him to give you the strength and the confident to walk according to His word. He is with you. He will enable you. And as you use what He’s given you, He will give you a little more, and a little more. And before you know it, you will have a living faith that others can rest under. That is His desire for you. He doesn’t want you to just have faith for your life; He want you to have faith that overflows into other people’s life. His plan is for you to walk in the fruit of His Spirit.… for you to live this life overflowing with His presence. That may not be where you are right now. But if you follow Him, that is where He desires to take you. And remember that He will do the heavy lifting; He will fight for you. He just want you to believe Him for it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, your word says that you knew me before I was ever in my mother’s womb, and that before I ever existed, you had a plan for my life. And I praised you because, according to your word, you’ve promised to go before me; you’ve promised to fight for me, and you’ve promised to provide for me and to give me all that I need along the way. You aren’t requiring my strength, and wisdom. All you require is for me to believe you, and to trust you enough to follow your lead. And I know that you’ll never require anything of me that you have not already placed inside of me. I believe that you have given me the measure of faith that I need for today. And I trust that as I use the faith that I have, and water the seed that you have planted inside of me, that my faith will grow into a tree that will inspire others. I trust your plan, and I trust your process. And on the days that it is hard for me to believe, I pray that you would send your Spirit to lift me up, and to remind me that you are beyond able to move every mountain in my life. I praise you in advanced for the victory. I love you. In Jesus name, amen.
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