The Spirit of Faith
Vince Lombardi, a great football coach who won many championships, would begin each season with the fundamentals. He would hold up the ball and say, "This is a football." Professional athletes who played for years would still start each season with the basics.
In the same way, I can imagine Jesus Christ beginning His faith lesson by pointing to a mountain or a seed and saying, "This is faith." We must not only learn but review the fundamentals of faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. Paul said, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." (2 Corinthians 13:5)
A good illustration of this is the story of Peter walking on the water. Matthew 14:25-33 tells the story of how Jesus was walking on the water toward the disciples in the middle of the night during a storm. The disciples cried out in fear. The first thing Jesus did was deal with their doubt, which was really fear. When you walk by sight, you are in doubt. He commanded them, "Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid!" (vs. 27- AMPC)
And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter came down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Matthew 14:28-32 (NKJV)
Why did you doubt? (Berk)
What made you hesitate? (20th C.l)
Why did you waver? (Wuest)
O little-faith, why were you in two minds? (Plain English)
Peter both succeeded and failed. What happened? Peter initially walked on the water at Jesus’ command. But then, he took his eyes off Jesus and shifted his focus to the wind and waves, and that’s when he began to sink. Every day, you must choose to walk by faith. Unbelief and doubt will determine if you walk or sink.
Jesus' classic faith lesson found in Mark 11:22-23 says, "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." The Lord told Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin, "You do believe, as far as you know." Then Jesus showed him that this scripture mentions the word say three times and believe only once. This shows the importance of the speaking part of faith. The authority of the believer is released by speaking.
In Mark 9, there was a father who brought his son to Jesus for deliverance. Jesus said to the father, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes..." Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:14-29) Jesus is always looking for faith and He wants to help your faith. This means you must get rid of doubt. Pray and say, "Forgive me for doubting. Lord, I believe. Help me get rid of doubt." Doubt and unbelief will hinder your faith. Jesus told Thomas to believe and not doubt. The Wuest translation says, "...call a halt to your progressive state of unbelief but become one who is believing." John 20:27
When you believe, anything is possible. If unbelief is curable, nothing is incurable. Every day, every minute, you have a choice to believe God. There are two kinds of unbelief: lack of knowledge and being unpersuaded to act on the Word. The good news is both are curable. The moment you act on the Word, God makes Himself responsible for your results. Faith requires action. How many would like to get out of the boat at least one time in your life? Lilian Yeomans said, "Sometimes a stretch of water must be walked on before you can get to Jesus for the miracle you need.”
This month we want to remind you to go back to the basics of faith.
- Get out of the boat. Jesus told Peter one word, "Come."
- Stop looking at the wind and waves. Get your eyes back on Jesus, upon the Word of God.
- Say, "Lord, save me!" Don't be quiet. Open your mouth. Let His power lift you.
- Finish your walk of faith. Walk on the water! Keep pressing for new territory. There's more God has for you. The enemy is not fighting where you are. He's fighting where you are going. Don't doubt, just shout, and God will work it all out!
This month to help strengthen your faith, we have two powerful books to offer you: Never Run At Your Giant With Your Mouth Shut and The Spirit of Faith. For your gift of $25 or more, we will send these to you. Read these books, feed your faith, and starve your doubts.
As you receive this letter, we are headed to Nigeria. Thank you for partnering with us in this missions outreach. The Word is growing mightily. We also want you to mark your calendars for Campmeeting, June 25 – 27, 2024. We expect to have a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit with all our anointed guest speakers and singers. Thank you for your partnership. We know that our God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
Mark and Trina