Faith – Is A Gift – or is it?
Is faith a gift given to only a chosen few by Almighty God? Or is it freely given to anyone who wants it? In this podcast, we explore the faith and the hope that it brings.
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Hebrews 11:1 states:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Do you believe in God? In Jesus Christ? In the Holy Spirit? Do you believe the words in the Bible are true? All of them? Do you believe that when God says something it will happen? Do you believe in miracles? In everlasting life? In heaven? In Hell? Do you trust in the Lord? Do you believe, by faith that you can entrust yourself to God? That He will be there for you?
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Faith Takes Work
If you answered these with yes – then, you have the gift of faith. This is a gift of believing without seeing. Even those who were witness to the miracles that Jesus performed during His life on earth turned their back on Him in His hour of need. Faith takes work!
The gift of faith is very tightly connected to prayer. God is a gentleman, He doesn’t force things upon us, He has given us free will. If we ask for faith in prayer, He will grant it. Matthew 21:21-22
Is faith a spiritual gift or is it a gift called “saving faith,” that is a profession of faith we say when we accept the Lord into our lives? (Ephesians 2:8-9). The answer to both is yes they are gifts, and they are freely given but not all accept them from the Lord.
Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but who receives it? If you read all of 1 Corinthians 12 it explains the gifts of the Spirit. We have the capacity to have all of the gifts, but do we want them? Spiritual gifts are given to Christians who will use it to help others, the “body of Christ.” If you look at Hebrews 11 it shows “Faith in Action.” “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” And, so it continues on in verse 5… “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
God will give you faith!
So, there is your answer, if you earnestly seek God he will give you faith, and with faith, you can do so much – you can please God and you can do things through God’s grace and blessings.
Faith includes trust, a trust that what the Lord teaches, through the faith handed down to us through the years as well as the words in the Holy Bible, are true. Do we believe all that the Lord, Jesus taught us when He walked to the earth? Faith comes with a demonstration of this amazing gift. It is accompanied by works. Not so that we can boast as the Scriptures say, but so that we can thank the Lord for all that he has done in our lives.
One of my favorite verses is Matthew 17:20 “He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Faith takes trust
Faith takes trust, and trust takes work. It takes relationship. It includes honor!
Read all of Hebrews 11 – it is an amazing testament to the faith that was given in abundance to those who then served the Lord. As a gift of the Holy Spirit faith is powerful. It brings with it an extraordinary hope of the promises, the power and the blessings and grace that come to those who serve the Lord according to His will. Faith allows people who are ordinary in every way to lead an extraordinary life. Without faith, these ordinary people, such as Noah could not have completed the amazing task set out before him.
God gives all Christians saving faith – that is salvation, but the additional gift, the spiritual gift of faith will allow us to walk on a path that is closer to God and in essence, will help us to find His will for our lives. We can pray for others and expect answered prayer. We can pray for healing and expect miracles. Who wouldn’t want this? I know I do!
Is the Holy Spirit prompting you to reach out to someone in need? To pray for them or to intercede? Sometimes someone comes to mind out of the blue, and we think about them. When this happens, pray for them there may be a reason the Lord is asking you to do this, however, step out in faith and do it! If the Lord asks something of you and you do not feel you have enough faith to deal with it, ask the Holy Spirit for more faith! He will grant it.
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