Here is a question: Are you becoming what you believe your life ought to be? So many of us dream of a better life for ourselves, but somehow it seems to elude us. In Matthew 9:27-29, we can learn a lesson about pursuing life's aspirations from two blind men who received from Jesus what they were pursuing. The Scripture says they followed him, they cried out to him, and they asked something of him. Jesus asked the blind men if they believed. They said, "Yes Lord..." and Jesus responded by saying "According to your faith, let it be to you." Verse 29 in the Message Bible expresses it this way: "He touched their eyes and said, "Become what you believe."
Reme mber:
Believing is the acknowledgement that something is true.
Believing positions us to act. When Jesus said, "According to your faith..." he was referring to their persistence at crying out, speaking out, and following Him. They were rewarded for their belief and the corresponding action of their faith. Their faith demonstrated practical steps of what they believed and what they believed is what they became. We really do become what we believe, if what we believe is true.
Faith activates our belief. We need growing faith to face life's challenges.
Today we will look at "How to Grow in our Faith."
Your pastor and life coach,
Remember: Spiritual Success begins on Sunday Morning!
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If we want our life to be better, we have to grow beyond our current mindset. We can't go to a higher level of life if we don't increase. According to Romans 12:3, God has given us the measure of faith and He intends for us to grow that measure to the level where we want to live our lives. We cannot live on a higher level of faith if we never exercise the measure that was first given to us by God. The problems we are facing today cannot be solved at the same level of yesterday's measure of faith.
STAY IN THE WILDERNESS OR GROW IN THE PROMISED-LAND:
The children of Israel had faith to leave Egypt based on God's word through Moses. They lived on miracles in the wilderness, but when they arrived at the promised-land their faith had not developed to the level to possess it. God required them to grow in their faith, but they became dependent on miracles and they didn't grow. As we grow, we become more responsible, because growth requires more responsibility.
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The scriptures reveal the following development of levels of faith.
1. Little faith
2. Growing faith
3. Strong faith
4. Great faith
It takes time to develop great faith, because anything of value takes time to mature and grow. In Luke 17:5-6, Jesus taught the disciples the principle of forgiveness. The disciples knew that, to put this into practice, they needed a degree of faith that they did not yet possess to live out this principle. They responded by saying, "Lord, increase our faith." They were asking Jesus to do something for them that was supposed to be their responsibility.
It is our responsibility to develop and increase the level of our faith.
Jesus said to them, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea' and it would obey you."
FAITH HAS A COMMANDING VOICE. Jesus used a tree to illustrate this because there are things in our lives that we can get rid of only by going to the root of the problem and speaking to it by faith. This can be the best way to overcome problems we have learned to live with.
FIRST MENTION OF GOD: God is first mentioned in Genesis 1 as a speaking God. Twelve times we find where it says "and God said..." Faith functions best when faith-filled words are spoken.
Hebrews 11:3 says,"By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible." (Amplified Bible)
Your faith will increase when you learn the language of faith. In fact, your mouth is the "launching pad" for what's happening in your life.
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Did you know that thoughts can die unborn if they are never spoken? In Matthew 12:36, Jesus makes reference to "idle words." These are words that are non-productive. When our words are contrary to the word of God, they are idle words. "For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned." According to James 3:6, our words are a creative force that set things in motion in our lives.
DECREE AND DECLARE WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE. Romans 10:8-10 refers to the word of faith, believing and confession. We can have faith for every area of our lives. We simply apply the same principle found in this scripture. "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
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