There has been so much teaching on faith over the years that most of us are convinced that faith is so profound and so elusive, who can possibly have it. I will attempt here to simplify what I believe faith is.
Faith to Part the Red Sea
When God parted the Red Sea, did Moses have faith? Did Moses just decide, I will have faith to part this sea and then command it? Moses had faith that God would deliver Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, but he did not have any idea how God would perform the deliverance. But God had an idea and He said to Moses, “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:16) Moses obeyed and it was done for him. Moses obeyed and it was called faith. Abraham obeyed God and went to sacrifice his son Isaac and God called it faith. Abraham was a man of faith because he obeyed God.
Our Idea of Faith
We have this strange understanding of faith that we have not got it if we decide to pray for someone and they don’t get healed. But faith always comes from obedience. Jesus could only do what He saw the Father doing. “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19) When at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus saw God go up to one cripple only, so Jesus obeyed and said, “Be healed.” By faith Jesus healed one man. He didn’t heal the rest of the cripples at the pool because He was obedient to only do what He saw the Father doing. Jesus could hear the Lord God tell Him, “Heal that man,” and by His obedience He had faith and He was healed.
Our Own Power to Believe?
The problem today with our faith is one, we think it has to do with our own power to believe, and two, we are not tuned into God enough to only do what we see the Father doing. If we could hear God’s voice clearly and if He said to you by way of revelation, “Tell that mountain to throw itself into the sea,” and you obeyed, you would only need the faith of a mustard seed to see it done at your word. Just like Moses who obeyed God at the Red Sea, the mountain would be lifted up just the same. We will have faith to move mountains when we spend enough time in the presence of God and form a trust relationship with Him.
Faith and Prayer Go Hand in Hand
I wrote the following to do with faith in my book, God’s Heart Cry for Revival,
A man or woman mighty in prayer is a man or woman of great faith. Faith and prayer go hand in hand. You simply cannot pray and believe for anything without faith. On the other hand, if you want faith, you should start praying and believing. You cannot pray without faith, and you cannot have faith without prayer. You exercise faith in prayer. EM Bounds said, “In the ultimate issue, prayer is simply faith… Moreover: when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live… Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world, only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God… Faith is kept alive by prayer.”
In Christ
Robert Cartledge
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