WHAT IS FAITH
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Faith is confidence in God’s promises. It is a strong persuasion that God will fulfill everything He has promised.
The Life we live is a life of faith. It is a life of absolute trust and dependence on God. Faith is the pillar of Christian living.
This is why Satan is desperately after the faith of believers. The reason he stirs men against them is not mainly because he hates them. He would never have disturbed them that much if they were in the world.
Satan is after you, because of your faith in God. Everything he does against you, is done to cripple your faith. Because once your faith has been crippled, Satan finds it easy to dominate your life.
Churches were locked up, and many believe it is because of the Pandemic. The question is,
Ever since the churches got locked up, has the pandemic’s mortalities increased or reduced?
Whether we accept it or not, it doesn’t deny the fact that the locking up of Churches is part of Satan’s attempt to weaken the faith of believers.
Because our Faith is strengthened when we gather as a Body in fellowship.
But there’s little we can do to get our churches opened back in times like this, other than to pray.
So how does one build up his faith. How does one stay strong even when there is no reason to be strong.
How does one keep living, when everyone he’s ever loved, are dying?
1. THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR FAITH FEED
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”
God’s word is the feed of faith. God’s Word feeds our faith. It strengthens it and makes it to blossom.
HOW TO STUDY THE WORD
A. Study the lives of those who have been in similar conditions as you are. Are you facing persecution for your faith? Are you living a place where Christianity is banned, and the punishment for bring a Christian is torture or death?
There are people in the Bible days who experienced the same thing.
People like James, who was killed by Herod.
People like Peter, who was arrested and thrown in jail for the Gospel.
Stephen, who was stoned to death for preaching the Gospel.
Or shall I speak of Paul, who suffered from several assassination attempts because of his resolve to preach the Gospel.
The Book of Acts is full of stories about the travails of the Early Church. Create time to read it; it will bless you beyond doubt.
If your faith isn’t wavering because of persecution, but because of the harsh conditions and circumstances of life. The Life of David and that of Joseph is worth reading.
Joseph – Genesis 35 down to the end
David – 1 Samuel – 1 Chronicles
No matter the situation you find yourself in, God’s word has something to say about it. Spend time digging it up.
B. LISTEN TO SERMONS
God speaks faith to us through His Prophets.
1 Thessalonians 2:13: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
The Word of God that we receive from genuine men of God, has a way of working faith into our spirits. When you’re depressed, confused, not knowing what to do, instead of listening to the complaints of your mind and emotions, listening to the word of faith from your pastor.
But, be careful the kind of Pastors you listen to. The Bible instructs us to, ‘Test all spirits’.
The true word of God will make you love God more. It will boost your faith and make you cling unto God. It will instruct you and guide you in the path of light.
Only Pastors whose teaching can work this into your spirit should be given ears to.
2. SATURATE YOUR ATMOSPHERE WITH GODLY AND INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC
Music is one of the greatest gifts of God to man. Good music has a way of lifting the heavy burdens of grief away from our souls.
Good Music puts our thoughts and our emotions in order. It is like a good mistress, that massages our turbulent emotional storms into tranquility.
Good Music helps, Godly music helps better. Godly music doesn’t just soothe our soul, it edifies our spirit.
Godly music is like the balm of Gilead that heals the broken hearted. When your faith is weakening, and you’re falling into despair, saturate your Atmosphere with songs of praise and worship to God.
This was David’s secret to surviving the greatest of his challenges.
He had a lifestyle of singing Melody to the Lord. He strengthened himself through his songs.
Act 16:25: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
Paul and Silas were beaten severely for casting a demon out of a slave girl.
Have you ever been tortured for doing the right thing? Have you ever been persecuted just because the right thing you did negatively affected other people?
Paul and Silas were in such condition. They were not just beaten, they were thrown into a dark prison and held bound by chains and painful cuffs.
Imagine Paul and Silas, two educated preachers of the Gospel, in the prison, with criminals.
Picture the blood flowing from their lips, the stripes on their bodies and the swelling on their legs.
Yet, in the midst of these, at the midnight, they lifted up their voice and sang unto the Lord.
They had the option to complain and wail faithlessly. But they heard songs in their spirit, and they released these songs of praise to the Lord.
When you are the depressed, and weak in faith, that is the time to praise God more. That’s the time to play songs of worship and sing along with them.
Because Praise exalts God above our condition. The Psalmist called it, ‘Magnifying the Lord’.
Praise makes us see the light in the tunnel. And nothing strengthens faith than seeing God in the midst of darkness.
3. AVOID THE VOICE OF UNBELIEF
1 Kings 18:41: “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
1 Kings 18:42: “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,”
1 Kings 18:43: “and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea. So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
What befuddles me in the aforementioned text, is that when Elijah told Ahab that there was the sound of rain (Verse 41), there was no evidence of rain anywhere.
Normally, it is the downpour of the rain that causes the sound. But in this text, Elijah was hearing the sound, even before there was any evidence of rain.
This is what Faith is all about. In the midst of the drought, famine and hunger, he heard in his spirit, that it was about to rain.
He sensed it in his spirit.
He sent his servant to check the clouds for any sign of rain, while he prayed.
But his servant checked six times and saw nothing.
Sometimes, your can be in a situation where your spirit is bubbling even when there is complaining all around you.
God’s word in you at that moment, could be rising up to keep you strong, that something better is coming.
But when you talk to your neighbors or even church members, their statement almost renders you hopeless.
Like Elijah, you heard the sound of the rain in your spirit,
You heard God’s word in your spirit, that you will not be struck by the plague.
But no other person could feel what you felt in your spirit.
Every other person claims there is no sign of hope.
The clouds are empty,
as well as our stomachs,
And our bank accounts
They wail.
In conditions like this, be like Elijah. Choose not to let listen to the voice of people when it is contrary to the voice of your spirit.
Those things only cripple your faith. Know how to look into your spirit and hold unto what the voice of the Lord is speaking to you.
KOINONIA ART 