Happy new month everyone! I pray this month is filled with many blessings from God to you in Jesus name.

For the past weeks, every article on this blog has made mention of the word faith. Even in church gatherings, from audio messages and the likes, the word faith is always reoccurring. Maybe you’re thinking ‘what is it about faith?’ ‘what do I gain from having faith?’ well, you’re about to find out the answer. The bible says faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). That is, to be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Martin Luther King Jnr said “faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase”. Faith is so important in Christianity because it is the base of our belief. It takes faith to even believe that the God we don’t see made all things which we see.

You cannot please God without faith…the bible lets us know that. 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…Hebrews 1:6 NIV. This is because to serve God takes faith. We cannot see God’s face when we render a service to Him, it is our faith that convinces us that He is pleased with us. We cannot see Him in our midst during praise sessions but by faith, we believe He receives our praises…if it has been done in spirit and in truth. Also, not having faith a.k.a unbelief is equal to not trusting God. The foundation of every relationship is trust. Many different types of relationship exist and not one of them survives without trust. So also, a person’s relationship with God cannot survive in the absence of trust. He wants you to trust Him, to believe in Him, have faith in Him when He says He’d do something. Trust me, nothing except praise (but you cannot praise God in the absence of faith) moves God like faith does. Many have moved God by their faith and have seen the wonders of it. In addition, the key to answered prayers is the application of faith. No faith, no result. The answering of your prayers depends on your faith. In Mark 9:23 Jesus lets the father of the deaf and dumb child (and us) know that all things are possible to the one who believes [“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes”NIV]. In other words, there is a lot impossibility for those who lack faith. Would you choose to have all things possible for you or vice versa?

Having faith does more for you than you imagine. When you trust God even in the face of odds, He does that which you have trusted Him for. I mentioned the woman with the issue of blood in a previous article and I made mention that she was healed by her faith in Jesus. Other people were bumping into Jesus…because the bible lets us know it was a great crowd…they were bumping into Him probably hoping to get their own miracle when Jesus finally speaks a word to them. But this woman didn’t wait for that. She said to herself that if only she can touch the hem of His garment then she would be healed. She had no proof of it working, no one had ever done it before but that very day her action inspired by faith earned her a wholesome healing [Luke 8: 42-48]. It was Abraham’s faith that was working when Isaac asked him where the sacrificial lamb was and he replied that the Lord would provide [Genesis 22: 7-13]. God had not told him that He would provide any lamb. His instruction to Abraham was to sacrifice his own son. Only faith could have made Abraham trust God to provide even when it seemed unlikely.

When God instructed Noah to build an ark, that He was going to flood the earth, it might have seemed plausible that God would cause it to rain for 40 days and nights, flooding the entire earth. But again, with an attitude of faith, he built it knowing fully well that God never lies [Genesis 6&7]. It was by faith that Moses and children of Israel moved forward despite how scary the parted sea might have looked…believing that God won’t let harm come to them [Genesis 14:14-23]. It was faith David had when a small boy like him stood in front of a mighty Goliath, hoping that his sling shot would knock him down [1 Samuel 17:45-50]. Joseph was a man of faith and that is evident in how he trusted God for 13 years that He would make him the great person He said he’d be. Sarah had faith that even in her old age, God would give her a child…although she initially laughed a laughter of doubt, she came to believe God’s word [Hebrews 11:11-12]. Job despite how much he had been tormented, had faith that God would come through for Him. So many other people in the Bible and even at these times have received their breakthrough, deliverance, help and blessings from God as a result of their faith. Their faith put them in a better position to receive from God…Your faith puts you in a better position to receive from God.  

Now, don’t go about confusing faith with wishful thinking. A person expecting an A in a paper he barely prepared for despite having every opportunity to, is merely making a wish. God is not a genie. He doesn’t grant wishes, He answers prayers of faith. Your faith cannot work independent of action. The bible lets us know in James 2:26 that faith without work is dead. That means you cannot be crying to God to provide you with a job but you aren’t even preparing your CV. Wishful thinking is asking God to make you a millionaire while you spend the whole day tucked comfortably under your duvet to sleep. Faith is believing God can make you a millionaire despite your unemployment at the moment.

Therefore, faith is not just an overrated quality. It is key in serving God and required in getting our prayers answered. The great men and women recorded in the bible are all products of faith [Hebrews 11: 1-2]. Remember Mark 11:23…your faith (in God), even if it is just as tiny as a mustard seed, is very much able to do even the biggest things for you!