FAITH WORKS AND FAITH WORKS
Faith works because God is a God of faith, His kingdom is a kingdom of faith, faith accomplishes that for which we are believing God for and walking by faith, and faith always takes us to our promised land. So, when we walk by faith consistently, we can see faith works (kingdom results) in our lives. Faith works (kingdom results) can only be received from God through our faith in God. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes this truth clear, “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God.” AMPC.
FAITH WORKS
Spring is a season when so many things around us in nature spring to life. Preceding spring is winter, and during the winter season most things around us look dry and lifeless. The trees and most plants have no leaves, they look dry and seem like they have no life in them and are withered. They look like they are finished, dead, without hope of producing leaves and unable to sprout to life again. Yet, they do not fret or worry about anything. They trust that the seasons God put in place before they even came into existence can never fail.
Indeed, they are correct because when the spring season comes, these trees and plants begin to blossom and grow out their leaves. The interesting thing is that these trees and plants always blossom during the spring season because God has made it so, and God is faithful to His Word and creation. In other words, these trees and plants do not doubt that they shall blossom in spring. They show us that God is faithful to His Word and His creation. In Genesis 8:22 we find this assurance, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” KJV.
If God is faithful to His creation, then God is more than faithful to us. Faith works. Faith in God works. God is a faith God, and the kingdom of God is a kingdom of faith. Hebrews 11:6 puts it this way, “But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].” Our Lord Jesus Christ also showed us this truth in His teachings in Mark 11: 22-24, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” KJV; [emphasis mine].
These scriptures teach us that if we want kingdom results (faith works) in our lives then we must walk by faith consistently. That means we must remain connected to God always if we want kingdom results in our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:7 reiterates this truth, “For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.” AMPC.
Faith is a connector and faith connects us to God. When we walk by faith, our hand of faith connects to God’s Hand of grace, and we are able to receive all that God has for us. Ephesians 2:8 gives us a picture of this truth, “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith.” AMPC. We can see from this scripture that when we got saved, we received our salvation by the Hand of God’s grace through our hand of faith. In other words, faith and grace created a pathway through which we received our salvation. This principle governs how we receive from God. It never changes. We cannot receive from God or obtain kingdom results any other way. Whatever we seek or are believing God for (healing, prosperity, direction, guidance, etc), we receive it by His grace through our faith.
DOUBT HINDERS FAITH WORKS (KINGDOM RESULTS)
Doubt contaminates our faith and hinders us from receiving faith works (kingdom results) in our lives. When we walk in doubt we cannot connect to God’s Hand of grace and are unable to receive anything from God. James 1:5-8 puts it this way, “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. AMPC; [emphasis mine].
Other faith contaminants are:
Unbelief. Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 13:53-58.
Unforgiveness. Matt 18:21-35 (opens the door of our lives to Satan).
Fear: Fear causes you to walk by sight and leads to fear-based decisions & behaviors. 1 Sam 21:10-15.
Walking by sight. 2 Cor 5:7, Hebrews 10: 38.
Not walking in love. Colossians 3:12-17, Galatians 5:6.
Speech not aligned with the Word of God/speech contrary to the Word of God. Ps 103:20.
Negative speech. Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 12:33-37; 15:10-20.
Unthankfulness & ungratefulness, murmuring & complaining. Numbers 14:26-32.
Actions rooted in doubt, unbelief, or fear. 1 Samuel 21:10-15 (compare 1Sam 17:45-51)
HAVE FAITH IN GOD
Faith in God does not show up automatically in anyone. Romans 10:17 shows us how we develop faith in God, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” KJV. As you consistently hear the Word of God being taught and as you study the Word of God consistently, your faith in God develops and grows. You have to be consistent in making yourself available to listen to or study the Word of God on a daily basis for your faith in God to develop and grow. If you are not consistent in doing so, you become stagnant. It is also important to prevent faith contaminants from seeping into your life.
Doing the following closes the door on faith contaminants:
Study the Word of God daily. (1 (Pet. 2:2, James 1:21, 2 Tim. 3:16-17, Ps. 119:89,105)
Be a doer of the Word. (James 1:22-25, Proverbs 4:20-23, Psalm 19; 7-11)
Live a life of obedience unto God and leave all the consequences to Him. (John 14:21)
Pray without ceasing and involve God in everything. (1 Thess. 5:7, 1 Pet. 5:7, Is. 30:18)
Learn to speak faith and life words. (Proverbs 18:20-21& 4:24, John 6:63, Matthew 2:37, Num. 14:26-32, James 3:2-12, Psalm 103:20, Isaiah 55:8-11)
FAITH WORKS (KINGDOM RESULTS) REQUIRES WALKING BY FAITH CONSISTENTLY
What are you believing God for? What challenges are you facing? What difficult situations are you dealing with? Walking by faith consistently gets you to the solution and takes you to your promise land. It is a consistent walk of faith that obtains kingdom results in our lives. Walking by faith once and expecting a kingdom result is like hitting a tree with an axe once and expecting the tree to fall to the ground. That does not happen. What fells down the tree is hitting the tree consistently with the axe until the tree falls down. Each time you hit the tree with the axe, you weaken the tree until that last strike fells it down. Likewise, you have to keep walking by faith until God manifests your solution or produces your manifestation. Anything short of a consistent walk of faith robs you of your solution and your promised land. cf. Ecclesiastes 11:1-6.
So, be encouraged that God is on your side and keep walking by faith, keep being a doer of the Word, keep living a life of obedience unto God, keep taking everything to God in prayer, keep speaking faith and life words because God is working on your behalf. Romans 8:28 puts it this way, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” AMPC. Galatians 6:9 also gives us this assurance, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” KJV. We also find this assurance in Isaiah 30:18, “And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!” AMPC.
Hebrews 11 gives us a picture of faith works (kingdom results) and lets us know that:
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,” KJV,
“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death,” KJV,
“[Prompted] by faith Noah, being forewarned by God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance of his own family,” AMPC,
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going,” NIV,
“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised,” KJV, and
‘By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.’ NIV.
So, a consistent faith walk is required for faith works (kingdom results). Regardless of what you are believing God for, the solution you seek, or the promised land you desire, a consistent faith walk can achieve it or get you there because faith accomplishes that for which we are believing God for and walking by faith, and faith always takes us to our promised land.
Therefore, be encouraged and keep walking by faith consistently because: i) Faith always accomplishes that for which we are believing God for and walking by faith consistently, ii) Faith always takes us to our promised land; iii) When we walk by faith, we shut the door of our lives to Satan who cannot operate in the faith realm; and iv) Faith always produces kingdom results which we all desire in our lives.
(written by Winnie E. Ihemaguba for EL Shaddai Outreach)
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