GREAT Faith

What is this great faith that will move mountains, cause miracles and healings, and accomplish great things  for God?  It is my desire to find this kind of faith.

At least twice in the Bible, Jesus complimented someone for having great faith.  In Mathew Chapter 8 a centurion was lauded as having "great faith" when he said to Jesus that he didn't have to come to his house to heal his servant but to speak the word only and the servant would be healed.

Again, he spoke of the great faith of the Canaanite woman in Matthew Chapter 15 when she requested that he cast a demon out of her daughter.  Jesus tried to send her away saying, " I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.  It is not right to take  the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."  She was persistent and said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from  the masters' table."  Jesus replied, "Woman, you have great faith, your request is granted."

What did these two people have that we do not have?

Jesus also commented about the lack of  faith on several occasions, including when he told the disciples the reason they could not cast the spirit out of a boy was because of their unbelief.  What?  The disciples had unbelief?  They had been going about healing the sick and casting out devils--now suddenly they have unbelief?  What happened to  their faith?

Evidently we can have faith for some things, but not for others.  I mean, didn't we have faith for our salvation?  That was a really big miracle, but in most cases, I would say it was not hard to believe for it.  (Unless you were really, really bad.)  We believed in our heart and confessed with our mouth, and  - boom - we were saved.  Now, I know that Satan came along and tried to talk us out of it, but we stuck to our guns and believed it anyway.  Why can't believing for a miracle be that easy?  Maybe because we can't see our soul and it's dirty condition, so we don't have the evidence staring us in the face.  When we are trying to believe for healing, for example, we have the symptoms to deal with.  It's hard to believe that you are healed when you are still  hurting.

Jesus told the man who came to  him with his son that "nothing is impossible to him who believes."  We know that he does not mean anything our heart desires--it must be based on  God's will.  So, obviously, first of all, we have to be confident that we know what God's will is.

My Life in the Spirit Study Bible says that true faith is a work of God within our hearts.  It involves an awareness divinely imparted to our hearts that our prayers are answered. The Holy Spirit creates it within us; we cannot produce it in our own minds. Since true faith is a gift imparted to us by Christ, it is important to draw near to Christ and his Word  and to deepen our commitment to, and confidence in, him.  (note for Matthew 17:20)

When God speaks to our hearts and makes his will known to  us in a certain situation (revelation), we can have faith for that particular thing.  Like Peter did when he walked on water.  Jesus spoke to him and said, "Come."  When Jesus tells you to do something, he will give you the ability to do it.  If Peter had tried to walk on water without that word from Jesus, he wouldn't have gotten as far as he did.

What I need is that God-given faith that would enable me to face a mountain of impossibility and see it move by God's power. In order to receive that God-given faith, I have to hear God speak.  In order to hear God speak, I have to maintain a life of prayer and intimacy with God along with obedience to his word.  That will lead to great faith and spiritual authority to see mountains moved and miracles take place.

I am confident that God's revelation will activate God's faith in me in order for a miracle to occur.

Can I get a miracle?

I'm praying for a miracle.
And I believe that I will see that miracle take place.
I believe in miracles.
The Bible is full of miracles performed by Jesus.  Jesus was a man--a human just like us while he was on this  earth.  But he performed miracles.  And when he left this earth to go to heaven, he told his disciples that they would do the same things he had done, and  greater.  I believe that is still true today--so why are we not seeing miracles take place?

In the Bible in Luke, Chapter 9, when the man with the epileptic son came to the disciples and asked them to cast an evil spirit out of his son, they could not do it.  Jesus came down from the mountain and the man said to him, "If you can do anything, please help us."  Jesus said, "If you can?  All things are possible to him who believes."   The man said, "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief."  The man was honestly confessing that he was having trouble fully believing.  I, too, believe but have  to admit that I need help overcoming my doubts.  It is encouraging to read that, even though the man had some doubts to overcome, he still received a miracle because of his faith.

In Matthew, Chapter 17, the disciples later asked Jesus why they could not cast the demon out.  Jesus said, "Because you have so little faith.  I tell you that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, move from  here and it will be moved.  Nothing will be impossible for you."  Back in Luke he continues by saying, "This kind comes out only by prayer and fasting."    

Oh, to have faith that would move mountains.  How can a person get faith like that?  Is it even possible?  Lord, I believe, but please help me overcome my doubts.

Why couldn't the disciples cast out the demon?  They had been casting demons out, healing the sick and seeing mighty miracles.  Why suddenly could they not do what they had already been doing.  What happened to their faith?

Later Jesus asked the disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?"  They had been arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom.  Sounds like they had gotten away from being spiritual and had become pretty carnal.  Maybe that's what affected their faith.  When we get into the flesh, surely we cannot also be in  the spirit.  One is going to win out over the other--the one  that we dwell on the most.  So how do we overcome that fallacy of ours to get too carnal?

I confess -- I'm certainly guilty of carnality.  I get caught up in busy-ness and my mind is always on the next thing to do.  So many times, I neglect to spend time in Bible-study and prayer.  Before long, I am more carnal-minded than spiritual-minded.  God might speak to me if he could get my attention.

When Jesus said, "This kind comes out by prayer and fasting,"  maybe he was talking about that carnality.  I don't believe he was talking about casting the demon out, because he did not say, "Let's fast for 3 days, then see if we can cast him out" or "Let's all pray" then we'll cast him out.  He didn't fast and he didn't pray, he cast him out.

Fasting certainly will help to humble the flesh.  When the flesh gets too big for its britches, just deny it for awhile and you will see it line up.  Fasting doesn't make God do anything, but what it does do is get us to a place where we can be more spiritual-minded.  That, along with praying, will help us get rid of  our unbelief and have faith.

Have faith for what?  Can we have faith for just anything that we desire?  We can't desire something enough to make it happen.

I believe the answer to that question lies in  the story of the first miracle Jesus did.  When he was at the marriage feast with his mother and she asked him to turn the water into wine, she told the servants, "Whatever he tells you to do, do it."  He told them to go fill the water pots and when they did the water turned into wine.  There is our answer - whatever he tells us to do, do it.  And we can have our miracle.  Jesus himself said he only did what his father told him to do.

I have concluded that there are three steps to receiving a miracle.
1.  Fast and  pray until you hear from God concerning your request.
2.  Whatever he tells you to do, do it.  Be obedient.
3.   Watch what God does.  This step is not ours to take - it is his.

Faith begins where the will of  God is known, as I have heard one of our Bible teachers say.  Once we are convinced that what we are asking is in God's will, then we can have faith in him and his word to bring it to pass.

I believe I will see my miracle come to pass.  Sooner or later, I'm going to hear from God and I'm going to be  obedient to what he tells  me to do, and he  is  going to work a  miracle.  Just wait and see.