Jesus spoke in Mark chapter 11:
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.
23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Are we walking in faith or in doubt? This question must be answered by each of us in pure honesty. Adversity will come no matter what state our faith is in but our level of faith in FATHER will determine how much we suffer or endure. In the above passage, Jesus first states the prerequisite of being able to deal with any mountain we face- have faith in GOD. The more time I spend in HIS Word, the more faith I have in HIM. As I recall past testimonies in my life and others, my faith is strengthened. The more I understand FATHER’S Love for me, my faith in HIM is strengthened as well. In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus spoke:
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
It is clear to me that my faith is energized by the level of revelation of Love I have in my life. As I comprehend FATHER’S Love for me, my faith in HIS willingness to answer my prayer becomes unwavering. FATHER is not reluctant to answer prayer but HE has given us the means and the method to receive. In the spiritual, believing is receiving whereas in the natural the opposite is the norm- receiving is believing. Jesus provides us with many examples in the Gospels of exercising faith. In Luke chapter 17 Jesus encountered ten lepers:
11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Jesus did not pray a lengthy prayer but instead He exercised His Love and faith toward the ten men and they believed when He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Notice that only after they responded to His command did their healing physically manifest- And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed! They first believed, then acted and their healing was manifested. The one former leper exercised even greater faith when he returned and glorified FATHER with a loud voice. His greater faith fully restored him.
There are times when each of us need to get back to the basics but there is one difference. We have greater revelation and as we once again apply the basics of faith in our lives, we will see greater results. When we study and ponder passages relating to faith, our perspective is improved and we can see where we have allowed ourselves to become somewhat lax in our walk in this area. When was the last time we had a testimony of exercising our faith in and adverse situation where it was clear FATHER intervened? Let us not grow slack in our faith walk but let our faith be active on a daily basis.