The importance of faith in the life if the believer can not be over emphasized. Faith by which we received something from God is so important that it should be applied in everything that a believer does.
Faith is the supernatural gift of God which makes us to believe without what God has revealed to us. A measure of faith is given to every individual and for this reason no one can say that God cheated him by not giving him faith.
2kings 4:1-7
One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, "My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord, by now a creditor has come, threatening to take my sons as slaves. What can I do to help you? Elisha asked. Tell me, what do you have in the house?. Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil, she replied. And Elisha said, Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one side when it is filled. So she did as was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim!. Bring me another jar, she said to one of her sons. There aren't any more! he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.
Here record the account of the prophet's widow and her oil. It took faith to gather several empty jars for a little quantity of oil, and at the end of everything the oil was more than enough to pay for what she owned and more were left for her and her sons to hold on to for the rest of her life. This is what I call faith that is fruitful.
1Sam17:38
The Saul gave David his own armor-a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. I can't go in these, he protested to Saul. I'm not used to them. So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his Shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his Shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him. Sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. Am I a dog, he roared at David, that you come at me with a stick?. And he cursed David by the names of his gods. Come over here and I will give your flesh to the birds and wild animals! Goliath yelled.....
There were instances in the Bible were people had faith but not on God. They had faith in their gods "baal" for protection. After much singing, shouting and praises to their gods, the gods refused to respond because He that is greater than him was present at that moment to prove Himself as the Almighty God of all gods. Some had faith in their own strength, talking of the person of Goliath, the Philistine champion. But as God would have it, a small boy as David brought him down in the name of the Lord after so much boasting from great Goliath.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways, and such a man will not receive anything from God because of doubt. Most Christians ask for one thing or the other from God, and there is no reason why they should not get what they ask for if only they take doubt away from their minds. The bible said ask anything in my name and you shall get. But there is one thing to ask and another thing to receive because the word of God does not lie. When you ask with the wrong motives, this is when what we ask does not always come to us, we ask for our selfish reasons. Lack of knowledge to the word is the great hindrance since it is the word of God that Hr confirms with signs and wonders.
Take an example from the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus said to her "Daughter, your faith has made you whole, go in peace ". The woman with the issue of blood was not ready to get a special attention with Jesus before she could get her healing. She said to herself: " If only I can get hold of His garment" and this was what she did that brought her healing. Jesus did not lay hands on her, some Christians would want the pastor to pray fire prayer before they can be satisfied that God has answered their prayers. No, so long you have prayed, let no doubt come in between your answered prayers hence you won't receive an answer from God.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. The level of faith in Abel made him to offer a better sacrifice than Cain. When you have absolute trust in God, this would make you seek total healing than dashing to the hospital first to get one.
Conclusion
If we say as Christians we have faith, then it is the fruit the faith produces that qualify us for this faith.
Thank you all for stopping by, until I come your way again, remain blessed and give yourself aggressive study to the word of God.
Shalom