“So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told me; but we shall have to be stranded on some island.” Acts 27:25-26 (Amplified)
The affirming sentence “Be it unto you according to your faith” almost became a mantra for Jesus Christ and was His standard response to the daring acts of faith of the desperate people that sought and received His help. The implication of this statement is that God is willing to go as far in the journey of faith as you are in your daring. As was recorded in His teachings or responses, Jesus differentiated between the many types of faith, which ranges from nil faith to little faith, progressing to great faith and peaks at extraordinary faith. The bible declares that God has given unto each of us a measure of faith. So, what we do with our allocation of faith is that which ultimately determines how God responds to us as we either determinedly exercise that faith or altogether refuse to put it to use to fulfil our God-given goals. One thing that is crystal clear from God’s word is that we cannot make the excuse that we have no faith, because in saying that, we are making the God who declared that He has given to each of us a measure of faith a liar. Therefore, the challenge before each of us is whether we are willing to put our faith to work and are determined to keep developing it until we can receive the kind of commendation from God that the Centurion received from the impressed Jesus when He said, “I have not seen that kind of faith in Israel.”
The bible declares that faith is birthed through hearing God’s living or express word. This is the rhema word that causes the written word of God to come alive in us as He applies His word to address our specific situations. Our baby faith then grows and develops muscles as we exercise it by obeying the dictates of God’s word and as we experience God’s faithfulness in our lives as a testimony to the efficacy of His word. This increases our confidence in God and enables our faith to first move tiny stones, then pebbles, boulders, rocks and finally mountains. The simple truth is that faith is like muscles – you either use or lose it. Understand that just as your faith can grow to become mountain-moving, so also can it regress until it dies. The key to keeping it alive and making it grow is to keep feeding it with the word of God and believing whatever God’s word says regardless of your personal circumstance. This was what the saints of old did and is also what we need to do if we are to triumph in life.
Apostle Paul ran into difficulties in spite of God’s promise that he would stand and testify about Christ before the Caesar, but his faith in God’s providence and protection was undiminished and unshaken by his traumatic ordeal. Even whilst in the throes of difficulties, He boasted about God’s faithfulness and God did not fail Him. So, why not take a cue from this great saint of God and start declaring the end you desire in line with God’s word? Why not declare life to that dead situation and trust God to bring it back to life? Understand that God never placed a limit on what we can expect from Him. So, in saying “Be it unto you according to your faith”, He has removed all limitations and is asking you to write your own ticket. While it is good to swim in water like Paul, I would rather walk on it, but it will require a greater measure of faith.
Prayer:
Father, it is both humbling and challenging to know that how far I go with you is really up to me. I ask that you increase my faith and enable me to believe you for the impossible. Awaken the spiritual giant in me today to the glory of your name. Amen.