YOUR FAITH STATUS

Jesus said…
Mark 9:23 "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Matt. 17:20 “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

What’s the status of your faith? What evidence of faith does your life reveal? Faith is something you exercise, something you do, something you express.

Our faith is expressed when we do these 4 things:

• WAIT
Heb. 6:12 Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Psa. 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Real faith in the Lord brings a calmness to your heart that keeps you from rushing about and trying to do in your own strength what only God can do.

• RISK
When Nehemiah approached the king of Persia to request that he go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and gates, he was taking a risk. He recorded in Neh. 2:4, “The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven.”

When we’re faced with a sudden decision or a question, the first thing we need to do is send a quick prayer to the Lord. Don’t answer without doing that. And back up your quick prayers with the praying you’ve already done. Then you’re already in line for the answer because you’ve spent a lot of time already praying about it. Nehemiah’s quick prayer was backed up by 4 months of fasting and praying.

Taking “faith risks” isn’t about jumping off a cliff and simply going for it; it involves planning. Not only had Nehemiah prayed for this opportunity to talk to the king; he had planned for it and had an answer ready. During his 4 months of waiting he had thought the matter through and knew exactly how he would approach the project.

Taking a risk of faith means you do your homework. Then don’t fear being obedient to the Lord.

• EXPECT GOD
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.

God is sovereign over the dealings of nations and people. We can ask God according to His purpose, according to His will, according to what He wants done as described for us in the Bible, and then we can trust Him that He will do it. And then we must act accordingly.

• CHALLENGE
Jesus said in Matt. 10:16 (Mes) "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.”

As you commit yourself wholeheartedly to work at the task God has given you, you can expect the enemy to show up. The devil will try all kinds of things to stop you and distract you and make it easy for you to not follow through with commitment. Your faith will challenge the enemy.

Your faith will challenge others’ complacency and negativity. Some will say, “We like things the way they are. Don’t change anything.” Others will say, “We’ve already tried that and it didn’t work.” True faith will challenge complacency and negativity.

Your faith will challenge others to get on board. Nehemiah said the hand of God was upon him as the leader, and the followers began the work.

Your faith will draw ridicule from others. Just as soon as you step out in faith to do God’s work, to follow His will, the enemy will show up and try to discourage you. Everyone who has ever accomplished anything has faced ridicule. Jesus faced it. The Christians faced it in the book of Acts. Festus told Paul he was crazy (Acts 26:24).

To grow in our faith we must ask ourselves these questions:
- Am I willing to sacrifice my will to see God’s will accomplished?
- Am I patient in gathering the facts and planning my work for the Lord?
- Do I cling to the past, or do I desire to see God do something new?
- Am I cooperating in any way with the enemy and thus weakening God’s work?

Anyone can go through life as a “destroyer”; God has called His people to be “builders.”
Be a “faith builder”. Grow your faith and help others to grow in their faith.