Faith that Acts

The Bible tells us that the just shall live by faith, and that whatever is not from faith is sin. It also says that we should walk by faith and not by sight and that without faith it is impossible to please God. Therefore, the word of God is clear concerning the importance of faith in your Christian walk. Remember, faith flows to God because faithfulness flows from God!

Today we will be examining the most dominant characteristic of effective or effectual faith, and that is, active faith. Note faith without works is dead [void of power]. Hearing will switch the light on in your heart, but doing will switch the light on in your circumstances. Dynamic, effectual faith comes as a result of you acting on what you know – on the knowledge you’ve received from God’s infallible word. True faith will always contain some revelation from God, some promise of God as its foundation.

The word of God will ignite, and thereafter, increase your faith. But your faith shall remain void of power until you act upon what you know. So, your faith must be alive, active, dynamic or operative in order for your circumstances to change. Note active faith is always preceded by a positive confession because; “…out of the abundance of your heart your mouth will speak.” Therefore, if you have genuinely received a word from the Lord, your confession will always line up with what you have ‘taken in’.

God recognises the power of the tongue, so all ‘bible-based’ faith principles are supported by a positive confession. There is no such thing as dumb faith! Faith is vocal and it speaks the truth boldly. Turn with me know to Mark 11… First read verse 12 to 14; and then verses 20 to 24…

On a fig tree the fruit is first formed and then the leaves appear, so one would expect to find satisfying fruit on a tree in full leaf. Here, the fig tree was being compared to the nation of Israel. It had leaves of promise, but no fruit. Therefore, it could not provide any satisfaction to the Lord. With Israel there was promise but without fulfilment – calling without reality. Jesus was hungry for the fruit of that nation, yet there wasn’t any!

This was the only miracle, which Jesus performed by cursing rather than blessing. Although the primary interpretation of this passage relates to the nation of Israel, it can be applied to all believers who are not bearing fruit. If you ‘talk the talk’ but never ‘walk the walk’, you fall into this category. You see, faith isn’t about babbling religious text; it is about getting the desired results. As with the fig tree, Jesus wants to get some satisfaction from the fruit in your life - from the positive testimonies you can share. The chilling truth in this analogy is this; if you are not producing fruit then your life might as well be destroyed rather than be restored. Think about it, why should the Lord restore you to a negative, unfruitful state?

Move on quickly to verses 20 – 24… On the morning following the cursing of the fig tree, the disciples passed it on their way to Jerusalem. It had withered from its roots up. When Peter mentions this to the Lord, Jesus simply says, “Have faith in God.” But what do these words have to do with the fig tree?

The verses following this statement show that Jesus was encouraging a certain kind of faith. Faith that can remove difficulties. The mountain is symbolic of an obstacle, hindrance or insurmountable problem. If you have faith in God, you are able to deal with your problem of fruitlessness and remove any mountainous obstacles from your life. Faith flows to God because faithfulness flows from Him!

From Jesus’ own lips we get direct and practical instruction concerning this special kind of ‘active faith’. Consider these three points:

Faith that speaks is faith that seeks. The Almighty God can be the only source and foundation of your faith. So you seek Him first! And whenever you speak to your difficulties, you must have a complete and total understanding of God’s trustworthiness and faithfulness. By not operating in faith you are in fact proclaiming that God is not trustworthy or dependable. You see, most people believe that God is able, however, they do not have the faith that says, “He will do what He said He’ll do!” Your attitude should be, “If God said it, that settles it!”
Faith is a spoken dynamic expression that springs from the conviction of your heart. Faith is not a trick performed with your lips. The idea that faith’s confession is a formula for getting what you want from God is unbiblical. In reality, the faith that has been ignited in your heart (through knowledge of God’s word) genuinely desires to express itself and become vocal, and consequently becomes very effective. Isn’t this exactly what Jesus Himself taught?
Faith correctly applied releases God’s creative “word of promise” – His creative power. Speaking to mountains is not weird! Speaking to mountains is not a vain or superstitious exercise, or mere indulgence in humanistic mind-science. Faith expressing itself - faith speaking - releases creative power. It is the divine force that can remove obstacles and insurmountable problems. And the key is simply ‘believing that you have received’. What’s more, according to verse 24 of this passage of scripture, it applies to every aspect of your life. So ask yourself “Do I trust God enough to believe that He has already answered my prayer?” In other words, “Do you believe that you have what you’ve asked for? And have you taken possession of it?”

Finally, consider this truth:

“Doubt and you’ll do without – believe and you will receive.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16-1, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Chris Demetriou, 01/02/2009