Preacher: Pastor Elie Hamuli
Whether it is water, air or food, all represent fundamental needs to mankind. Similarly, faith is indispensable to our spiritual life. The “Just shall live by faith” in Romans 1: 17 highlights how vital faith is. As the force by which we live, we need to understand what it is and its principles as God intends them.
The reality is that there is a type of faith we all possess. A natural faith that we are born with. One that relies on what we perceive with our senses. One with which we can predict situations to be successful by human logic, by our “gut feeling.” As rational people, we find safety in human faith when a previous experience guides our current expectations.
Human faith falls short of providing a foundation to believe in when there is no evidence. How do we believe in God when we have not seen Him? The dire need for a Saviour in Jesus Christ is not comprehended, as sin cannot be perceived. Yet its effect is tangible, painful, and devastating.
In Romans 1:17, the apostle Paul states that the only type of faith that allows us to enter eternal life is the faith of Jesus Christ. This faith taps beyond the limitations of our senses into an experience of the supernatural, saving power of God through the righteousness of Christ. It is not earned, but this faith is a gift of God. Received as we hear the preached Word of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Before we recapitulate how the faith of God operates, let us learn about a challenge we stumble upon. In Matthew 17: 14-21, Jesus Christ exposes the infirmity in our exercise of the faith of God: unbelief. Like the disciples, we let unbelief creep in despite receiving the power of God’s Faith (Matthew 10:1). We may experience the healing and redeeming power of God on several occasions. Only to be found stuck in a particular situation.
To overcome unbelief, Christ points us to prayer and fasting, which rids us off the doubt and fear that our senses infuse into us (Matthew 17: 21). We struggle to operate in God’s Faith because of our human faith, which acts as a stumbling block. With different foundations, both cannot withstand the same storms. If we are to do the impossible with God, we are to operate on the principles of the Faith He gives. Knowledge about how the faith of God works is what makes it effective (Philemon 1: 6).
To walk in the faith of Jesus Christ means speaking with our mouth from the conviction of our heart. It calls us to command to situations the very Will of God, regardless of the reality. Ultimately, it is not about the size of the problem. The mustard seed faith can accomplish the impossible as long as its substance is of God.
