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The greatest challenge many believers face today is on how they can exercise their faith. The problem is not whether such believers don’t have faith because the Bible makes it clear that there is a measure of faith available to every believer. Romans 12:3 tells us “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” The problem therefore is not the lack of faith but rather, how to exercise that faith to produce the desired results in their lives.
So, one of the ways by which we exercise our faith is usually through speaking. Not just speaking for the sake of speaking sake, but speaking the word of God. Faith usually, is released when we speak, and faith also comes when we hear. Hebrews 2:1 tells us: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” When we don’t give attention to the word of God, there is every possibility to be carried away and get drowned in whatever situation and circumstances that we don’t want. No wonder Romans 10:17 tells us that “So then Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
Let us read the book of Mark for a more and clearer understanding of what we are saying. Mark 11:12-14, and 19-23. The Bible says:
12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Mark 11:12-14, 19-23
The speaking of faith entails releasing into the atmosphere what we want to see. Our words can achieve either of two things: It can bring about our justification, liberation or our desires; and it can also bring about one’s condemnation. Matthew 12:37 tells us “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” So, Jesus demonstrated this when he said to the fig tree in Mark 11:14 “let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.” When we speak in faith, a number of things happen.
Number One, We Have What We Say!
Although what you say may not appear immediately. But when we speak in faith, there is a spiritual re-arrangement and re-organization which would bring about what you have declared in faith. Notice the fig tree didn’t appear to have died immediately when Jesus spoke, but in the spiritual realm, it had, only for the physical manifestation to happen. When we speak in faith, Angels attend to our words. How do I know this? Hebrews 1:14 tells us “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”
So, each time we say something in faith, and it look as if nothing is happening on the outside or physically; just calm down! The matter is being attended to. Jesus was not perturbed when He spoke to the fig tree. He was not thinking whether what He said was going to come to pass or not. He simply said what He wanted to say and moved on! That is to tell you that you can hardly speak in faith and not get result. When His disciples saw the wonder the following day, and said “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” Jesus response was as simple as: “Have faith in God.”
So, when we speak in faith, the number thing that happens is that we have what we say!
Number two, God Watches Over His Word To Perform It
God is the one who would bring into manifestation what we have spoken in faith. It is not our responsibility to do the “watching”, or how what we have said would come into fruition. In Jeremiah 1:12, the Bible says: “Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” Our own part of the equation is to see and speak, God’s part of the equation is to perform. Do we get that? This is why we cannot joke with the God-man partnership.
God alone may not do certain things in your life, until you give Him the platform or the tool to work with. What is the platform? It His is word. It is the word of God that you speak in faith that God watches over to perform, because He has said in Isaiah 55:11 that:
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
So, whether you are the one who speaks the word of God in faith, or it is God Himself who spoke His word directly to you, it is His responsibility to ensure that His word is performed. So, don’t take up God’s responsibilities by trying to fulfill His own part of the equation, let Him adequately do it. So, the number two thing that happens when you speak in faith is that God watches over His word (which you have uttered in faith) to perform it.
Number three, The Speaking of Faith Edifies Our Confidence In God
I want us to critically examine verse 23 of that Mark 11 again.
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Notice Jesus said “whoever says to this mountain” and not “whoever says to God please remove this mountain.” That tells us how God wants us to have confidence in addressing matters. Another thing you would notice is that the word “Say” appears three times and the word “believe” appear just once. That tells you that whatever you say repeatedly can bring about some level of confidence and resoluteness in you. Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:13 that “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,”
Now, the word of God has been written, nothing can be added or removed from it. You can either reposed your faith in the word of God or on something else. If your choice is that of reposing your confidence on the word of God, based on that confidence you have in God and His word, God expects you to speak authoritatively to your situation and circumstances and believing in your heart that you will have whatever you say. That is how it actually works.
I believe you have been blessed!
[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
