Today I want to talk to you about how to activate your faith. Let’s define faith first. I like how the Amplified Version declares Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality – faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”
Perhaps we could define it this way: Faith is knowing that you know that you know something and acting from that place of conviction and confidence.
Our faith is evidence of God’s sovereign power in our personal lives and in the workings of things on Heaven and on earth. Faith is what enables us to connect with God and to experience His promises, His provision, and His presence in our lives. It is what transforms what we experience every day. Because of faith, we are not just experiencing something or enduring something, but we are headed somewhere. We are headed somewhere eternally, and we are headed somewhere in our spiritual journey. Every experience we have is an opportunity for our faith to be shaped and strengthened as we “Trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and lean not on our own understanding.”
The growing of our faith, in part, results from the recognition that we are weak, and we are limited. There are things we cannot know, things we cannot do, things we cannot understand and things we cannot control, so we must look to Someone who can know, do, understand and control all things. Faith enables us to look beyond ourselves to the God who created us to know Him. Faith gives us the assurance that we can be OK not knowing it all, not being able to do it all, not being able to understand it all, and not being able to control it all because there IS Someone who can and does.
Faith also enables us to live a victoriously by helping us activate the power of God in our daily lives.
Today’s text comes from Mark 11:22-25.
–22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:22-25
Mark begins in 11:22 saying, “Have faith in God.” Here we see that faith has an upward component. Faith that works, faith that activates real power is placed in God. People place faith in all kinds of things. Money, sex, drugs and alcohol, career success, the approval of others, all kinds of earthly experiences can become idols that people cling to for a sense of security or escape. People place their faith in people and lots of other things for hope, peace, and stability. The problem is that none of those things have the power to produce what Satan wants us to think they can. The power and pull they have isn’t an upward one. On the contrary, they pull us down. They cause us to crash. They create instability in our thinking. They cause us to doubt ourselves. They wreak havoc on our relationships. They damage our reputations. They feed fear and anxiety.
But faith in God? It takes us to a higher plane. It lightens the burdens we feel. It undergirds us and propels us to a future that is secure. Worry is only transformed to peace when we know that there is Someone who has all power and authority who stands guard over our life who is fighting for us who will make all things right and work things out for our good.
The Psalmist said in Psalm 121, 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Money can’t provide you any of that. Drugs and alcohol can’t protect you from anything. Sexual exploration won’t give you the same contentment that comes from knowing that the God who never sleeps or slumbers watches over you. Where have you placed your faith today?
One last thing before I leave this point: It isn’t the size of your faith that is important, but it is the size of your God that makes the difference. Placing your faith in the things of the world is placing your faith on things that are small, weak, and have a proven track record to fail. The Bible says that even small faith in our big God is better than big faith in the things of this world.
Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, ”Truly I tell you, 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.” [21] [a]
The size of your faith isn’t nearly as important as the size of our God. I love the meme that is floating around that says, “I have a mustard seed, and I’m not afraid to use it.” Small faith in a big God will move mountains, friends! You aren’t saved by the size of your faith. You are saved because you place your faith in the God who cannot fail. Where you put your faith makes all the difference.
–22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. So, there is an upward component to our faith. In addition, there is an outward component to an activated faith. Look again at what Jesus said next. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ Before I get into the outward component of our faith, let me say that Jesus used a mountain as a metaphor because He wants us to think BIG. We need to elevate our perception beyond the finite limits of time and space and to conclude that impossible things are possible when God’s supernatural power is released.
Jesus says here that faith has an outward or demonstrable component. He emphasized that the activation of faith involves an outward expression. We are to speak in faith. We are to speak to the impossible situations in our lives. This particular aspect of faith may be new to some of us or may be a step we simply skip over. The next part in Mark 11 about believing in your heart is something more readily understood, but this speaking part, this outward part is critical if we are going to activate our faith, see mountains move and see the Kingdom of God advance in our region.
This idea of speaking faith isn’t an isolated thought in Scripture. When God told Joshua, the one who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, when He told him about how to conquer all that was ahead of him, he said in Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips. Yes, we are to hide God’s Word in our hearts, but it isn’t supposed to stay there. It is supposed to come out of our mouths, and as it does, we activate the power that is attached to our faith in God’s Word. We are to consume the Word of God so that we can speak it in faith. You have the opportunity to call upon the power that is in the Word of God over any situation you face. The Word of God is “living and active,” Hebrews 4:12. It is meant to be spoken. To speak it, you have to read and know it.
Speak to the mountain. We’ll see in a moment that we can also pray about the mountains we face, but Church, we have to realize we have God-given authority, when our faith is in God, that we can use His Word, to speak to every circumstance we deal with. Speaking, with the authority of Jesus, will bring about shifts in our situations.
Everything Jesus did, He did as an example to us about how we are to live. When Jesus delivered people from a demonic stronghold, He spoke directly to the demon, even calling it by name. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus could have just prayed for a resurrection miracle, but instead, Jesus commanded, “Lazarus, come forth!” Do you remember the story of the Roman centurion who displayed amazing faith because he understood the power of spoken authority. That military commander knew Jesus could just speak a word and heal his dying servant. Jesus even commented on his faith as He was amazed that a Roman soldier understood what it seemed most of Israel had missed.
Church, it is time we get specific about the victories we need to see and that we get specific about the mountains that are standing in our way. Before the shepherd boy, David, killed Goliath with a sling shot and a stone, he declared the victory with his mouth. We need to be as bold. We need to shout to our mountains, to our giants, that they are coming down. We need to declare that our past will not determine our future in Jesus’ name. We need to proclaim that our health will be undergirded by the hands of Heaven. We need to announce that our marriages are going to not just survive but thrive, that our kids are going to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, that whatever season we are walking through will be for our good and God’s glory.
We need to be specific. We need to call out demonic strongholds. We need to confess sin that stands in the way. We need to name toxic relationships, and denounce stinkin’ thinking, and idols that have become our gods. We need to declare that God’s power and authority will change hearts and minds where they need to be changed and that peace will be the order of the day for us in our hearts and minds. We need to take authority over our anxious stomachs and announce that sleep will overtake us when it is time to rest.
Medically speaking, I am a Type II Diabetic. I take medication, and I try to do what is reasonable to do my part. But I want you to know I also command my pancreas to function in Jesus’ name. I declare my eyesight will be strong, my kidneys will function, my heart will not be compromised all the days of my life. Yes, the Lord is in control of me, but He has given me power and authority, and as I speak with His authority and agree with Him regarding His power and love for me, I tap into that love and power and am able to navigate things in the natural realm that otherwise might overwhelm me. Tell disease to leave your body in Jesus’ name. Yes, ask the Church to pray for you. That is one level of faith. Believing that other people’s faith can be used of God to help you is great, but Child of God, you have a measure of faith. It has been gifted to you by God, Romans 12:3. Open up YOUR mouth and declare YOUR victory because that is a whole other level of faith that comes with a whole different experience with the power of God.
Speak to your mountains out loud. “Fear, you won’t be my master. I will be disciplined and have a sound mind. I will make good decisions. I will walk in righteousness and holiness with God. I will live at peace with others. I will accomplish what needs to be accomplished. I will have what I need because God is my supplier.”
I am not just talking about the power of a positive confession, but I am talking about a declarative faith that activates the power of God. Yes, God knows what you are going through and can burst on the scene without your confession, but God gives us the opportunity to speak in faith for our benefit. God wants us to name our mountains, and He wants us to know we can command that they bow before our God. By giving you the ability to conquer your mountains, God is helping you climb higher and higher in faith with Him.
So, an activated faith has an upward component. It is placed in God. It has an outward component. It is spoken and demonstrated. Verse 23 again. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
There is an inward component to faith. It is belief in our hearts. It is an internal conviction. Without that internal conviction and belief, speaking to a mountain is just going through an outward motion. It is action, combined with internal belief, that activates the power of God. Jesus says we must not doubt in our hearts when we declare victory over a circumstance. If you go home and start declaring victory in your life, but all the while you think, “This isn’t going to do any good” it won’t.
I believe with all my heart that God revealed to me that this church is to double in the next five years. I could have quietly kept that to myself, but the Lord told me to declare it that you might believe it with me. Those who truly believe it in their hearts with me will act on that belief. Actions become evidence then of what we believe in our hearts.
It is this inward component to faith that activates our prayer lives. Jesus goes on to say, 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
We live in a culture of skepticism. Many adopt the mindset that that they will “believe it when they see it.” “Seeing is believing.” But Jesus says, “Believing is seeing.” I love it when I am standing by someone’s hospital bed, and I hear them tell the doctor that they know they will be well because Jesus is working on their behalf and because people have been praying. Pray in faith. Thank God for the healing and the financial miracle and the reconciliation that are already on their way. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving before you ever see the outcome because faith anticipates the ending is gonna be a good one.
Those who have the internal belief that God can and will act on their behalf when they pray are those who really see what is possible. It takes no faith to believe in something you can see. I cannot see 1000 people here today with my natural eye, but with eyes of faith, I can see 1000 people here every Sunday. That will require that we go back to two services every Sunday morning, but I can see it. I can see people stepping up to say to Pastor Kim, “Yes, count me in. I will help disciple the 250 new souls that will be saved.” I can see people stepping up to say, “Count on me to usher in 9 a.m. service.” I can see worship team and band members saying, “I’ll play and sing in both services.” It hasn’t happened yet. I don’t know at what point it will happen, but because God said it, and I believe it, I am adjusting my prayers to ask for all that will be needed to support a ministry that size, and as I pray, I believe it will come to pass. I am activating my faith by praying with belief about the things God has already shown me.
One last thing about this inward component. To activate the power of our faith, we need to do more than believe something and more than pray about something, as part of the inward component of faith, but we need to make sure nothing can weaken our faith, whether the outward declaration or the inward expression. Jesus mentions it here at the close of our text.
Verse 25 of Mark 11: 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
It is no coincidence that Jesus includes a note about forgiveness in this package about mountain moving faith and prayer. We cannot afford to be at odds with people in our hearts because it damages the expression of our faith. If we harbor unforgiveness, it will hamper the expression of our faith because it will hamper our prayer life. Faith has no limits except the ones we allow. Unforgiveness limits our faith. If we hold on to unforgiveness, our faith is tainted and doesn’t have the same kind of impact it could if we would throw off anything that could hinder it. We cannot pray in full faith if our hearts are corrupted by unforgiveness. Unforgiveness towards others is a sin against the God who has freely pardoned us.
Isaiah 59:1-2 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
We are talking about how to activate our faith. These verses tell us that unforgiveness will deactivate our faith. Let’s not sabotage our faith because of unforgiveness or any other sin!
So, what steps can we take to activate our faith based on this passage?
1. Be saved. Who will be the next person in 2024 to give their life to Christ? Bradlin has set an example. Who will follow after him and become a Christian? Who will ignite the upward component of faith and be born anew in Christ? Repent from putting your faith in anything but in God who loves you and in His Son who has died to save you.
2.Make a list of your mountains and speak out loud to them every day this week. Tell your mountains how big your God is. Tell your giants they are defeated. Get specific and declare the Word of God and the authority of Christ over your circumstance, expecting mountains to move.
3.Pray every day and ask God to help you see how He is moving the mountains out of your way. Thank Him in advance for the way He is bringing things into alignment with His will. Before you can see the outcome, just thank Him for working in your life.
4.Ask the Holy Spirit to check your heart. If there is unforgiveness there, or if you are holding on to some sin and you need to break free, ask God to forgive you, to liberate you and to help you forgive those who have hurt you.
Faith has an upward look to God, an outward expression through our words, and an inward posture of purity and belief. Let us go onward now, to activate our faith.
Recent Comments