Fixing Your Faith
Have you ever felt desperate? Have you ever needed God to do something, and needed Him to do it quickly? We’ve all been there—in those situations where faith has to produce, where God has to show up.
Several years ago, I knew a family who hit a deer and totaled one of their two cars. Then, two weeks later, the other car had the engine blow. That’s not a good place to be, right? So, they decided that they were going to believe God not to use debt to replace those vehicles, but the clock was ticking. They had a rental car, but it wouldn’t be for long. So, the day before the rental car had to be turned in, they got a phone call from a friend who didn’t know what had happened. That friend wanted to know if they knew of anyone who needed a car. When they explained what had happened to them, the friend gave them the car. That encouraged them, so they decided to believe God for a van that would fit their entire family. They really wanted a Honda Odyssey, so they came into agreement as a family and released their faith for it. A few weeks after that, we stopped by their house and on their refrigerator was a big picture of a Honda Odyssey. Each time they opened the refrigerator they would lay their hands on that picture and thank God for that van.
About a week later, my secretary called me and said, “We had an unusual call this morning. Someone called and said they want to give the church a van.” Of course, she didn’t know what this family was believing God for, so I asked her, “What kind of van is it?” And, you can guess the rest of the story. That van was actually in really good condition. When my wife called the woman to share the news, she first asked her how they were doing with the car situation. The woman said, “We’re one day closer.”
Now, I don’t believe that
was a coincidence. I know better. I’ve experienced the promises of God, and
heard too many stories of the Kingdom operating in people’s lives. In fact, I
believe that it’s critical that
we learn how the Kingdom of God operates.
In Luke 8:43, we read about the woman who was healed after touching Jesus’ cloak. This story illustrates a vital part of how the Kingdom of God operates. Jesus called the woman “daughter.” That meant she had a legal right to the covenant—she had a legal right to be healed. It wasn’t Jesus’ faith that caused her to be healed. It was her faith that caused her to be healed. She was fully persuaded that God was going to do what He said He was going to do—that’s faith.
For faith to exist, you must be fully persuaded that God is going to do what He said He would do. You have to get it in your heart. God needs you to be in agreement with heaven, in your heart. You can’t beg hard enough, cry hard enough, fast hard enough, be good enough, or read the Bible more times to prove you have faith. He needs your heart. Your mind may agree with it, you may be able to quote the scripture, but what do you believe in your heart? You have to get it in your heart to be fully persuaded.
See, God has to have someone in the earth realm who will come into agreement with heaven and carry the anointing. And, your heart is the interface for that agreement. When you are fully persuaded in your heart, and you pray, the anointing flows. Without that agreement, prayer is just a religious exercise.
Now, once you get it in your heart, that doesn’t necessarily mean that things are going to change right at that moment. There are things that need to be done. There’s more to it than just having faith. You weren’t saved just by faith, but by doing also. We can have faith, but there are some things we have to do in order for your picture to match what’s in heaven:
1. You have to believe God.
2. You have to have direction from God.
3. You have to take action on that direction.
The woman with the issue of blood believed God. She saw Jesus right in front of her and she took action. Sometimes we believe our heart is right, so we step out in faith and we take action and nothing happens. Then we get frustrated, disillusioned, and disappointed with God’s Word because we’re not seeing the results that the Bible clearly says are legally ours. But, that’s a great place to be. I know. You’re thinking – this guy is nuts! How could he say that’s a great place to be? Because frustration is the breeding ground of change.
Have you ever built something that ended up not working? Ever stood back and looked at something you did and said, ‘Wait a minute. Something is wrong here?’ You got frustrated, right? Then you went back to the instructions you never bothered to read in the first place and you start dissecting everything and you realize you have a screw in the wrong place, a wire disconnected, and that you need batteries. When you finally fix the issues, and get it in alignment, it works just like it was supposed to.
The BIBLE is just like that. It’s supposed to work just like it says. If there’s a malfunction, it is NEVER on God’s end.
So, now you know. If you’re there at the place of frustration, disappointment, or desperation, you have some changes to make. Think about what you really believe. Find the malfunction. Drill down until you figure out where you’ve missed it. Go back to the Word of God and make sure your heart is right. Read the instruction manual and make sure you have the right picture on the inside. Then, go after the picture as hard as you can. Watch the changes that take place. Watch the stories show up. Watch the mountains move.
Portions of this article are excerpted from the "Fixing Your Faith" resource. Get your copy by clicking HERE.
