Highlights from Chapter 4
Have Faith
And Jesus answered them,
“Have faith in God.”
—Mark 11:22
Do You Have Faith or Fear?
Fear will be one of the greatest evils that you will continually need to overcome. Romans 12:21 tells us “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Fear will steal your faith and make you totally vulnerable to the enemy. When you listen to what other people tell you about what is going on behind your back, or what they believe is going to happen next, instead of keeping your eyes on the Lord and His Word—you will be overcome with fear and begin to sink!
An example of faith: Peter. Read the account of Peter in Matthew 14 starting in verse 22. Jesus asked Peter to walk on water. If He is asking you to walk on water, are you going to get out of the boat? Watch when Peter cries out to Jesus—it is always followed by the word immediately. Immediately, Jesus spoke to them and told them to take courage. Then later when Peter began to sink and he cried out to the Lord, “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him”! (Matt. 14:31).
Fear. A question we must ask ourselves is “Why did Peter sink?” Here’s our answer, “But seeing the wind, he became afraid” (Matt. 14:30). If you look at your situation and at the battle that is raging before you, you will sink! Peter took his eyes off the Lord, saw the wind, and the result was fear! It says, “He became afraid.” If you take your eyes off the Lord, you too, will become fearful.
Rise above your storm. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus and rise above your storm. When you are in an airplane in the midst of a storm, it is very bumpy when you are attempting to climb above the clouds. But once the plane is above those black clouds, the flight is smooth, the sun is shining, and you can almost see and feel God there! Amazingly, from that vantage point, the clouds below (like your situation) are white, soft and smooth!
Overcome
The wind stopped. “And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped” (Matt. 14:32). Your battle will not go on forever. Peter’s test was needed to make him strong enough to be the “rock” of which Jesus had spoken of in Matthew 16:18. The enemy (and others working for him) will tell you that unless you give in or give up you will stay in the trial forever—not true.
Faith
Act on the faith that you have. “And He said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you’” (Matt. 17:20).
If you lack faith. If you lack faith, you should ask God for it. There is a battle, even for your faith. “Fight the good fight of faith . . . ” (1 Tim. 6:12). And “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith . . .” (2 Tim. 4:7)
Doubt Destroys
Double-minded or doubting. You must not be double-minded. Your mind must not waver or doubt God. “But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6–8).
Faith without works. “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works’” (James 2:18).
If you believe that your son or daughter will be restored to you, then act like it by the way you live your life—in joy rather than in distress or anxiousness. “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:20). If you believe that what you are praying for is going to happen, start treating that person as if they were changed!
How to Increase Your Faith
The Word. How can we gain faith, or increase our faith? “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Read His Word finding the promises that are there just for you.
You MUST Wait
Wait for His timing. We must work with Him in His timing, not ours. This does not mean we need to wait to pray or have faith; it only means we need to wait for God to change the situation at the proper time. Just use the time while you wait to gain a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord so you will enjoy the wait rather than despise it. Many times the battle will continue to rage on your behalf; just remember, there are many battles that must be fought (and won) in the war that has come against your relationship. Just remember, “When the battle is the Lord’s, the victory is ours!”