“FAITH
OPENS
DOORS”
This is an interesting statement. Before we can begin to comprehend it, I think we need to know what
Faith is.
- Faith - Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness
of a person, idea, or thing.
- Faith - Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
- Faith - Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance.
- Faith - secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance
of God's will.
What does the Bible say about Faith?
·
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen”. (Hebrews 11:1)
·
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. (Hebrews
11:6)
· “If
you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all”.
(Isaiah 7:9b)
· “Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith
and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw
yourself into the sea,' and it will be done”. (Matthew 21:21)
· “Consequently, faith comes from
hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ”. (Romans 10:17)
·
“so that your faith
might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power”. (1 Corinthians 2:5)
·
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong”. (1 Corinthians
16:13)
· “We
live by faith, not by sight”. (2
Corinthians 5:7)
· “Clearly
no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith”.
(Galatians 3:11)
· “In him and through faith in him we may approach
God with freedom and confidence”. (Ephesians 3:12)
·
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession
in the presence of many witnesses”. (1 Timothy 6:12)
·
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith”. (2 Timothy 4:7)
· “By faith we understand that
the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible”. (Hebrews 11:3)
· “because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance”. (James 1:3)
·
“In the same way, faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”. (James
2:17)
Having
total Faith in God can open up doors to miracles, healings, victory,
growth of the body of Christ… the possibilities are endless. Here are some examples:
· “Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If
that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much
more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'” (Matthew
6:29-31)
·
“Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’". (Luke
7:50)
·
Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
(Luke 8:48)
·
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father”. (John 14:12)
· “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith,
and a great number of people were brought to the Lord”. (Acts 11:24)
· “So the churches were strengthened in the faith
and grew daily in numbers”. (Acts 16:5)
Hebrews Chapter 11 is known as the “Hall of Fame of Faith”.
Let’s check-out how faith opened their doors:
By faith we understand
that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel offered
God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended
as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith
he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By
faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience
death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased
God.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.
By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness
that comes by faith.
By faith
Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he
did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in
the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him
of the same promise.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled
to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
By faith
Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one
and only son,
By faith Isaac blessed
Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned
on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the
exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they
saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith
Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he
saw him who is invisible.
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn
would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith
the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched
around them for seven days.
By faith
the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
"There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is FAITH, which cannot be acquired without prayer." - John Wooden
