SUPERNATURAL FAITH - Bishop David Oyedepo


As we change levels and enter into new phases in life, adversities and challenges will arise. 1 Corinthians 16.9 states that ‘A great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries’. Faith is needed to overcome them all. If faith is the shield with which we quench the fiery darts of the wicked, then without it we are open to any and everything.
Where is your faith?
Luke 8.22-25 tells of the Jesus and the disciples crossing a lake in a boat when they get caught in a storm. Jesus, who was asleep at this point, was woken up by the panicked disciples. He gets up, rebukes the wind and raging waters and immediate calm is established. Next, he asks the disciples ‘Where is your faith?’
To sail through challenges and get to where we want to be, we need supernatural faith. No one can cross over to the other side without faith. It is in fact a requirement for just living, as stated in Habakkuk 2.4 – ‘the just shall live by faith’. This is again repeated 3 other times (Roman 1.17, Galatians 3.11, Hebrews 10.38), emphasizing that faith must be diligently cultivated and passionately protected. Every believer must learn to grow their faith to enable their crossing to “the other side”, resistance not-withstanding. No one’s faith can work for you.
Now faith is a product of your spiritual understanding of the Word. The more you increase your personal spiritual understanding, the greater your faith will grow and you become more enabled to press forward always. Romans 12.3 states that all have been given a measure of faith by God. As with the servants in Luke 19.13, we all are given the same baseline and what we do with what we’re given (growing it, putting it to work) is entirely up to us. We must then exert ourselves, and make appropriate investments towards growing our faith continually from level to level. Every believer has the right by salvation to develop faith to the stature and fullness of Christ, and to operate in His realm. With Him as a target, we all have a lot of work to do yet on our faith.
Keep in mind that our prayers are answered according to our faith, not how we pray, so BUILD IT UP (Jude 1.20). The healing of the two blind men in Matthew 9.29 was ‘done unto them according to their faith’. If they had no faith, they would have remained blind. Likewise, fasting empowers your prayers to deliver according to your faith. Your health status and finances are manifesting according to your faith, not according to your ‘village people’. A little faith will do little works, great faith will do great works, and supernatural faith will effect supernatural works.
A lack of faith will limit God’s manifesting in your life. In Mark 5-6 Jesus ‘could do no mighty work … and he marvelled at their unbelief. God won’t do anything beyond your faith, so BUILD IT AND CHANGE YOUR DESTINY! Understand also that faith is not ‘taking a risk’, it is our access to our right as followers of Christ. Develop faith above the ‘risk’ mentality realm.

 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD FAITH?
It’s a spiritual virtue, and requires diverse spiritual investments to grow.
1)      Engage in diligent study of the Word to the point of understanding, for faith comes by hearing, and understanding by the Word of God. Improve yourself with relevant instructional material.
2)      Engage your spirit in the search, because the truth is far beyond the reach (see: Proverbs 20.27, Isaiah 26.9, and Romans 8.16). The Holy Spirit communicates with our spirit to deliver to us.
3)      Covet the gift of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
4)      Engage prayer and fasting in any search where you are not finding answers (see: 2Corinthians 4.4. Matthew 17.21, Isaiah 58.6 & 8). Pray that your eyes see the way, pray for understanding.
5)      Engage in a lifestyle of thanksgiving and praise (see: Psalm 100.4, 16.11).

Always engage faith forcefully to take delivery of what you want, and don’t merely stand on the fact that God is good. 1John 5.4 states that all born of God have overcome the world, so go forward from now and overcome!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE FORCE OF THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE - Pastor David Abioye

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Psa 100.1-4. Praise ought to be a lifestyle, not a now-and-then indulgence and all the benefits go to us solely. In Psalm 114 verses 1-5, we see every obstacle in the path of Israel was cleared by praise. Also, levels change as our praises go up.  In Acts 2.47, the church increased as they praised God. We should let not even a single day pass without praising God – any day without thanksgiving is a wasted one. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34.1 David loved to praise God, and it was always in his hear; Jesus was an addicted thanks-giver as well (see: Luke 10.21, John 6.11, John 11.41); every epistle of Paul began with thanksgiving. Likewise, we too should FIND REASONS to thank
Read more

THE FORCE OF KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT ENDEAVOURS - Pastor David Abioye

As believers we must accept responsibility for every prophetic word to become a reality in our lives. Psalm 103.7 says that God made known his ways to Moses to produce his acts unto the children of Israel, therefore behind every act is a way. Kingdom advancement is putting God first in all affairs as a lifestyle. We are called to ‘ seek first the kingdom of God’ - Matthew 6.33; by seeking one thing, we gain everything else. There are kings in the old testament who put God first, and their legacies live on till today. David’s first task on being crowned King of all Israel was to bring the Ark back to Israel (2Samuel 5.6). Solomon raised an alter to God after his coronation (1Kings 3.4-9) and offered a thousand bulls. And God visited him. Hezekiah got to the throne and in the first month of the first year of his reign (2Chronicles 29.3) opened the temple and repaired it, as his first assignment. Kingdom advancement is serving God with all that you have – your hea
Read more

THE FORCE OF SACRIFICE - Pastor David Abioye

‘When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.   Psalm 126.1-6  Sacrifice is a God-ordained gateway to the realm of new dawn. Offering may open doors to you but sacrifice compels gates to open continually, and allows you to receive blessings that can’t pass through doors. Isaiah 60.10-11 tells of ‘ strangers building you up, kings ministering to you, … gates being continually open to you that shall NOT be shut, that men may bring to you’ . By definition, a sacrifice is given at a cost (quality) so it’s not ab
Read more