INTRODUCTION

The devotions in this section are on the topic of living by faith. Faith is a subject that is misunderstood and misapplied in our modern culture. Most people associate it as a belief system. For example, you hear people say, “What faith are you?” Meaning, “What religion are you?” or “What religious persuasion are you?” That isn’t even close to the proper application of faith revealed in the Bible. Nor is faith something we use to try to get God to move or do something for us. Rather, faith is a positive response on your behalf to what God has already done. Faith is how you access God’s grace to receive from Him.

I believe the devotions in this devotional will help give you a better understanding of what faith is and some of the many areas of our Christianity that are involved. As you read, you will find each day’s devotion deals with a different aspect of faith. I have included multiple scripture references within each devotion for you to use. If you will take a few minutes each day to read the devotion and then spend some time to meditate on each truth, pray, and look up the verses in your Bible, it will serve as a study guide to help you build your understanding of faith. I believe it will help build in you a revelation of this very important Bible subject we all need to major in. May our good God bless you and give you illumination as you read!

—Chaplain McComb

Day 1: Children of God through Faith in Jesus

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:26–27

While it is a fact all of humanity is a product of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26–27), the Bible makes it clear in today’s verse that mankind becomes “sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Faith in Jesus, that is, to believe He is Lord and the decision to act on the belief by confessing Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9–10) gives one the right to become a child of God, His sons and daughters!

John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Becoming a child of God is not the privileged result of being born human. No, becoming children of God is a “right” bestowed upon those “who believe in His name”! It is a great honor to be a Christian, and every born-again believer has the right to claim to be a “child of God”! This verse specifies this right is only extended to those who “received Him” by believing “in His name”.

We are told in today’s verse (vs. 27) those who are “baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” This is not describing water baptism. There is more than one baptism mentioned in Scripture. To be “baptized into Christ” is something which happens to every born-again believer immediately upon receiving salvation: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:13). We are placed (baptized) into the body of Christ at the new birth. As a member of the body of Christ, we are then adopted into God’s family as sons/daughters (Galatians 4:5). “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:6).

One of the benefits of being God’s son is receiving the indwelling of His Spirit. This allows the believer to address God in the same manner Jesus did, “Abba Father” (Mark 14:35–36), which carries the idea God is our Daddy. It is a term of affection and fondness! As God’s adopted son/daughter, you have the right to His favor, blessing, provision, protection, and all the benefits of relationship as a natural child.

Father God, I believe as a child of God, it is my right and honor to relate to You as Your son/daughter. Thank you… Amen! 

Day 2: Faith Is a Lifestyle

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16–17

Notice the Apostle Paul said the “gospel of Christ” is the “power of God to salvation.” The gospel is the power of God that releases the benefits of salvation into our lives. These benefits are received by putting faith in the gospel of Christ by acting on the belief that Jesus is Lord! The truths of the gospel are not clearly understood by many Christians. This is the reason why many are living below their rights and privileges, which are provided as benefits. They don’t have the power of the gospel working in them.

Verse 17 ends with the words, “The just shall live by faith.” This is a reference to Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.” Paul makes a very important point here, which is, faith is not something we use to be born again and forgiven of our sins then never to be used again. No, the just are to live by their faith! Faith is to be a lifestyle for us!

Romans 1:17 is a key verse to the entire Book of Romans. Understanding this truth of the just living by faith is key to understanding all the rest of the truth presented in Romans. As a matter of fact, Habakkuk 2:4 is referenced three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38)! Things are repeated in Scripture for the sake of emphasis.

You just can’t over-emphasize the importance of the Christian adopting this important lifestyle for their individual life. We are being instructed that the just live by faith. It is not something we try occasionally or use once a year if there is a need. No, living by faith should be at the forefront of our mind to be used in our daily walk with our God—something we use in relating to God in prayer, worship, receiving from God, and decisions we make in life.

Heavenly Father, I recognize the importance of living by faith. I will strengthen my faith in You by reading and applying the Word of God in my life. Amen!

Day 3: Justification by Faith in Jesus

“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’”  Galatians 3:11

This is the second reference made by Paul in the New Testament to Habakkuk 2:4, “…the just shall live by his faith.” The point being made here is faith imparts spiritual life, not the works of the Law. In this important Book of Galatians, Paul establishes the fact that the Law of Moses was only for a specific period of time. This is brought out clearly for us in Galatians 3:23, “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.” He is not referring to faith in general, such as the faith Abraham exercised before the Law. Rather, it is the faith described in verse 22, “…faith in Jesus Christ…”

The law acted as a barrier that prevented us from ever obtaining salvation by our own efforts or attempt at keeping the law perfectly. Verse 24 tells us the purpose the law served, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The law served as a disciplinarian only for a time until faith came, which would lead us into the freedom of full-grown sons no longer in need of a schoolmaster.

Romans 3:20 tells us, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law brought the knowledge of sin. It pointed out man’s need for a savior. The law made everyone guilty and could not produce justification. The law drove everyone to attempt to keep a standard of holiness no one was capable of keeping.

It prepared us for the message of Christ, which brings salvation to us as a gift. Only to be received by faith in Jesus and what He has done for us. When God wanted to produce justification and righteousness in man, He did it through Jesus. Jesus brought a message of grace and truth (John 1:16–17), not law and wrath. Faith in God’s grace gift has now accomplished for us what the law never could! There is now no need to strive for a perceived standard of perfection that produces a standing with our God! That barrier has been removed! “But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:25).

 Father, thank you for the free grace gift You have provided through faith in Jesus! Amen!

Day 4: Faith Believes and Speaks

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.” 2 Corinthians 4:13

In this verse, the Apostle Paul quotes the Old Testament psalmist, “I believed and therefore I spoke…” (Psalm 116:10). Notice he says we have the “same spirit of faith,” not trying to have or hoping to obtain, or praying we can receive the same spirit of faith. No, we have it now, the same spirit of faith, which believes and speaks. This brings out an important, basic premise concerning the operation and effective use of our faith. Faith has two parts, believing in the heart and speaking with the mouth! Words are the “vehicle” that releases our faith. The words we speak are how we act on our faith.

This is seen clearly in Romans 10:9–10, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Our eternal salvation is not complete simply because we believe. Salvation is received by faith, which means we must believe and act on what we believe by confessing Jesus as Lord.

Believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth is essential to operating in faith. The point of origin for real Bible faith is the Word of God. Our believing must be based solidly on what God has spoken to us in the Bible. Our faith cannot be based on an experience we had or an experience someone else had, or something we were told. Ideally, those things would represent truth, but this is not always the case! Be certain you are believing the truth from the living Word of God! Truth is never established by an experience. Once the truth is known, it must be believed in the heart and confessed with the mouth to release the power of faith.

It matters what we believe, and we must guard our hearts with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23) because “out of the abundance of the heart” the “mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). What you believe in your heart and speak from your mouth, your faith will empower to become a reality in your life!

Heavenly Father, I will guard my believing and speaking to operate in faith to receive from You. Amen!

Day 5: The Walk of Faith

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

This is a very important verse to be understood clearly in order to have an effective “faith life” and is key to developing the faith walk of the Christian life. We must learn to walk by faith rather than walking by sight. Most people get this exactly backward. Most people walk by sight rather than by faith. We are conditioned to believe what we see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. We often hear people say, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” but when it comes to the things of God, you are going to believe it before you see it, or you’re not going to see it!

We are asked to believe in God and the things of God without seeing or experiencing physical evidence. This is a simple principle that is very difficult to do because most people are dominated by their senses. This is why the Bible instructs us to renew our minds, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Faith sees and understands with the heart, “…lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart…” (Matthew 13:15 KJV). Faith is your positive response to what God has promised and done for us. In order to be acted upon, God’s promises must be seen, heard, understood, and believed in the heart. There is a spiritual “seeing” which takes place in the heart (renewed mind and regenerated spirit), enabling one to act in pure faith to receive and manifest the promises of God offered by grace.

Part of the maturity process in our relationship with God is to come to the place where we no longer allow our mortal body to limit our walk with Him based upon our physical senses. As we hear the promises of the Word of God, faith is ignited within us (Romans 10:17) and then must be acted upon.

Acting upon the Word by the faith resident in the heart as opposed to walking according to the senses is the “walk of faith” as described in 2 Corinthians 5:7. Learn to make choices based upon the incorruptible seed of the Word (1 Peter 1:23) rather than your senses!

Heavenly Father, I make the decision today to walk by the Word and not by sight. In Jesus’ name… Amen! 

Day 6: Faith Comes by Hearing

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

The only source for faith is hearing the Word of God from the Bible. People’s testimonies can possibly be an encouragement, but they can also promote unbelief. Today’s verse shows us our faith is built and ignited when we learn truth from the Word of God. Notice it does not say “faith comes by having heard”. It is not okay to just rest on a revelation we learned from the past. No, we must continue “by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith comes by hearing, and hearing, and hearing!

The more we hear the truth and assimilate it (believing it in our heart and speaking it), the more power is released. For example, it is not enough to believe God can heal. The average Christian believes God can do anything. But the average Christian also believes He has done nothing! The more we hear the truth preached concerning healing and what God has provided for us through Jesus’ work, the more faith we develop to receive it for ourselves.

A great example of this is found in Paul’s ministry, recorded in the Book of Acts. Paul was preaching the gospel at Lystra where a crippled man who had never walked was listening to the message: “This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed…” (Acts 14:9). As this man heard the Word of God’s grace (Acts 14:3), it developed within him “faith to be healed.” The next verse says Paul “said with a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your feet!’ And he leaped and walked.”

This man was enabled to receive his miracle by the faith, which was ignited in his heart by hearing the truth! The same thing will happen for you if you will make an effort to hear the Word of God and then commit to continuing to feed yourself spiritually by hearing and hearing it again and again until it builds a developed faith in your heart!

As our minds are renewed (Romans 12:2), faith will replace unbelief which will enable us to receive from God the things offered by His grace. God is not withholding from you. He’s offering all you need by His grace. We simply must learn how to receive it by faith!

Father, I am thankful for what You have done. I believe strong faith is building in me as I hear Your Word!  Amen!

Day 7: Faith Is the Evidence of Things Not Seen

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.” Hebrews 11:1–2

The author of the Book of Hebrews made an important point in this verse to help us understand what faith is. First notice verse 2 says, “For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.” The understood subject of the sentence is faith. The word “elders” is a reference to Old Testament saints. Did you know the Old Testament saints lived by faith? Faith has always been the way man has approached God and will always be the way man approaches God! So, it is imperative to know what it is!

There is a distinct difference between faith and hope. Faith is not hope, and hope is not faith. You can hope for something and exercise no faith. Hope is not a bad thing, but you must know the difference between faith and hope. Hope is a good goal setter, but it will not access the grace of God for you. For example, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up…” (James 5:15).

It’s not hope which will save the sick; it is the prayer of faith. Hope is always future tense; faith is present tense. In other words, you must believe you receive it now, when you pray it, not hoping to get it someday. If you are just wishing and hoping, you aren’t in faith.

Faith is not a blind leap into the unknown. Faith is a calculated step that rests assuredly on the promises of God! Faith is evidence. In a court of law, evidence becomes proof. Evidence isn’t the act; evidence just proves the act occurred. Faith, based on God’s Word, is all the proof we need; it’s the evidence of things not seen. I wasn’t there to see Jesus on the cross or the whipping post, but by faith, I am rock solid that it occurred! Many want to see it before they believe it (see Day 5 devotion), but for the Christian, faith is the evidence of that which is not seen.

We have to go beyond hoping life will get better for us. We have to exercise faith to approach God and receive from Him—faith in the truth and the value of that which is promised us in the Bible!

Heavenly Father, by faith, Your Word is all the evidence I need. I believe in Jesus’ name… Amen!

Day 8: Mustard Seed Faith

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’” Matthew 17:20

Matthew 17 records for us the story of Jesus being transfigured before Peter, James, and John on the mount (Matthew 17:1–13). When they came down from the mountain, they found a man had brought his epileptic son to the disciples to be healed (vs. 15–16). Jesus’ disciples ministered to the boy but were unable to help him. Jesus was not pleased with their inability to help the boy. He said they were “faithless and perverse” (vs. 17). The reason He was displeased is that He had already authorized them and empowered them to do it (Matthew 10:7–8), but they didn’t do it!

Jesus was not okay with their inability to help the boy. If you don’t think so, why did He rebuke them so severely? Most people would think, “At least they tried,” and think no more of it because they are mere men. That’s not the way Jesus thought about it. He expected them to use their faith to bring the power of God into the situation to heal and deliver! When the disciples asked why they were unable to cast the demon out of the boy, verse 20 (quoted above) was His response.

The reason was because of their unbelief. Most people don’t think of it this way. Most would consider it a lack of faith. It doesn’t take huge faith to move your mountain, just pure faith—faith that is not contaminated with unbelief. If you will remove the unbelief, you will find your faith is powerful enough to move the mountain out of your life! People who tolerate huge amounts of unbelief are not able to overcome the unbelief and assume they don’t have faith. We don’t need more faith. Jesus said it only takes “faith as a mustard seed” to move the mountain. What we need is less unbelief!

Know this today, faith is powerful and will receive from God for you if it is not contaminated with doubt, fear, or unbelief. If you will remove the contaminants, you will find more success in prayer and receiving the promises in your life! God does expect us to cooperate with Him by faith!

Father, I believe faith is powerful to remove mountains. I am committed to receive by faith! Amen!

Day 9: Faith Pleases God

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

What an important verse this is to help us understand what pleases God! As a prison Chaplain, I regularly encounter men who carry shame and guilt for the things they have done. Because of their “performance mentality,” they think God could not accept them or be pleased with them. I think we all can understand how we have developed this type of thinking.

I wasn’t raised in your home, but I was raised in an American home. When we did well, what happened? We were rewarded. When we performed poorly, what happened? We were punished. As a result, we develop the mentality, “Do good, get good”. If we perform well, we expect to be accepted and rewarded, but if we are bad, we expect punishment or rejection. As a result, we carry this “performance mentality” into our relationship with God thinking, “Do good, get good”.

God is not relating to you based on your performance! God is relating to you based on your faith in Jesus’ performance! Your faith is accounted to you as righteousness (Romans 3:21–22). It pleases God when you make the choice to place faith in what Jesus has done to put you in right standing and justification before God (Romans 5:1).

You could never do enough good works to be good enough to please God. Reading your Bible, prayer, and church attendance can never be enough to earn standing with God. Someone may say, “Wait a minute, preacher! Are you saying we don’t need to do those things?” No, I think you should read your Bible, pray, and go to church, but I do not think you should do any of those things to try to please God!

You cannot “do” enough to please Him! What does please Him is simple faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, we should want to worship God, serve others, and do good works to be a blessing. Just don’t develop the attitude that your service is being done to please God. Nor should we develop the attitude when we fail or make mistakes that God no longer loves us or is displeased with us. If you’re placing faith in God, He’s more pleased with you than you know.

Father, I’m glad to know You are pleased with me because of my faith.  Thank you… Amen!

Day 10: Faith Is the Victory

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4

The Apostle John made it clear in this verse it is God’s plan for those who are born again to overcome the world. Christians are not supposed to be beaten down and defeated. That is not a good testimony of what our God has done! The Apostle Paul said very much the same under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He said tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword could not separate us from the love of Christ. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

A conqueror has the victory and the spoils of war, but he has to fight to get them. We are more than conquerors because we have the victory and all the spoils, but we didn’t have to fight to get them. Jesus did the fighting for us! This is important for you to understand. We are not headed toward a victory. We are coming from a victory! The victory was won for us by Jesus at the cross. Now, all we have to do is receive the benefits by faith.

One of the greatest lessons you can learn about faith is, faith is not something you use to try to get God to do something for you. Faith is not something you use to try to get God to move. People who do not understand this approach God as beggars trying to get Him to move. God has already moved. Jesus has won the victory and has made it all available to us. All we have to do is receive by faith. We are to enforce the victory which has already been won, using the faith and authority given to us by our God.

Always approach the devil and your problems from this perspective. You are an overcomer and more than a conqueror. You do not have to win the war; the war has already been won. As one who is born of God, know victory has been won! Faith doesn’t give you the victory; no, faith is the victory! Victory is yours, but it has to be appropriated, in other words, taken for your own use! Cooperate with God by using your faith to rise above the circumstances and enforce the victory which is yours.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the victory Jesus won for me. I believe I walk in victory by faith!  Amen!

Day 11: Justified by Faith

“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” Romans 4:5

God justifies the ungodly. When you read that statement, it has one of two effects on you; it either really blesses you or really offends you. Those who believe we must earn our standing with God through good works and holy living would take offense at the statement. But those of us who believe faith without works is righteousness, love, and understand that statement. Let’s read today’s verse again, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” There it is, straight from the Bible! If you didn’t see it for yourself, you might be tempted to believe it isn’t there.

In Romans, Chapter 4, the Apostle Paul is making the point Abraham was justified by faith apart from his performance (keeping the law). Paul was countering the false doctrine that our actions, or our good performance, will produce righteousness with God. He then makes the point even David described this blessedness and then referenced Psalm 32:1–2, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

He then stated in Romans 4:7-8, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin”. Notice it doesn’t say, God did not or God does not impute sin. No, it says God “shall not impute sin” against us! Wow! This means all of our sins have been dealt with, past, present, and future. God will never in the future hold our sins against us! As believers, our sins were imputed to Jesus, and justification was imputed to us! God dealt with Jesus according to our sin, so remission of sin can come to us. This is important because those who think they still have to pay for their sins dishonor Jesus! Furthermore, those who don’t believe they have been justified by faith in what He has done for us dishonor Jesus!

It’s important we understand this, so our conscience doesn’t condemn us. All of us have made mistakes and done things we shouldn’t have, but know this today; God justifies the ungodly through faith in Jesus and what He has done for us! It will enable you to enjoy your relationship with God without shame and fear of condemnation!

Father God, thank you that through Jesus, I have been made righteous in Your eyes. Amen!

Day 12: Saved through Faith

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

This verse gives us some very important information about how salvation is offered to us and how we are to receive it. Salvation is not given as a sovereign choice of God. No, salvation is offered as a whosoever will proposition (Romans 10:13)—notice we are not saved by grace alone. We are saved by grace through faith. Salvation is freely offered by God’s grace to everyone, but it must be received by faith.

The basic premise in everything God has provided for us is, what God offers by grace must be received by faith! Faith gives us access into God’s grace (Romans 5:2). Without faith, God’s grace is wasted. Without grace, faith is powerless. Grace is God’s part. If God is not offering it by grace, you can’t get it by faith. He now offers everything Christ has provided for us by grace, but it is not automatic.

Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” Salvation is offered as a gift to all mankind, but not all men are saved because not all receive the gift by faith. Failure to understand the role of both faith and grace has led to much confusion in the body of Christ. Some emphasize the grace of God to such an extreme that everything is up to the sovereignty of God. This makes faith useless. They say everything is up to God alone, which is wrong. Others emphasize faith apart from grace which leads to legalism. Both extreme viewpoints are incorrect! We need a balanced view of the role of both grace and faith to receive from God. Grace is God’s part; faith is man’s part.

Salvation is being described as a gift. A gift is offered freely without any compensation provided to receive it. This is brought out clearly in Ephesians 2:8–9, “…it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The only acceptable response to salvation is gratitude and praise to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15). Salvation is a gift to be received, not a wage to be earned (Romans 6:23). Know today this gift is offered to us freely without any trust in our own good works or effort to earn it.

Father, I thank you for the free gift of salvation offered by Your grace. I receive it by faith in Jesus’ name… Amen!

Day 13: Faith in the Name

“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:16

This familiar story from Acts, Chapter 3, beautifully illustrates for us the power in the name of Jesus. As Peter and John went to the Jewish temple to pray, they encountered a lame beggar at the gate. When the apostles approached him, he asked them for alms (Acts 3:1–5). Peter’s response to him was, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

Peter knew he had something to give this man! Peter used the name of Jesus to minister healing to him! “And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:7–8). It says the man leaped up! This has to be interpreted as faith on his part.

This brings out an important point to be understood. Faith has to be present for miracles to happen! It needs to be present either in the minister, the one being ministered to, or a corporate faith among those present, for the power of God to manifest this way.

The healed man held on to Peter as he was learning to walk and went into the temple, where the people were amazed at this notable miracle. At that time, Peter began to preach his second sermon and made the amazing statement in verse 16 (quoted above), “His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong…” Peter’s words make it clear this wasn’t just a sovereign choice of God to heal this man. No, the two men cooperated with God by placing faith in the name of Jesus to manifest this healing miracle! “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).

The name of Jesus is powerful and has been given to the Church to use (Mark 16:15–18). As a believer, you have been authorized by Jesus to use His name in prayer, to receive healing and deliverance, and make disciples.

Heavenly Father, I’m thankful You have given me the strong name of Jesus. I have faith in the name today! In Jesus’ name… Amen!

Day 14: Gentiles Are Justified by Faith

“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’” Galatians 3:7–8

Over and over in the New Testament, Abraham is referred to as an example of faith at work and even as the father of us all. “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16). So, there is much for us to learn from his life.

Just as it is our faith, which makes us pleasing to God (Hebrews11:6), Abraham’s faith was pleasing to God. It certainly wasn’t his performance or genealogy. But the Jews missed that point. They mistakenly believed it was the physical descendants who would be the heirs of Abraham’s blessings and God’s covenant. Paul corrected that with his interpretation of Genesis 12:3, “…And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” He makes the point everyone who puts faith in Christ is a true child of Abraham, whether Jew or Gentile.

The fact that all nations would be blessed through him meant Gentiles would be saved without becoming Jews. This foretold salvation by grace rather than by the works of the law. The way Abraham received his blessing was by faith, and this is the way the New Testament Christian will receive them as well. The whole point of the Galatian letter is there is no requirement for Gentile Christians to go back under the law and live as Jews (Galatians 2:14).

There are things we can learn from the law but know this, “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:23–25).

Be careful you are building your doctrinal understanding according to the New Testament revelation of truth. In these days we are living in, we relate to God strictly by our faith in Him and His Word!

Father, I am thankful we are no longer under the law to serve You. I believe I am blessed by faith. Amen! 

Day 15: Effective Sharing of Your Faith

“That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Philemon 1:6

Every born-again believer has been given the measure of faith (Romans 12:3), so possession of faith is not an issue. We have faith (2 Corinthians 4:13); there is no need to beg God for faith or try to obtain it another way. We simply need to develop the faith we already have and learn to use it in our lives. This is what today’s verse is addressing. It says the “sharing of your faith” becomes effective. The word “sharing” has to do with the release or use of our faith.

It then tells us our faith becomes effective “by the acknowledgment of every good thing” which is in us. We are supposed to acknowledge the good things which are in us because we are in Christ. Many Christians are not aware of the many “in-Christ realities” which are ours. As a result, they tend to believe there is nothing good in us, and they quote the Apostle Paul as a basis for this belief.

Paul did say in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” The important thing to notice about this is the parenthetical phrase “that is, in my flesh”. He was saying, apart from Christ there was no good thing in him, but he was not apart from Christ. If you are born again, you are not apart from Christ either! If you do not acknowledge the many wonderful things resident in your spirit, your faith will be hindered!

As we begin to understand, by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2), what has been done for us and been given to us, the effectiveness of our faith will increase. It is important to acknowledge we have faith (2 Corinthians 4:13), we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), etc. The Apostle John said in 3 John 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” We can expect to prosper and be in health according to the degree we prosper our souls!

Father, I want to acknowledge all the good things You have done for me and in me. Thank you, in Jesus’ name…Amen!

Day 16: Faith Is Voice Activated

“So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God.’” Mark 11:22

Mark, Chapter 11, records for us the activity that took place during the final week of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion. During that week, Jesus and the apostles would spend the night in Bethany about two miles from Jerusalem. On the second day walking into Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry, “And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’ And His disciples heard it” (Mark 11:13–14). Jesus spoke to this tree! It wasn’t a silent request. Jesus didn’t ask God to kill the tree. He spoke to the tree out loud, then walked on into town.

The next day, as they passed it again, they found it dried up from the roots. “And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away’” (Mark 11:21). Jesus then used this as an object lesson to teach them how faith works, “Have faith in God” (vs. 22).

He continued in verse 23, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” We are told by Jesus to speak to the mountain. Most people want to speak to God about their mountain, but that is not what Jesus said!

Faith is released by speaking words. We are commanded to believe in the power of our words and that they will come to pass! Faith is voice-activated. If we refuse this lesson and instead speak words of doubt and believe those words in our hearts, we will eventually receive those results in our life.

When a problem stands against us, we are to speak to the problem (mountain) and believe we have what we say. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Your words are releasing either death or life into your situation. Faith for victory is released as you speak your words!

Father, I believe in the power of my words. I believe my faith is activating Your power in my life. Amen!

Day 17: The Prayer of Faith

“So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.’” Mark 11:22, 24

This is a continuation of Jesus’ lesson on faith from the cursing of the fig tree. Jesus used it as an object lesson to teach on the power of, and the operation of, our faith. Verse 24 is dealing specifically with the prayer of faith in regard to the things we ask God for, “whatever things you ask when you pray.”

Now notice the qualification Jesus placed upon this type of prayer, “believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” We are commanded by our Lord to believe we receive the answers to our prayer when we pray them! This means we must believe God hears and answers as we are praying. The prayer of faith believes it receives and expects it to come to pass when you pray!

The believing which is required “when you pray” is to be done while the thing you desired is still yet to come to pass. This may only take an instant or longer to come to pass, but Jesus said, “you will have them.” God moves instantly to answer our prayers which meet His qualifications such as asking according to His will (1 John 5:14–15), asking in faith (Matthew 21:22), asking without wavering (James 1:5–7), and not consuming it upon our own lusts (James 4:2–3), etc. And when the qualifications according to His Word are met, God answers!

Although God answers right away because He moves in the spiritual realm, His workings are not immediately evident to our physical senses. By faith, we must believe He is answering our prayers even before we see physical evidence. If we fail to believe, that is doubt which will prevent us from receiving. Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:8). This must always be the basic premise of our prayers, that God is inclined to answer us and everyone who asks receives!

God is not withholding from us. He desires to answer our prayers. Our part is to meet the scriptural requirements for prayer, to know the will of God, expect it to come to pass, and know God answers!

Father, I believe You desire to answer my prayers. I will cooperate with You in the prayer of faith, in Jesus’ name… Amen!

Day 18: We Access God’s Grace by Faith

“Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:2

Notice the Apostle Paul stated in this verse, we stand in grace. This is most important for us to understand. In Romans, Chapter 4, Paul made the point Abraham was justified by faith alone, not through any works or keeping of the Law of Moses. We are justified the same way. God is dealing with us strictly by grace!

In this Church age we are living in, God is dealing with man according to His grace. Salvation is offered by grace; forgiveness is offered by grace, healing, deliverance, anything you want to name. If you are going to get something from God, it is going to be received by faith through His grace (Titus 2:11; Ephesians 2:8).

Grace is God’s part; faith is our part. You could think of it like this; grace is God reaching down to man. It is God-given ability on our behalf, undeserved and unearned. This is where the idea of “unmerited favor” originated. There is not anything we can do to earn it; it is freely given by God. Grace is God powerfully doing for man what man cannot do for himself.

Faith is man reaching up to God. By faith, we access the grace of God! The word “access” in Romans 5:2 is translated from a Greek word which literally means “admission”.  When you go to the movie theater, you must purchase a ticket to be granted admission. Your ticket then allows you access to the movie being shown. In much the same way, think of your faith (believing and speaking, 2 Corinthians 4:13) as the ticket that grants admission into God’s grace. Your faith accesses the grace of God to enable you to receive from Him. Everything He has provided is now offered by grace, but it must be received by faith.

God does not work in your life independent of you. He works in you through you. Which means you must cooperate with Him by exercising faith to receive. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), which is now offered to us by grace. When you understand this, you can “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Father, I am so thankful You relate to me by grace. I believe You offer everything I need by grace, and I receive it by faith. In Jesus’ name… Amen!

Day 19: The Shield of Faith

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:16

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, we are instructed to put on the whole armor of God (vs. 11). The reason is that we are in a spiritual war. Like it or not, there is a war in the spiritual realm for the spirit and soul of every human. We have much to do with the outcome of the war in our individual lives. We must understand Satan has been totally defeated by Jesus on the cross. Always deal with the devil from the perspective he is a defeated foe! We do not need to defeat the devil, but we do need to enforce the victory.

We are provided the armor of God because of the ongoing spiritual battles. Physical weapons are useless in spiritual matters. We must have God’s armor to defend ourselves. All of the listed weapons (Ephesians 6:10–18) are important for us, but we are told, “Above all, talking the shield of faith…” (vs. 16). The words “above all” mean overall and in front of all. The armor being described in this chapter is likened to the Roman soldier’s armor of Paul’s day. They carried a shield as a defensive weapon and stationed it in front of them to protect them from the fiery arrows fired by their enemy.

Likewise, we are told the shield of faith will “…be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16). One of the strategies of our enemy in this war is to hurl “fiery darts” of accusation against us continually. One of the names of Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10–11). He will attack our sense of righteousness, our relationship with God, and tempt us to draw back from God. With our shield firmly in place, it will quench every attack!

Satan will shoot his fiery darts, but victory is possible in this life. “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:14). God wants you to win in life, and He has provided the armor to help you. Keep your faith strong by feeding it on the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Your revelation of this truth will keep your shield firmly in place in front of you to protect you!

Father, I believe You want me to win and have provided armor to help me. Thank you for the shield of faith. Amen!

Day 20: Faith in the Authority of the Spoken Word

“When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!’” Matthew 8:10

Notice this verse says Jesus marveled at the Centurion’s great faith! This is one of only two times in all of Scripture where Jesus marveled. The other time was when He marveled at the Jews’ unbelief in His own hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6). This is important enough that it is worth studying. We’re told Jesus entered into Capernaum and a Roman Centurion came to Him pleading with Him about his paralyzed servant at home who was “dreadfully tormented” (vs. 6).

There was no hesitation on Jesus’ part, “And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him”’ (vs. 7). Jesus was willing to go with the man to heal his servant, but the man stopped Him because he felt unworthy. He then asked Jesus to just “speak a word, and my servant will be healed” (vs. 8). He then began to explain his understanding of authority. This was a Gentile in the Roman military with command of one hundred troops. As a Centurion he had authority to command troops and they would obey (vs. 9).

He believed Jesus had the authority to speak the Word, and the servant would be healed! It was this man’s understanding of authority that caused Jesus to marvel and call it great faith! He didn’t need Jesus to come to his house because he had faith in Jesus’ spoken Word! This is a great lesson for us. The Word of God, spoken in faith, can do all that the person of Jesus can do! The faith which caused Jesus to marvel was faith in the authority of the spoken Word!

Jesus had not found this kind of understanding even among the Jews in Israel. “Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (vs. 13). Notice it was the man’s cooperation with Jesus which enabled the miracle to come to pass. Jesus told him, “as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” The servant was healed the very same hour his master believed the spoken Word! Even though Jesus was not physically present, healing manifested in the servant. You can access God’s power as well by believing the spoken Word.

Heavenly Father, I believe Your power is released as I speak Your Word in Faith! In Jesus’ name… Amen!

Day 21: Faith for Everyday Issues

“And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’” Luke 17:5

Sometimes people have the idea they don’t have enough faith or possibly need extra faith to receive something “big” from God. There was a time when Jesus’ own ministry team felt the same way. This is described for us in Luke, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4). They were probably overwhelmed at the thought of forgiving the same person seven times in one day! Their response was “Increase our faith”! (vs. 5).

Jesus had been performing miracles, signs, and wonders, the kind of which they had never seen before. His men observed it all, but it wasn’t the supernatural power display that prompted them to make their request. It was when Jesus spoke to them about forgiving someone seven times in a single day that prompted them to make their request “Increase our faith”!

There is a very important lesson to be learned from this. Our faith isn’t just for the miraculous. It shouldn’t be reserved for use only for the big issues in our lives. No, our faith is for everyday issues as well. We should use our faith to help us love people who have hurt us or offended us. We should use our faith at home in dealing with family issues or at work dealing with stress or people problems we encounter. We should use our faith to display the fruit of the spirit in our lives daily, expressing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! (Galatians 5:22–23).

We can use our faith to overcome temptation, habits, and addictions and to build strong character in our lives. Faith isn’t only for the situations we face which seem impossible; it is for the little things in life as well—some of which aren’t so little!

This is something that will help us be more victorious in life. I can tell you, God does want us to be able to overcome those things in life which steal our joy, or our peace, or the things that hinder us from displaying fruit in our lives that will honor Him. I hope this encourages you to use your faith in this way!

Father, please help me to use my faith for the everyday issues in my life. Amen!

Day 22: The Fight of Faith

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

It is important to understand the “fight of faith” mentioned in this verse. As I have emphasized previously, in several articles, we understand the devil has already been defeated by Jesus on the cross. Our “fight” does not mean we must defeat him. There is a struggle in the Christian life, but the struggle isn’t with God. The struggle is with ourselves and the devil’s lies. The struggle with ourselves is the constant need to resist the desires of the flesh, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). We are instructed to resist the devil as well, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). No Christian is exempt from this fight. Those who refuse to fight—lose.

The New Testament was written originally in the Greek language. The word used for “fight” in verse 12 (quoted above) means “to struggle, to compete for a prize, or to contend with an adversary”.  There are some people who don’t want to fight. They are only interested in that which comes effortlessly. They might argue that the will of God is automatic. We hear it a lot among Christians. They say things like, “Everything happens for a reason,” or “If it is meant to be, it will be.” The thinking is, God is in control, and whatever He wants to be done gets done. If you will think for just a moment, though, you will have to acknowledge not everything God wants to be done is being accomplished. There are plenty of things happening in this world that God didn’t want to be done. Thus, the reason we are told to submit to God and then resist the devil!

Notice verse 12 (quoted above) tells us to “lay hold on eternal life.” God has given us eternal life by His grace, but after receiving salvation, we must put forth some effort to “lay hold” of it now to reap the benefits. Some people believe all of the benefits of our salvation are in eternity. But God wants us to enjoy life now! (Galatians 1:4). Thus, the reason to “fight” and “lay hold” in our Christian walk!

 Father, I am thankful for what You have given me. And I will fight the good fight of faith. Amen!

Day 23: The Measure of Faith

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

The Book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul and addressed to the believers in Rome (Romans 1:7). Notice today’s verse says, “to everyone who is among you.” So, this verse is dealing with believers, applicable to the entire Church today. The verse concludes with the phrase “as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” This means every believer has been given a measure of faith!

The biggest lie of the devil is, and you may have heard him say it to you, “You just don’t have faith!” It is not true you do not have faith. If you are a Christian, you have faith. You can’t even be saved without it! It may be true you have not developed your faith, you may not use your faith, or you may not understand it, but it is not true that you don’t have faith!

You do not have to ask God to give you faith, or try to earn it through fasting and prayer, etc. God has given you a measure of faith; you just have to develop it and cause it to grow. You can develop your faith by doing two things: 1) Exercise it by putting it into practice and 2) Feed it on the Word of God. If you will do these two things, your faith will begin to develop and become strong.

Everyone reading this understands you develop muscles by exercising. We all have muscles, which are developed through use, either in a weight room or another form of exercise. Our muscles become strong through use. The same is true about faith. The more we use our faith, the stronger it becomes.

The second thing to do is feed it on the Word of God (see Romans 10:17, Day 6). Any dietician will tell you these two basic premises are essential for good body health. The same is true for your faith/spirituality. Faith will be continually developed over the course of your lifetime. If you will commit to doing these two things, you will become strong and prove the will of God in your life!

Father, I thank you that You have given me faith. I’m committed to developing it to become strong. Amen! 

Day 24: Let Christ Live in You by Faith

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Paul was preaching death to self, but it is important to understand how this death took place. Paul was dead through what Jesus did. “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6). Walking in resurrection power in our physical life is dependent upon knowing our old man is crucified. If you don’t believe that, there won’t be a newness of life.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

There is a common belief that our old man (sin nature) is still alive, and there is a fight on the inside of us between our old man and our new man, like two mad dogs in a fight within us driving us in a certain direction. People experience a drive to sin and assume it is their old sin nature driving them to it. Scripture does teach everyone was born with a sin nature, but Paul is making it very clear in these verses the sin nature/old man is dead! It is not the old nature compelling us; it is the lingering effects the old nature left behind in our flesh in the form of bad habits, addictions, and strongholds in our thoughts and emotions, which is why we are to bring every thought captive! (2 Corinthians 10:3–5).

The reason Christians sin is because of an un-renewed mind, not the sin nature. As we renew our minds to these truths and build faith in us by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), we become formed in Christ’s image (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:27). The challenge before us all now is to let Christ live in us by faith in the Son of God!

There is no longer a part of me which is a sinner by nature, or you either if you are a Christian (2 Corinthians 5:17). Use your faith to let the life of Christ flow through you.

Father, I live by faith in the Son of God. I pray that Christ and His life will flow through me. Amen!

Day 25: Sanctified by Faith

“To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”       Acts 26:18

Paul’s return to Jerusalem after his missionary journeys and before his pending arrest is recorded in Acts, Chapter 21. The following chapters record his defense to the Jewish leadership, Felix the procurator (governor) of Judaea, and after appealing to Caesar, on to King Agrippa. While presenting his case to Agrippa, he recounts his experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3–6), where Jesus revealed to him that he was being called to minister to the Gentiles.

Acts 26:18 (quoted above) was the message he was to take to the Gentiles. Jesus told him His message to them was they were being allowed to turn to God, receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance “among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” The word “sanctified” means to “purify” or “consecrate”.  Notice, they would be “sanctified by faith.”

The doctrine of sanctification has to do with the renewal of the fallen nature, cleansing of sin, and setting apart unto God. The way this happens is through faith in Jesus! It is not through any good works we have done or could do. There were many forms of worship as well as many false gods the Gentile world was accustomed to. An example is found in Acts 17:22–23, “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.”

Although they were “very religious,” their religion was unable to sanctify them in the sight of God. It’s not through religious efforts or holy living which will produce genuine cleansing and setting apart unto God that He desires. Although many are sincere, they are sincerely wrong. The true cleansing and setting apart of a sanctified vessel is only attained one way, through genuine faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work! Paul told the Philippian (Gentile) jailer precisely how to be saved/sanctified, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

Father, I believe I am sanctified by faith in Jesus’ redemptive work. Thank you for cleansing me and setting me apart unto Yourself. Amen! 

Day 26: Established in Faith

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6–7

In today’s verse, the Apostle Paul is making the point in verse 6, just as we received Jesus by faith, the resulting walk of the Christian life is to be by faith. How do we receive Christ in our life? We didn’t offer Him anything in exchange for salvation, the forgiveness of sins, or eternal life. No, these things were offered to us freely by His grace and received by faith. It wasn’t our good works, holy living, fasting, and prayer, or church attendance, etc., that earned these things for us.

Unfortunately, after receiving Christ by faith in His grace, many fall back into a performance mentality thinking they earn God’s blessing by works. That is not walking in the same way they received Christ! If we started by faith in His grace, we should continue by faith in His grace. Paul made this very point in Galatians 3:2–3, “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

Verse 7 (quoted above) establishes for us a lifelong principle for our “walk in Him.” Paul likens our journey to a tree. A tree starts as a seed planted in the ground. Much growth takes place before the tree is firmly established and can withstand the elements. Likewise, a Christian who is saved and stuck is in a vulnerable position! We are to be established in faith by being rooted and built up in Him! Just as a mature tree is able to stand strong in the storm, we will be able to stand strong if we are established in a mature faith. The more you use your faith by walking in it daily, the stronger and more mature you will become. The strong root system of your faith will provide stability in your life to endure storms! (Matthew 7:24–25).

Notice the last phrase, “abounding in it with thanksgiving.” You need to know faith is never complete until there is thanksgiving. Your walk of faith must include thankfulness for all God has done and how He has blessed your life. Count your blessings, give thanks. Thankfulness will cause your faith to abound.

Father, I want to be rooted and built up in You and established in faith. Amen!

Day 27: The Law of Faith

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Romans 3:27

The Kingdom of God is governed by spiritual law. God’s Kingdom is one of order, not anarchy and chaos. Please understand, when I use the term “law,” I am not referring to the Old Testament Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was only given for a time until Christ came (Galatians 3:23–24). But that does not mean God’s Kingdom is lawless. Notice the Apostle Paul used this exact terminology in today’s verse, “but by the law of faith.” The Kingdom of God is advanced on a principle of faith. As one lays hold of the will of God by faith, the kingdom is established in their life.

If we would begin to view faith as a law, we would get very different results. As an example, gravity is a law. The fact that there is a constant gravitational pull on earth makes it a law. It is not a variable. It is at work constantly, so we come to rely upon it at all times. We are able to walk, run, sit, or drive a car because of its constant effect. If it would suddenly spike or cease for a moment, it wouldn’t be a law. Often people view faith as something which sometimes works and doesn’t work at other times.

Because faith is a law, we can rely upon it. We know God requires it of us, so we should expect it to work for us as our part in cooperating with God. We should develop a confidence in the power of our faith which produces an assurance to receive from God. Often, people lack this assurance because of a misunderstanding about God. They have heard, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8) and develop the idea you can’t ever tell about God. I want to tell you, this is the reason you have a Bible, so God’s ways won’t be mysterious to you!

We can take hold of His promises by the law of faith with an attitude that will not let go, expecting our faith to produce the result God has promised us! The Kingdom of God is established in our lives as we embrace the will of God by the law of faith. The promises God has made to us by His grace are received by employing the law of faith.

Father, I believe Your promises are mine by the law of faith. Amen!

Day 28: Faith to be Made Well

“And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.’” Mark 5:34

This is the incredible story of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood. We are told this woman had this affliction for twelve years! She had spent much on physicians but was not better; she had gotten worse (Mark 5:25–26). Her situation gave no hope for her, that is until she heard about Jesus! She then released her faith statement, “For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well’” (Mark 5:28).

She broke Levitical Law (Leviticus 15:19–33) by pressing through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. When she did, the Bible says, “Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction” (vs. 29). Jesus sensed power had flowed out of Him and said, “Who touched Me?” (vs. 31). He didn’t even know she was there! This illustrates something very powerful for us. Healing is governed by spiritual law!

She was the only person in the crowd who received healing because she was the only one in the crowd who placed a demand on the anointing by the law of faith. This story disproves the idea this was a sovereign act of God to heal her. Probably everyone in the crowd had a need; thus, the reason they thronged Him. But she was the only one in the crowd drawing on His power by faith. This is exactly what Jesus told her in today’s verse (quoted above).

This woman received her healing by applying the law of faith even before Jesus became aware of her presence! Someone may argue, “Jesus is God and knows all things!” Jesus was one hundred percent God in His spirit, but He was one hundred percent man in His flesh. He operated as a sinless man by receiving from His Father by faith and not according to divine privilege (Philippians 2:7). This illustrates for us healing is governed by spiritual law and not a case-by-case decision from God based on His feelings for us!

You will not receive the miracle, provision, or protection you need from God by begging Him. You will have to make a positive response to what He has done for you by exercising your faith to receive. God knows our needs, and He hears our cries, but our faith accesses His power and grace!

Father, I believe in the power of the law of faith to receive from You!  Amen! 

Day 29: Thankfulness Is an Expression of Faith

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,” Luke 17:15

Thankfulness to the Lord for who He is and what He has done is a very important part of the Christian life, but it’s easy to neglect when we are experiencing problems or challenges.

There is a wonderful story recorded in Luke 17:11–19. It says Jesus passed through Samaria and Galilee and came to a village where He met ten men who were lepers. From afar off, they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Verse 14 tells us Jesus said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

The men did as Jesus commanded them, and the verse says, “And so it was as they went, they were cleansed.” These lepers weren’t healed instantly; they were healed as they went. One of them, when he saw he was healed, returned and with a loud voice glorified God and gave Jesus thanks!

Relatively few people who receive the goodness of the Lord return to give Him thanks! But that doesn’t prevent God from doing good. God doesn’t do good things for us because we will do what is right. No, He does good because He is good, even if we don’t do what is right! Jesus healed all ten according to their request, and nine of them didn’t show proper appreciation.

Jesus told the one who returned to give thanks, “…Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (vs. 19, KJV). Ten were healed, but only one was made whole! Giving thanks is a great expression of our faith—especially when we give thanks to God even before we see the results. Giving thanks to God means we take our eyes off of ourselves and our situation and focus on Him. It is a key that makes you “whole,” not just “healed”!

Over and over in the Bible, we are encouraged to give thanks to God, to praise Him, and to acknowledge what He has done. You just can’t over-emphasize the importance of this! It’s easy for us as believers to praise and thank Him when things are going well for us. Our flesh feels justified in griping and complaining when things aren’t going so well. When you are tempted to be depressed or discouraged, take an inventory of your blessings. Then thank and praise your way to victory!

Father God, I’m sorry for the times I forget to say, “Thank you.” Help me to keep my eyes on You and always to be thankful. I praise You and thank you today; things are as good as they are! Amen!

Day 30: Mix Faith with the Gospel

“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:2

The Gospel is the power of God according to Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” So, why is it some people benefit greatly from hearing the Gospel preached and not others? The answer is in today’s verse (Hebrews 4:2), the Gospel must be mixed with faith in those who hear it!

Be assured, the Gospel and the Word of God are powerful. Jeremiah 1:12 says, “Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” God is faithful to watch over His Word to perform it, but we have to partner with Him by placing faith in what He has said! Romans 3:3–4 addresses this issue, “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar…”.

The phrase in verse 4, “let God be true but every man a liar,” is the response to the question in verse 3. Paul is saying God and His promises are always true even if men don’t believe them. We must always acknowledge the integrity of God and His Word. Man’s belief or unbelief does not negate God and His Word.

A person can make God’s Word of no effect in their life, but God’s Word doesn’t lose any power. Mark 7:13 says, “Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” Our disbelief, tradition, or doubt will hinder the effectiveness of God’s Word in our lives. Many who do not recognize this falsely conclude God or His Word have failed them when they should recognize, God isn’t the problem. It is important to recognize our responsibility to mix faith with the Gospel in order to establish God’s will in our lives. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Father, I believe in Your integrity. I join my faith together with what You have done to receive provision in my life. Thank you for it. In Jesus’ name, I pray… Amen! 

Day 31: Full of Faith and Power

“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.” Acts 6:8

The Bible records Jesus’ response to various degrees of faith operating in people’s lives. He marveled at the Roman Centurion’s “great faith” (Matthew 8:10). He said to His own disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Clearly, it is possible for people to operate at various levels of faith in their personal lives.

Today’s verse tells us Stephen “full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.” Stephen was not named an apostle, nor any of the other five-fold ministry gifts (Ephesians 4:11), but he was used by God to perform great signs and wonders. Sometimes people have the idea only gifted ministers or special people can be used by God in the supernatural. Some seem to think you have to be a “super-duper” to see the supernatural power of God flow through you or work on your behalf. This story about Stephen de-bunks that theory! This proves believers can be full of faith and can be used to operate in the supernatural power of God in their lives.

Stephen was chosen by the congregation to serve among the first group of deacons in the early church (Acts 6:5). He was apparently a good man who met the qualifications prescribed, “…seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business” (Acts 6:3). His role was to serve the church by ministering to the needs of the congregation.

As he began to be used by God performing “great wonders and signs among the people,” he was falsely accused by certain sects of the Jews and placed on trial. His defense, which was a powerful discourse of Jewish history, is recorded in Chapter 7. When his accusers came under conviction and could stand it no longer, they stoned him to death. As the first martyr of the church was dying, Acts 7:56 records these amazing words, “…Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” This is the only occurrence in all of Scripture recording Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand! It would seem Jesus was honoring Stephen’s faith as his life was being taken from him! This serves as another example of Jesus’ respect for the faith of His people!

Father, I desire to be full of faith to be able to be used by You! In Jesus’ name…Amen!

PRAYER FOR SALVATION

Heavenly Father, I believe You sent Jesus to die for my sins. I believe You raised Him from the dead. And I choose Jesus today. I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I now turn away from my past and I turn to You, to live for You for the rest of my life. Thank You for loving me, for forgiving me, and for saving me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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Born again to win,

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