KJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1.
Faith Is An Act
People often ask me, “Brother Hagin, why haven’t I received from God?” Sometimes they even quote scriptures to me and tell me over and over how much they believe those scriptures. Then I ask them, “But have you ever acted like those scriptures are true?”
I see so many Christians who are struggling to believe and struggling to have faith. Their focus is all wrong; they focusing on their ability or inability to believe God or “trying” to have faith. They should Simply start acting like God’s word is true; it will make all the difference in their lives.
It is when we know God’s Word is true and act like it’s true that it becomes a reality to us. Faith is not something we have, so much as it is something we do.
Think for a moment of the children of Israel as they encountered the city of Jericho. God had already told them that He had given the city of Jericho in their hands. (See Joshua 6:2).
But that didn’t mean that the city would automatically be theirs. They had to act on what God had said by marching around the city for seven days and shouting when the musical instruments were played. Notice in Joshua chapter 6 that at the time they shouted, the city Walls were still standing.
Anyone can shout when the walls are down – it doesn’t take any faith to do that. But they acted on their faith in spite of the circumstances, and when they did, the walls fell down!
In like chapter 5 of the New Testament, we read about some men who brought their friend to Jesus for healing. The crowd was so large that they could not get to Jesus , but that didn’t stop these men because they believed Jesus had the answer to their friend’s need.
Climbing to the roof of the house where Jesus was ministering, they lowered their friend through an opening in the tilling and into the room before the Lord, where the man was healed.
By whose faith was the this healing brought about – the man on the bed or friends who brought him? Luke 5:20 says Jesus saw THEIR faith. It was the faith of all of them. The friends acted on their faith by getting the man to Jesus. But the sick man also acted on his faith.
How many invalids would allow themselves to be carried up on a roof? Furthermore, when Jesus told the sick man to rise and take up his bed, he acted on Jesus’ words and made effort to get up. When he did, he was healed. Had he refused to act on the word of the master, he would not have received healing. But because he acted, he received.
Acting in faith is equally important to us today if we expect to receive from God. We must act like the Word of God is true. When I speak of acting like the Word is true, I’m not talking about writing checks when there is no money in the bank, or throwing away medicine when a life – threatening illness or condition exists in one’s body. Such actions do not demonstrate faith – they are acts of foolishness and presumption.
One way we act in faith is by saying what God says about our needs. Do our words line up with God’s Word or do they contradict God’s Word? Often, Faith is negated simply through wrong speaking or through allowing worry and fear to dominate our thinking.
We say we are trusting God to provide for our financial needs. But at the same time, we worry and fret about how we’re going to pay our bills. One minute we’re saying that God’s Word is true, and the next minute we contradict everything we’ve said with our word and actions. Our actions must be correspond with our believing if we are to receive from God.
Until our actions correspond with our faith, we will experience continual failure in life. I can say that the Lord is the strength of my life, but if I continue to talk about my weaknesses and lack of faith, I will be defeated because there is no corresponding action.
Faith is acting on God’s Word!
