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EVERY BELIEVER HAS THE GOD-KIND OF FAITH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgment. 3

DEDICATION.. 5

Preface. 6

Table of contents. 7

Every believer has faith. 8

Mountain moving faith (little faith). 25

The works of faith. 31

Commanding signs by your sound. 60

…in the name of Jesus. 76

Faith boosters. 84

CHAPTER ONE

                          Every believer has faith

This statement seems so uncommon but very true. But how true is it? To proof this, we will be looking at some scriptures that points to that and establishes that fact. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)”

Romans 12:3

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of him-self more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as GOD HATH DEALT TO EVERY MAN THE MEASURE OF FAITH.

Please, I’d like us to note very carefully here that “all men HAVE NOT FAITH” (2 Thess. 3:2b). In his epistle to the church in Rome, Paul was talking to the believers (saints) in Rome. You can confirm that in Romans 1:7. So all men have not faith but every believer has the measure of faith as God hath dealt to them according to their level of spiritual engagement. The bible said he gave them talents according to their several abilities (Matthew 25:15), so it is with faith. And just like the story of the talents, the more you invest it, the more dividends you get. Faith, may comes by hearing the word (Romans 10:17) but it’s grows by constant practice of the word. It’s takes a genuine labor in the word for one’s faith to grow. God give you a seed and expect you to trade with it.

Firstly, we must understand that to be saved takes faith. And of course, what makes you a believer is your faith.

Ephesians 2:8;

For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Roman 3:22;

Even the righteousness of God which is by FAITH of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

So if you say you have not faith, it therefore means that you are not saved for ye are saved by grace through faith, and if you know that you are saved by the witness of the Holy Spirit, it definitely means you have faith. As a believer, the first atom of faith you operate with, it comes to you and then you accepted Jesus and became born again is a gift from God. It is the measure of faith dealt to you by God in responds to the word of God that the Holy Spirit of God has convict you with (John 16:14). Remember that no man cometh except the father draws them. Many got sidetracked by the devil because they do not understand this truth. The devil is a lie, because you prayed or maybe believed God for something and nothing happens doesn’t mean you lack faith, it’s simply means you do not have the required or measure of faith to make it happen or the time appointed for that thing is not due for physical manifestation. Every believer has faith but faith is in measure and the question is what level is your faith?

Before we proceed further, I like to redefined that supernatural force called faith as stated in Hebrew 11:1

Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for.

Faith is the EVIDENCE of things not seen.

Faith is NOW.

What is a substance? A substance from the English dictionary is; physical matter, the essential part of anything; the most vital part. That’s what a substance is. And so if we want to extract and replace that statement, we would say; faith is the most vital part of the things we hope for. Does that make sense? The New Living Translation put it this way “Faith is confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.” It is not the substance of the things you are seeing “for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for” but it is the substance of the things you hope to see. So faith doesn’t mean there is no mountain, faith doesn’t mean there is no pain or troubles, faith doesn’t means the money is there but faith is the refusal to be considerate because it is not in accordance to God’s word. As far as faith is concerned, the money is there, because that is what God word says. Faith is believing and acting in response or obedience to God’s word. About Abraham, the bible says “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:” now, understand that yes, these things were there, naturally, it was impossible for them to have a child just like it was impossible for a virgin to be pregnant but because God had told Abraham, “I will make you a father of all nation” the bible said, Abraham refuse to consider what was happening to him and around him. He was busy giving glory to God. Many believers look into God’s word and still look into the circumstances surrounding them and by so doing, have made void their faith. Let your eye be single and your whole body will be full of light. When you held unto God’s word, take your eyes off the problem. Refuse to consider but be fully persuaded that what God had said, he will perform it to come to pass. Yes you may not have money in your account, yes you may still be feeling the pains, yes you may still be seeing the mountain standing still, refuse to consider and follow hard on God’s word. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2corithians 4:18 NIV).” That mountain you are seeing is temporary. That affliction is temporary so I like you not to consider it. Paul, still in that same chapter said “our light affliction which is for a moment”. One, the affliction is light. Two, it is for a moment. Three, even that light affliction which is for a moment, is working for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Hallelujah! So you see; all things are working together for your good. It is all for your benefit (2cor. 4:15, Rom. 8:28).

Let’s go to the next one.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen and things not seen are eternal. Go for the eternal. Healing is eternal. Abundance life is eternal, deliverance is eternal, joy, peace, and love, etc are eternal, go for it.

What is evidence? I like the definition from the Longman dictionary of contemporary English: Facts or signs that show clearly that something exists or is true:

When you stand before the judge to present your case, it is not acceptable or admitted to be true until you present your evidence, an attestation, something to show or proof that what you are saying is reliable and true. Evidence is what silences the court and the judge for your favor. So we can say; faith is the facts, or poof of things not seen. It is the evidence you need to appear before God to get your needs met. For example, when you want to sell a land to someone, or you brought it from someone, you will not be able to carry the land around, all you need is a title deed to proof that there is a land and that you are in possession of it. This will be expatiated as we proceed.

“Substance of things HOPED for.”

Hope is the foundation of faith; it is the sustainer of faith. It enhances faith. Without hope in place, faith is not in view.  Hope is the process of anticipation. It inspires your expectation and opens you up to the possibilities of achieving and experiencing the manifestation of God’s promises. Our life anchors on hope (Hebrew6:19) for “when there is life there is hope.” Hope brings joy and joy is what you need for your faith to be alive. There is nothing as dangerous as the lost of hope. In fact, a wise man said something very interesting “you haven’t lost anything until you lost hope”. When your hope is lost, even God is helpless. A lost of hope has made many to expose their lives to dangers and rigorous adventures that is not worth it. Basically, I think it is the reason why majority of our youths today are living a wayward and miserable life. When you lost hope, you have lost it all but when hope is intact, all things are possible. If there is hope, that admission is possible no matter your scores. If there is hope, no matter your certificate, you will get that job. If there is hope no matter your age you can still get married and bear children. As long as you are alive, there is hope. “Hope cannot be cut short (Proverb 23:18 NIV)” “And hope maketh not ashamed (Romans 5:5)”   “For there is hope for a tree as long as his root is attached to its source, as long as the root is still alive, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease”. (Job 14:7 emphasis mine).

There is hope for you my friend, cheer up!

Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the LORD,” plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future.

When you have hope, you have a future. A hopeless man is a futureless man.

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverb 23:18)

Whenever God talks about hope, He talks about a future and whenever he talks about a future, he talks about a hope. That is to say, without hope, you have no future. It was this hope that made Abraham saddled his son, his only son and set out to sacrifice him in obedience to God’s word, and because God had said “I will make you a father of many nations” and Abraham, being not weak in faith, he believed in God. And so, he became the father of faith because against hope believed in hope (Romans 4:18).

Another word for Hope is expectation. Expectation is said to be the mother of manifestation. You cannot have what you don’t expect. What you don’t expect, you can’t experience. That’s the relationship between hope and faith. There is no faith without hope.

In Acts chapter 3 when peter and john went into the temple at the hour of prayer, there was a certain man lame from birth who sat by the gate asking for alms. When he saw peter and John, the bible said “And he gave heed unto them, EXPECTING to receive something of them.” Every time you look up to God with expectation your faith comes alive and goes to work. That’s exactly what happened to the lame man at the temple gate. Faith is the substance of the things we hoped for and so if you don’t hope for anything, you lack substance which is faith. According to scripture, hope cannot be seen but faith makes us to see what we hope for. Faith makes substantial (makes real, visible and available) the things we hope for. Faith is seeing the unseeable and acting on it. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things NOT SEEN YET, moved with fear…” “by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”  I tell you the truth and I lie not, if only men will move by faith in God’s word, God will always confirm His word.

I have heard many believers lamenting their lack of faith. Faith to work miracles, faith to heal, or get their desired needs met. The truth is; the same amount of faith you need to be saved is the same you need to work miracles and get your desired needs met. So it is not actually faith that we don’t have, it is work.

      James 2:17

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone. KJV

My friends, what good is it to say I have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith. James 2:14 (CEV)

Many believers have so simplified Christianity as to a jobless and idle religion that they just sit down, fold their hands and expect something to happen. This is not magic and even in the operations of magic, something is still being done.

Christianity as a whole is a faith religion. One can be substituted for the other. You hear people talk about “the faith”. (Acts 16:5, 14:22, 6:7) Being a Christian is simply being in the faith. So outside faith there is no Christianity. Paul said, “…I have kept the faith.” (2tim 4:7). What was he talking about? Let’s see the whole verse.

Paul was talking to timothy, giving his testimonies of Christianity.

2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Faith, is no cheap talk, faith is hard work. Faith is a fight. To subdue kingdoms, you need faith. Good report comes through faith (Hebrew 11:33, 39). If there is any kind of fight you must fight and at least a most profitable fight, it is the fight of faith. The bible called it, “a good fight”.

But how does faith comes?

It doesn’t come by prayer and fasting. You don’t pray for it.

Roman 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If you have never heard the word of God, I will agree with you that you can’t have faith, but if you have, it definitely means you have the measure of faith, for faith cometh my hearing and hearing the word of God. There are two hearing here, the first hearing, connotes just information while the second, connotes understanding. Understanding what you are hearing. It is the understanding you get from God’s word that produces faith in you. In Acts of Apostles chapter eight from verses twenty six down, tells the story of a man; an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading a particular verse of the bible but had no understanding of it until God sent Philip to him to help him understand the scripture and after Philip finish, faith was produce and he asked to be baptized. I would not advice a newly born again Christian who is not yet baptized in the Holy Ghost to want to or try to depend on his or herself by sitting down to read the bible. Like I said sometimes humorously, faith doesn’t come by reading, it comes by hearing. And hearing connotes someone speaking it to your hearing. That is why you have a pastor, which is why the church is there; so, get anointed tapes, cd’s and vcd’s, books of anointed men of God who have had access to the revelation of the word through the help of the Holy Spirit. Sit down to read and listen to them. Hear it and hear it until you understand it. Now I understand why David was always crying for understanding. “Give me understanding that I may understand your word”. People hear God’s word and just assume without having not the understanding of what is saying. Proverbs 4:7 “wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all thy getting, get understanding”. Information alone may not transform you, it is revelation that transforms. So don’t just stop in having information of a thing, understand it. It is understanding that makes you outstanding. It is revelation that terminates frustration. The best information can do, is to inform you but revelation is what reveals you to your world. Many people hear God’s word and they become so familiar with it that they do not want to hear it again. No! That’s not it. Continuity is the key to authenticity. It’s not a novel neither is it a movie that you watch once and you are already familiar with it. Let it become a part of you. The word of God is your spiritual food except as a believer you want to starve to death. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing. You know it yes! You have heard it before yes! But keep hearing it. God’s word is expandable, the more you read a particular verse, the more you access difference revelation access from it because God is endless and infinite so is His word. So we keep beholding Him until we are totally change into His image and that will be when he appears in His glory, the bible says we will all look like him (1John 3:2).

There is power in the word that causes a stirring in your heart and causes you to believe the word. That’s the Holy Ghost; He convicts and convinces. Faith doesn’t come by hearing just anything but hearing the word of God. The word of God is the word of faith, (Romans 10:8) when you speak it, you are speaking faith. It injects faith. So you can’t be hearing it and not possess it. Remember the word of God is Spirit. So when you come in contact with it, you become possess with the Spirit of faith. Many may say they don’t believe the word but deep inside of them they do. Why? Because faith is not of the head but of the heart.

For example; Jesus is the son of God. Where you there when God gave birth to him? Did you see it? But you believed it because that’s what you have been told or have heard even if you haven’t read about it from the bible.

Jesus died and rose up again, did you see him when he died or rose. Were you there? But you believed it because that’s what you’ve been told and heard. Then it certainly means you have faith. That’s the measure of faith Paul was talking about.

Before I close on this subject matter, I’d like to share with you the different levels of faith. Remember what Paul said that “GOD HATH DEALT TO EVERY MAN THE MEASURE OF FAITH.” And so it is to every man according to their faith as Jesus will always say. By this, it simply means that faith is measurable. It can grow; it can reduce depending on how we treat it. I said in the beginning of this book that it is like the story of the talent. When you don’t invest it, you lost it.

Acts 14:9

The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had THE FAITH TO BE HEALED,

So there is a measure of faith for every miracle. There is the faith to be healed, faith to cast out demons and faith to raise the dead. It is to every man according to their faith (Matt. 9:29). From what I said earlier, because you ask for or believed God for a thing and nothing happened doesn’t means you don’t have faith. It’s simply means you don’t at that particular point have the measure of faith it takes to make it happen.

At a point, by the measure of faith in me, I have prayed for the sick and they got healed. I am leaving in divine health for six years now (as to when this book was written); I have cast out demons in the name of Jesus. But the day I was called upon with some senior  colleagues to pray for a dead man, who was dead and was in the mortuary for days, I did but nothing happened, does that means I don’t have faith? Again, Jesus will always say, “thy faith has made you whole” (Luke 8:48), “thy faith” “and when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee” Luke 5:20.

There are measures of faith according to how God has dealt to every man. And it is your knowledge capacity that determines the intensity of your faith. What knowledge? Knowledge of the word “for faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word”. The bible says he gave them talents “according to his several ability” (matt.25:15).

From scriptures, I was able to recognize and established by the help of the Holy Spirit five levels of faith. Namely;

Weak faith; (unexercised faith, unpracticed faith.) faith not exercise will soon become weak. You can ask body trainers or builders. When you hear God’s word, move in obedience to it.

Romans 4:19

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body dead…

Little faith:  this is the measure of faith dealt to us by God when He saves us. This faith is a gift and God expect us to grow it.

Matthew 6:30

…o ye of little faith

Strong faith (unwavered faith, unstaggered faith) a faith that believes and acts on the word of God he believes.

Romans 4:20

 …but was strong in faith giving glory to God

Great faith: revelation inspired faith. (Matthew 8:10)

Rich faith: (James 2:5)

Having mentioned these, what or which level of this faith do we really need to move mountain; to do this, let us consider the statement of Jesus when he spoke to his disciples in the gospel according to Mark.

This amazing statement of Jesus came after Jesus had cursed a particular fig tree that looks flourishing but has refused to bring forth fruits, demonstrating to his disciples the God kind of faith. And so, on their way back, returning from the city, one of his disciples called his attention to it. Faith does not see problems

Mark 11:22

And Jesus answering saith unto them, HAVE FAITH IN GOD.

The margin in King James Version of the bible translated this to “HAVE THE FAITH OF GOD or HAVE THE GOD-KIND OF FAITH.”In the Greek word the statement “EXETE PISTIN THEOU” is literally translated to “HAVE THE GOD-KIND OF FAITH”. It’s obvious that Jesus after demonstrating to his disciples the God-kind of faith, who stood and looked in amazement the dead fig tree, was trying to teach them the kind of faith that really works. Remember the story in Matthew 8 and verse 26, of Jesus calling his disciples men of little faith, when there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: that the disciple got so afraid and ran to Jesus crying for help. At this point Jesus thought it necessary to tell these men the kind of faith that really works.

Now, what’s the God-kind of faith like and how do I get that? Can any man ever get that? I mean you need to be as big as God to have the kind of faith God has, well I have been thinking that way too, until God delivered me.

The book of Ephesians 6:11, admonished us to put on the whole armor of God of which the shield of faith is inclusive. And so if the bible said we should, it means we can.

Now what is the God-kind of faith? The God-kind of faith is the mountain moving faith, it is the winning and living faith; where a person believes in his heart and then he goes ahead to say with his mouth what he believes in his heart. Well, let me shock you a little here that God does not deal much with the quantity of your faith as much as the quality. So is not how much faith you have, weak faith, little faith, strong faith, etc but how effective and productive you can make your faith be. Let me refer us back to the story of the talents. Two of the men traded theirs but one went and hid his and by so doing he lost all. So it’s not about the quantity but the quality.

The understanding many have and why they have not been able to move mountains with their faith is that they have faith in God rather than having the faith of God. These two statements look rather very subtle but very true. Having faith in God is good but having the God-kind of faith is where the miracle working power is. What is the difference? Having faith in God is you trusting and believing in God to do a thing while having the God-kind of faith is you exercising your God given dominion over a particular situation because you believe in God. Having faith in God is; to ask God to remove the mountain and having the God-kind of faith is; to command the mountain to move. And that is what God say we should do. “SAY UNTO THIS MOUNTAIN” R.W. Shambach put it this way: “faith is an action based on a belief and supported by confidence that God will do what he promised. To put it another way, God said it, I believe it, and I’m going to do what others may call impossible.” That’s what faith is. The word faith as use in the New Testament is translated from the Hebrew word “Pistis”, which connotes action. From the beginning of creation, we saw how God exhibited His faith (Genesis 1). When Jesus came, He also exhibited this faith. And so, is obvious that God wants us to have His kind of faith because He made us not just to look like him but also to function like Him and so we have the potentials to operate like God.

And so, you may never move mountains by having faith in God not because God can’t but because God is a God of principles, He respects laws. At times, it comes but comes late because God expects us to know want to do through his word. And that’s why he gave it to us and so, to prosper, to succeed in every of our endeavor He said “this book of the law (the word of God is a law) shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate on it day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein (Joshua 1:8). 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Many ignore this and that’s why they suffer. No wonder the bible said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

There is this story of a man I read in one of Jack Canfield book I find very interesting of a man who goes to church and prays, “God, I need a break. I need to win the state lottery, am counting on you God.” Having not won the lottery, the man returns to church a week later and pray the same prayer again. “God, about the state lottery… I have been kind to my wife, I have given up drinking. I have been really good. Give me a break. Let me win this lottery.” A week later, still no richer, he returns to pray once again. (Practicing importunity: prayer with a corresponding action to show is playing without knowing.) “God, I don’t seem to be getting through to you on this state lottery thing. I have been using positive self-talk, saying affirmations, and visualizing the money. Give me a break, God. Let me win this lottery.” Suddenly the heavens open up, white light and heavenly music flood into the church, and a deep voice says, “my son, give me a break! Buy a ticket!”

Many believers still behave like babies and that is why they can’t get much from God because “…the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all (Gal.4:1).” A servant doesn’t get must, it is the sons. Friends, it’s time to grow up from babies to sons. You pu, you want God to clean our butt and change our pampers. You can’t achieve much with this, we need to grow up.

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