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Would you love to experience deeper faith in God personally? Faith to see the hand of God move miraculously in our ministry and a stronger faith to tackle the challenges of life? The Bible tells us that God has given us the seeds of faith, but it is our responsibility to utilise it. We are responsible for unleashing faith in our hearts.
In this article, I will share from one of the most dramatic passages in the book of Exodus. The parting of the Red Sea. From this passage we will discover the effects of faith unleashed. I pray it will inspire you to unleash your faith in God.
FAITH UNLEASHES GOD'S POWER
Exodus 14:21 (NIV) Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,
The incredible happened when, by faith, Moses responded to God's commands. Moses raised his staff and stretched his hands over the sea. God brought a strong east wind that began to blow the sea into two parts. It was a supernatural wind that separated the Rea Sea by forming walls of water on the left and right.
Faith is a critical ingredient in experiencing the supernatural intervention of God.
Absolutely nothing was happening, until Moses exercised faith and obeyed God's instructions. The power of God was unleashed when there was faith! Faith is a critical ingredient in experiencing the supernatural intervention of God. Of course, it is not the only ingredient but a critical one. Why is it that faith is a critical ingredient that enables us to tap into God's power?
God seeks for faith.
God is looking for those who have faith in Him. Luke 7:6-9 (NIV) 6…He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
Did you know God is pleased to find faith? Heb 11:6 (NIV) …without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Those with faith in God are not self-dependent but recognise that they need God.
God seeks faith because those with faith in God are not self-dependent but recognise that they need God and therefore place their confidence in God. Yet too often, man tries to do things his way. Man often have more faith in themselves than in God. So man begins to wander off into his own thinking, his own devices - to save himself. Of course, man fails!
God responds to faith.
Unbelief is the archenemy of faith.
Moses obeyed in faith and God responded in power! But what if Moses lacked faith. What if he could not belief in the power of God?
Unbelief is an affront to God. Because it is an attack upon God's integrity.
The nemesis of faith is unbelief. Unbelief is the archenemy of faith. Just as water is to fire. Imagine trying to start fire in a swimming pool of water! Unbelief weakens and destroys faith. Unbelief is an affront to God. Because it is an attack upon God's integrity. The Bible declares that God is absolutely true. He does not lie. He will deliver His promises. Num 23:19 (NIV) God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?
Unbelief, it means we don't trust God will do as He says!
When we have unbelief, it means we don't trust God will do as He says! Such unbelief robs us from the supernatural power of God. In Mark 6, Jesus visited his hometown of Nazareth but the people were too familiar with his family and could not believe in Him. Mark 6:5-6 (NIV) 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
How many times have we been robbed of God's supernatural intervention, because we had unbelief? A pastor shared with me a story where he was holding a crusade in a Muslim area. There was a little girl with a shrivelled arm who was brought to the meeting. After the pastor prayed for the little girl her arm started to heal. When she went home, her parents were very upset that she went to a Christian meeting and they refused to believe that Jesus was healing her arm. Their unbelief stopped the healing process. The girl’s arm was not fully restored.
Yet when there is faith, God will respond favourably. During Jesus' ministry, His focus was on the Jews, yet at various times non-Jews received ministry from Jesus because they had strong faith. Mark 7:26-30 (NIV) 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Where faith is, God is there!
When there is faith, especially strong faith - God gets excited! God gets involved! Where faith is, God is there!
Will we grow in our trust and confidence in God? Let’s anchor our faith upon God! To believe God and to appropriate His promises for us, personally and corporately. To believe God can work His power in and through us. Ordinary people, with an extraordinary God!
When Jesus came, He did not declare that now we shall go to the Kingdom of God. But He declared that the Kingdom of God has come! The Kingdom of God has broken through into this world and is growing, expanding to impact every sphere of human endeavour. God has made available the keys of the kingdom.
The key of faith unleashes the authority and power of the Kingdom!
I have a big bunch of old keys in my drawers. But my big problem is I have no idea what locks they were meant to unlock. If we do not know what the kingdom keys are for or how to use it, it is useless to us. One of the master keys is faith. The key of faith unleashes the authority and power of the Kingdom!
We can open doors for the Kingdom to enter into every sphere we are in. With faith, we unleash the Kingdom. With faith, we unleash God's power! What we must do is have faith! Let’s unleash your faith in God!
FAITH UNLEASHES EXTRAORDINARY ACTS
Exodus 14:22 (NIV) … and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
Can you imagine walking for several kilometres through the bed of a sea where the sea has been pushed back supernaturally by the wind? Millions of tonnes of water pushed back into walls of water towering several stories over you. Churning, surging, foaming but held back with little more than the winds! Would you dare walk through this seabed? What if the wind failed? You would be instantly crushed to death by the force of the waters alone! Yet the Israelites rose to the occasion and with faith did an extraordinary feat of walking through the seabed.
When there is faith in our hearts, it can unleash us into extraordinary acts! What kinds of extraordinary acts?
Acts of extraordinary venture.
When you find a person of great faith, you find them involved in extraordinary ventures. Jesus said in Matt 17:20 (NIV) “...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Reinhard Bonnke the German evangelist had a goal to see 100 million people come to Christ. An audacious goal, yet in his ministry he led more than 79 million people to Christ.
Jackie Pullinger when she was 22 years old left England on a slow boat in 1966 to Hong Kong because she wanted to be a missionary. By faith she began to reach out into the slums of the Walled City and touched the drug addicts and triads. Through her many were delivered from addiction and set free through the power of the Holy Spirit. And she continues to do so until today, about 50 years later!
Ordinary people with an extraordinary God will make extraordinary ventures.
Ordinary people with an extraordinary God will make extraordinary ventures. Why? Because they believe exactly what Jesus declared. Nothing will be impossible - if we dare to believe.
Jesus gave us the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth and to make disciples of every nation. As Jesus declared in Matt 11:12 (NIV) From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. Will you be counted amongst such forceful men? A people of faith!
Acts of extraordinary sacrifice.
Extraordinary ventures require extraordinary sacrifice.
Extraordinary ventures often come with a price. A great price requiring extraordinary sacrifice. Extraordinary ventures require extraordinary sacrifice.
Both Reinhard Bonnke and Jackie Pullinger could have lived comfortable lives in their home countries. But they chose to go to the nations that God called them to. They sacrificed comfort, money, even their reputations to carry out what God laid upon their hearts. Why? Because it is worth it. For a greater goal. Winning the lost to Christ. Saving multitudes from hell. Seeing the hurt and broken, made whole in God.
Paul the apostle wrote in 2 Cor 11:25-27 (NIV) 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, … 26 I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
I will be frank with you. Extraordinary ventures can take a lot out of you! I know because I have been doing it for over 30 years! I have sacrificed my career, my finances, even my reputation for the sake of God's call upon my life. And you know what? It is worth it! Given a second chance, I would do it again! Nothing gives me greater joy than hearing the many testimonies in our midst of people's lives being changed. Of people encountering God!
Faith unleashed impacts the world in extraordinary ways.
No sacrifice is too great to see people saved from hell and brought into God's family. When I die, I don't want to leave behind my ashes. I want to leave behind a changed world. This takes faith. Faith unleashed will cause ordinary people to make extraordinary acts. Faith unleashed impacts the world in extraordinary ways.
FAITH UNLEASHES INCOMPARABLE SUCCESS
The odds of the Israelites escaping from the Egyptian army of chariots were next to zero. Yet through the mighty hand of God, every single Egyptian soldier was wiped out. At times, life can be challenging. The odds against success can be very high. Yet with faith in God, the odds can be turned around.
Faith overcomes incredible odds.
Exodus 14:23 (NIV) The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.
Incredible odds were against the Israelites. But an even more incredible God was on their side. The Egyptian army was wiped out in one night! Faith made it possible.
An Australian, Nick Vujicic suffered from tetra-amelia syndrome, and was born without arms or legs. Any ordinary person would grow up devastated by this condition. But Nick is a man living a fulfilled and effective life, because of his faith in Christ! He graduated from university and became an inspirational speaker and evangelist. His ministry became known as Life Without Limbs.
When we become Christians, God did not promise us a bed of roses. Life can still be very challenging. But God promised to provide us strength to overcome, if we would trust Him. 1 Cor 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Every believer can gain a life of victory over personal challenges.
Every believer can gain a life of victory over personal challenges. Open your hearts to God and let faith be unleashed to overcome the odds.
Faith brings supernatural success.
Exodus 14:28 (NIV) The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
Without faith we are unable to tap into God's assistance. With faith, we align with God who is always victorious.
The success that the Israelites had over the Egyptian army was clearly supernatural. In the final analysis, it is God who brings lasting victory. Without faith we are unable to tap into God's assistance. With faith, we align with God who is always victorious. Psa 20:6 (NRSV) Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.
If you want to experience true success, you need to have faith in God. Because God can multiply our successes. Even when we seem to be inadequate.
Joni Eareckson Tada had a diving accident in 1967 and became a quadriplegic. Most would think her life has been absolutely destroyed. Yet over the years she has written numerous books including several well-received children's books, some of which received awards. From a few autobiographies, the first book Joni was made into film in 15 languages. She also recorded several musical albums.
Joni founded Joni and Friends (J&F) in 1979 whose mission is to bring practical help and Gospel hope to people with disabilities globally. Every year they organise special retreats for thousands of disabled people and their families and equip churches to embrace disable people. They produce radio programs and podcasts design to address practical disability issues. J&F recycled and donated over 15,000 used wheelchairs for third world countries.
Joni is a sought-after speaker in conferences around the world. She was a columnist in Moody Magazine, Christian Herald, etc. She served on several boards of Christian organisations (national and global) and advised numerous charities. Her advocacy and role model has been recognised with many awards and honorary degrees from various universities..
God wants us to succeed in life. More than you can imagine! The key is faith in God. Faith unleashes divine supernatural success because of the blessings of God!
CONCLUSION
God has made keys available to tap into the authority and power of God. Faith is a crucial key to unlock God’s power, extraordinary acts and incomparable success. That is why God seeks those with faith.
Copyright©️2024 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.
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