The Bible says to every person is given a measure of faith…it is in degree’s or a day by day process. It is like a flower that needs water (the word of God in the Bible when it is properly taught in context). For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I grew in my faith by not just going to church but by praying with an expectation that what he promised me will come to pass. There are delays and instant results….delays are due to timing which is not of our own but in God’s timing…he knows what is best for us as sometimes we are not ready for the blessings due to unforgiveness or other sins…other times there is evil forces that desire to be an obstacle (I will explain another time) to discourage you in an eternal tug of war between good and evil.
For example the bible says that God does not hear prayers if you have unforgiveness in your heart…why because he forgave us of all of our sins even though we did not deserve it…so one must go back and forgive all the people/spouse that have hurt you in the past and release them from it…when you release them… God will release his blessing to you. Or in practical terms I won’t give my son, who is a little boy, a motorcycle because he is not ready yet… Why? Well only due to the fact that I “know” what will happen if i do give it to him, that does not mean that he does not have the potential…its just not time yet. Another example is one may need to develop patience or knowledge in what the word of God says about you or your situation.
Here is a Faith Building Example
If I want to know about how to fix something that is broken I don’t try to fix it myself if I did not make it 🙂 so since no one on earth created you…you must Go to the original manufacturer (God) and read the manual (Bible) and sit among others at the repair shop (A Good Church) Listen to those that have read the manual and understand it (The Pastor or Other people of strong faith). Once you begin to understand the manual then you will notice that there are special sections in the manual that have benefits (Blessings) and phone numbers to dial for help (Scriptures)…You also realize that there are many others (People in the Church) that have problems as well and are also at the repair shop (A Good Church) too! Once you leave the repair shop others that care about you (believers) will help you read the manual on your own and encourage you to follow the instructions even when you are not at the repair shop (A Good Church) for accountability. Soon you will able to believe the accuracy and validity of the manual because the next time something is broken you go back to the manual, follow the directions, and find out over and over that they always work!
The Big Surprise is that over time…as you keep reading and following the instructions of the manual (Bible) you find out that there is a hidden section that shows you (The Holy Spirit) how to communicate directly (prayer) with the manufacturer (God)! No lines, no waiting and he always answers! You also find out about legal assistance as there is an advocate (Jesus Christ) there to get you out of trouble every time you don’t follow the instructions(disobedience), or run into The False Sheriff (The Devil) and his evil law enforcement (demons) or do something that the manufacturer does not like (Sin). The Legal assistance is free (Salvation) as long as you confess and let him speak on your behalf and listen to him until the case is closed (forgiveness)
Faith forces you to not look at your circumstances but at the promises of God and not man. People will let you down… even the best of us…as we are not God….the safest place for your faith is in…wait for it….God! Who is the eternal manufacturer of the universe that always, always knows how to fix and bless his creation. – Pastor Andre Martin