“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK!
Faith is anchored in the invisible realm, which is superior to all that is visible. When we declare something by faith, from eternity, we bring it into existence.
REFLECTIONS ON CONFESSING GOD’S WORD
We make transactions using the spiritual currency of God’s kingdom by declaring His Word in faith. We must make this a practice in our lives. However, let me caution you not to confuse faith with the act of confessing God’s promises. In today’s church, faith is often turned into a formula, so that some Christians tend to believe they will find a solution to their problems by simply repeating Bible verses. Faith is thereby reduced to “positive confession” rather than something activated by the “living and powerful” Word of God. (See Hebrews 4:12.) Remember that confessing what God has said feeds our faith, but it is not faith itself.
We cannot think like God unless we possess internal “knowing.” Faith “sees” the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible.
Study Questions Continued….
Part II: How to Live and Move in “Now” Faith
God wants to move us into the dimension of faith that is in the here and now—for miracles, signs, wonders, and acceleration in the advancement of His kingdom. Let us examine the steps to living and moving in “now” faith.
- Operate Your Faith from a Place of Righteousness
- (a) Who will live by his faith? (Romans 1:17b; Habakkuk 2:4b)
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(b) In the gospel, how is the righteousness of God revealed? Complete the following:
Romans 1:17a: “…the righteousness of God is revealed _____________ ______________ ______ _____________.”
The law of righteousness makes faith operative; unrighteousness makes it inoperative.
- Walk by Faith, Not By Sight
- (a) God determines the purpose of something before He creates it, and He finishes everything in eternity before He starts it on earth. What does God declare in accordance with this reality? Complete the following:
Isaiah 46:10a: “Declaring _______ ________ ___________ _______ ____________________, and ___________ ____________________ ___________ _____________ ___________ __________ _________ ________ ___________….”
(b) How do we inherit the promises of God? (Hebrews 6:12b)
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REFLECTIONS ON WALKING BY FAITH
Second Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” The word “sight” represents the limitations of our natural environment, surroundings, circumstances, difficulties, obstacles, sicknesses, lack, impossibilities, and more. Such things are the opposite of faith. In order to rise above them, we must “see” a different reality and acquire a new perspective. If our thoughts are consumed by a hard situation, problem, or obstacle, we are not living by faith. The natural world is unstable, insecure, and temporal, but God does not change. When we walk by faith and not sight, our reality no longer depends on our environment or circumstances but on His eternal reality, and we become everything He has called us to be.
Faith is a continuous, supernatural walk with God in the now.
- Rise Above Human Reason Through the Spirit and the Word
- What are some ways in which the Holy Spirit enables us to rise above human reason so that we may live in the realm of faith? Complete the following:
John 16:13: “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, _____ __________ ____________ ________ __________ ________ ______________; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and ______ _________ _________ ________ ____________ _____ __________.”
- (a) What does the “entrance” of God’s words give? (Psalm 119:130)
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(b) What are some things for which the “God-breathed” Scriptures are useful? (2 Timothy 3:16b NIV)
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Faith is the ability to believe what reason finds nonsensical.
- Renounce the Spirit of Religion
- (a) Religion enslaves people by raising mental strongholds that prevent God’s fresh revelation from entering their hearts and minds. As a result, they often become legalists. What can our spiritual weapons, including the Armor of God, mightily do? (2 Corinthians 10:4b)
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(b) We can rise above the spirit of religion in the same way that we rise above human reason and logic, paving the way for increased faith. To review, how do we do this? (Verse 5)
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Everything to which we conform will become our reality and mind-set.
- Continually Walk in the Revealed Knowledge of God
- (a) We must regularly read and/or listen to recordings of the Scriptures in order to feed our spirits and our faith, enabling us to receive and walk in God’s revealed knowledge. In accordance with this necessity, what did the psalmist tell God he would do—practices that we, too, should engage in? (Psalm 119:15–16)
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(b) Like the psalmist, what should we pray as we read God’s Word? (Psalm 119:18)
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(c) We must not only learn and understand God’s Word and receive revelation from the Holy Spirit, but we must also apply, in faith, what we have learned, understood, and received. What did the psalmist pray in agreement with this? (Psalm 119:33–34)
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Faith is based on knowledge. The only parts of the Bible that will work for us are the ones we know.
- Stand Firm on God’s Truth, Not on Facts
- What did Jesus say will happen if we abide in His Word, and thereby know the truth? (John 8:32)
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- Record some truths of Scripture on which we can stand—if we are living in obedience to God’s Word—rather than on the “facts” of various situations:
(a) The fact is sickness. What is the truth of Scripture? (Isaiah 53:5b)
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(b) The fact is a lack of finances. What is the truth of Scripture? (Philippians 4:19)
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(c) The fact is depression. What is the truth of Scripture? (Isaiah 61:3a)
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(d) The fact is that our difficulties are wearing us down. What is the truth of Scripture? (2 Corinthians 4:16–18a)
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Truth is the only thing that can defy facts because it is the highest level of reality and operates beyond facts. Facts are temporal, but faith is eternal.
- Maintain the Rhythm of Your Faith
As we have seen, each time we receive fresh revelation, we must put it into practice and experience it. This will enable us to continually maintain the “rhythm” of our faith. Otherwise, our faith will come to a standstill, and God’s Word will be nullified in our lives, because it will exist beyond our level of obedience. An important way we can grow spiritually and maintain the rhythm of our faith is by diligently adding to our spiritual attributes through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- (a) List the spiritual attributes that we should progressively acquire, beginning with our faith. (2 Peter 1:5b–7)
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(b) What will be the result if we abound in these attributes? (Verse 8)
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- Exercise Your Faith Through Love
- (a) What truly “avails” in our relationship with God? (Galatians 5:6b)
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KEY DEFINITION: The Greek word translated “working” in Galatians 5:6 is energeo, which means “to be active, efficient” (STRONG, G1754), or “to be at work, to work, to do” (NASC, G1754). While righteousness makes faith operative, love energizes and activates it. Faith works through love because it functions according to the character of God. Faith that doesn’t originate in love is like a clanging cymbal—pure noise without substance. (See 1 Corinthians 13:1.)
(b) What was poured out in our hearts when God gave us the Holy Spirit, enabling us to live according to the spiritual reality of Galatians 5:6? Complete the following:
Romans 5:5b: “Now hope does not disappoint, because _________ __________ ______ _________ has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Every miracle and healing that Jesus performed was motivated by compassion.
Conclusion
If we conform to what the natural world says, we will accept it as being the last word, and it will rule over us. When such thinking becomes established in our hearts, we are not able to receive the supernatural, and we become magnets for sickness, poverty, lack, depression, and pain. We must establish in our hearts the truths that go beyond all temporal reality so that we may receive in the now everything that Jesus provided for us on the cross!
God designed you to be saved, righteous, holy, at peace, joyful, blessed, healthy, free, prosperous, and more. You don’t have to wait for someday in the future to be saved, healed, and prosperous. Faith is “now” to provide practical solutions to the problems we face every day. But we also have to intentionally exercise our faith daily. Religion might have deactivated you from genuine faith, but today, as an apostle of God, I reactivate you in God’s faith to receive revelation and miracles right now. Reject empty tradition and religion as you continue to be transformed by the renewing of your mind and as you seize true faith!
Prayer of Activation
Perhaps you have been exercising your faith and have witnessed the power of God to some extent, but you want to enter the dimension of faith in the here and now in order to revolutionize your environment. I invite you to pray the following prayer out loud:
Heavenly Father, we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We believe that He is seated at Your right hand, that we are seated with Him in the heavenly places, and that we have received a measure of Your faith. From this day forward, we will live and walk in the divine supernatural. We have legal access to the invisible realm, and the supernatural is normal to us because we have Your perspective, in which anything is possible. Signs, miracles, and wonders are our lifestyle. By faith, we bring Your kingdom to earth. We call the eternal realm to the physical realm! We heal the sick, cast out demons, release prophetic words, deliver the captives, and preach the gospel of the kingdom with power. Father, we know that You give us the grace to do all these things, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Action Steps
- Establish a daily practice of reading the Bible and/ or listening to recorded Scriptures.
- Commit to using, exercising, and investing your faith. Start by believing for small things. Give your faith a specific assignment. For example, believe for a small amount of money, healing for a headache, or something else you need. If your faith is mature, go beyond these small requests and pray for salvation of souls, transformed hearts, creative miracles, deliverance, profitable business contracts, the multiplication of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, supernatural favor with people in authority, and more. The most important thing is to live by your faith and to exercise it continuously so that you will maintain its rhythm and keep moving to greater levels of faith.
- Decide right now to rise above the places, people, and things that keep you from walking and growing in faith. Begin to edify a new atmosphere of faith in your life and home. Do not conform to the temporal; seek God and enter the spirit realm, where faith can change your reality. Sickness, problems, adversity, and trials were never ordained to be permanent. Yet we have learned to tolerate them, and we have turned them into something permanent by saying, “My sickness; my pain; my lack; my depression…” We speak as if these things belonged to us, when they don’t. Take authority over them in faith, right now, in the name of Jesus!
