ONE TIME AS two blind men were following Jesus, they cried out, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.” Jesus asked if they believed He was able to heal them. “Yes,” they replied. Touching their eyes, He said, “According to your faith be it unto you.” (See Matt. 9:27–29.)
Countless Christians today are crying out to God. They’re asking Him for many different things. Yet, they are not receiving and they don’t understand why. They are disappointed. They may have started out well. But on far too many occasions, their faith has fizzled.
The reason they’re not receiving is simple. They are asking God for something that is beyond their ability to believe.
Climbing the Faith Ladder
Living by faith can be compared to climbing a ladder. The right way to go up a ladder is by taking one step at a time. A person with long legs may think he can take two steps at a time. After all, he’d get to the top quicker that way. What about taking three steps at a time? Have you ever tried to climb a ladder by taking three or four steps at a time? Just think how fast you could get to the top.
It’s obvious why taking more than one step at a time is not a good idea. Instead of being quicker, it’s actually more difficult and unsafe. A person climbing that way can struggle and maybe even fall and get hurt. The best way to climb a ladder is one step at a time.
The same is true with faith. Trying to take two or three steps or one giant leap at a time is not a good idea. When we do this, we’re actually trying to believe God beyond our faith level.
How Much Faith Is Enough
Romans 12:3 says, “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” In this verse, the word “the” indicates that all Christians received the same amount of faith when we were born again. So it’s not that we don’t have enough faith.
Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that if we had faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, we could move a mountain. We don’t need a lot of faith. We just need to exercise the faith we’ve been given.
Everybody has muscles. But some people develop their muscles more than others do. I’m pretty strong, but if I stand next to a professional bodybuilder, my biceps will look small compared to his. He’s developed his muscles more than I’ve developed mine!
The same is true with faith. Some people have developed their faith muscles far more than others. They can easily believe for something large, while others struggle with receiving small things. The more we exercise our faith, the easier it will be to see the promises of God manifested in our lives.
No one goes to a gym and immediately bench-presses 400 pounds. That person would hurt himself if he tried. He has to start out with lower weights and build his way up. The same is true with boxing. Someone doesn’t start to box one weekend and then try to fight the world champion the next weekend.
We laugh at that because it would be ridiculous. Yet some people hear one sermon on faith and then try to fight for the “world championship.”
David’s Faith Walk
David didn’t start out by slaying Goliath. He first fought a lion and a bear. By the time he got to Goliath, he already knew how to believe God. He knew what it was like to step out in faith with nothing but God to rely on.
David didn’t use the armor King Saul wanted him to wear. He hadn’t proven it (1 Sam. 17:39). Some Christians make the mistake of trying to do what worked for somebody else. They say, “Well, so-and-so was in the same situation that I’m in now. I’m going to do what he did.”
When we do this, we’re basing our faith on another person’s faith. To get results, we must base our faith only on God’s Word.
David wasn’t accustomed to a shield, helmet, or other armor. He was accustomed to his shepherd’s garment, a staff, and a pouch on his side with stones in it. He had a slingshot and he knew how to use it. King Saul’s armor didn’t fit him. He didn’t try to make what worked for King Saul work for him.
Faith Exercises
A good way to exercise our faith muscles is to believe God for something every day. Make it something that is attainable that day.
In 1974 when we started Rhema, I left home every morning with nothing in my pocket except an empty billfold, a pocketknife, and a set of keys. If I wanted a cup of coffee, a cold drink, or lunch, I had to believe God for it. I never told anybody I didn’t have any money. I just trusted God.
Without fail, after I’d teach and go back to my office, a dollar or two and sometimes five would be on my desk.
Later, when Craig and I wanted to ride off-road motorcycles, I believed God for the money to buy the motorcycles and equipment. Even if I had the cash, I would trust God for it instead, because I understood the importance of keeping my ability to believe Him expanded to the limit.
I learned how important it is to believe God for something every day. I know for a fact that if I hadn’t continually exercised my faith in Rhema’s early days, I would not be able to believe God for the millions of dollars it takes to operate this ministry today.
If we don’t continually exercise our faith, it will shrink. But the more we exercise it, the more it will grow. Instead of seeing our faith fizzle, we will see victory after victory after victory!
Practical Steps to Build Strong Faith
1.Surround yourself with things that produce faith.
Turn off the TV, log off Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and read your Bible.
- Put your faith in God’s Word, not in someone’s experience.
Let God answer your prayers His way. Your answer may come an entirely different way than someone else’s.
- Obey God’s Word.
God requires all of His children to walk in the light of Scripture.
- Remain humble.
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Realize you would not be where you are today without God’s grace and love.
- Be bold.
When you know who you are in Christ, you can boldly demand of the devil your rights in Christ.
Author
Kenneth W. Hagin
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