"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).

If we were to ask ourself the question, "When does my faith grow the most," I wonder what our answer would be? My answer would be that my faith grows the most when I use it. The great men and women of the Bible weren't full of faith because everything always went right for them. No! They became great because they proved God to be faithful, no matter what the situation. If being a Christian was always an 'easy' road, we would never be stretched to grow and mature in God.

Sometimes when things appear to be going wrong we can think we are 'out of God's will,' when in fact we are right 'in God's will.' We are right in a position for God to stretch our faith to take us deeper into Himself. It is worth remembering that God doesn't hand out cushions when He saves us. Joseph was right 'in God's will' when he was sold as a slave into Egypt and then became imprisoned for many years. And, even though his situation was extremely difficult, yet God blessed everything he worked at. The plan of God was to work character before comfort into Joseph's life. God even blessed his master, Potiphar, for no other reason than that Joseph lived under the same roof. Potiphar saw with his own eyes and recognised that the prisoner Joseph had a depth and quality in his life that he didn't have. Joseph was totally faithful in the small things and, because of this, God promoted him to become a very great leader (see Genesis ch. 37-50).

David as a young lad was totally 'in God's will' when everyone else thought he was mad. When he faced Goliath the giant, every man in the Israeli army thought he was somewhat disturbed in his mind. But David's faith wasn't in his own ability; that would have failed him miserably. David's faith wasn't in the Israeli army; they had already proved themselves to be cowards. David's faith was solely and completely in God and, when he stepped out in the anointing of the Lord, God gave him the victory (1 Samuel 17).

God moves when by faith we declare His Word and His will into the situation, and act and move according to our declaration of faith. Yes, yes, yes! We certainly "can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us" (Philippians 4:13).

The subject of FAITH is always an interesting one to meditate on. Faith is a prophetic thing. It comes by "hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Faith is about standing on that which God has already declared to be His will. He wants it to happen! But He wants it to happen through believers demonstrating their belief in the Living God. When that word of faith comes to our heart it has the capacity to overcome every obstacle that stands against the will of God (1 John 5:4).

True Bible faith is the greatest security we can know - GOD is backing us! Faith transcends logic, reasoning and natural circumstances. It is not limited to the voices of the people (unless we allow that to happen to us - then it becomes discouragement).

The Christian life is a faith walk. Believing what God says more than every other "voice." It is birthed in relationship with Jesus, listening to Him, and then our obedience to that word He speaks.

Things about you right now may be contrary and negative. Don't dwell on those. Lift your eyes higher to focus clearly on Jesus, and faith will rise in you, as you discover afresh His heart is for you!

Bible  Readings: Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 119:1-11; Hebrews 11.

Please Pray This Prayer:

 "FATHER, I thank You that I am Your son/daughter and that You have come into my life in a real way. I declare to You today that I receive and believe Your declared promises to me. I stand on them and declare that "No weapon formed against me will prosper" (Isaiah 54:17). I co-operate with You for the fulfilling of Your will in my life. I confess to You that my faith is in You, and in Your promises to me. By faith I rise above all the negativities that try to bring me down. I declare those negativities will not prosper in my life. I am "God's property" - body, soul and spirit - and I live for His glory. In Jesus' name, Amen!"

The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry,  New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.