The Spirit of Faith

I have been preaching a series of "classic" messages over the past few weeks at our church, Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, MI, and a lot of people have commented on how helpful they have been. This month's Word in Season teaching, The Spirit of Faith, is from one of those messages, and I trust that it will be an encouragement to you.

Through the years, I've heard many people say, "Pastor, faith seems to work for others, but it just doesn't work for me." When I have investigated further, many of them have said, "Well, I just believe in my heart." That's the problem. Faith is more than just believing in your heart.

Romans 10:8 says that the word of faith is "near you, in your mouth and in your heart." Throughout the Bible, God is constantly teaching us how we should talk. Here are just a few examples to show you what I mean:

Joshua 1:8 - "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth..."
Job 22:28 - "You will decree a thing, and it will be established for you..."
Psalm 91:2 - David wrote, "I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress..."
Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."
Isaiah 57:19 - God said, "I create the fruit of the lips..."
Joel 3:10 - "Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'"
Hebrews 13:6 - "So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear."
Luke 17:6 - Jesus said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."

In Romans 8, Paul talked about the things he was suffering through, and he wrote, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" That needs to be our mindset as well, and our words - like Paul's - need to reflect what we believe in our hearts.

My prayer for you is that you have a faith that is fully engaged and that you experience God's abundant provision in every area of your life. God is for you - and so am I!

Sincerely,

Duane Vander Klok