By: Apostle Steve Lyston
We are living in a time of great challenges and economic constraints. Some people are experiencing hopelessness, joblessness, and there is even an increase in suicides and suicidal tendencies. Despite all these problems, each of us has a hidden force within us, the capacity for faith in God that can bring success into our lives.
“What is faith?” According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘faith’ is ‘a complete trust or confidence in someone or something.’
Faith is believing in God without doubt. Believe in God that what you desire or pursue will come to pass. Faith is your heavenly currency/heavenly money.
The world would be a better place today if we put our complete trust/confidence in God to achieve our desires/goals. Many leaders today, put their faith in bailouts from donors such the IMF. Some have faith in military might; for some it is their advisers and PR mechanisms; for some it is the voodoo or witch doctor; others have more faith in gambling than even tithing. Many leaders are failing because they no longer put their faith in God for success.
If we exercise our faith we can change our circumstances. We can change the direction of our beliefs, our lives. We can change the state of our bank accounts (Mark 9:23) God requires all of us to have a ‘NOW-faith’, (Hebrews 11) which can advance our expected goals and objectives by 10 years or more.
To exercise your faith, you first need to establish what your needs are. What dreams, desires, goals, or objectives would you like to achieve? Do you need a job? A car? Healing? A miracle? All of these can be achieved through faith in God. What change do you want in your life? Are you tired of hopelessness? Through faith we can see the manifestation of His works.
Faith in God can turn a country that is on a path of gloom and destruction on to a path of prosperity! When the difficulties of life face us, faith in God will always create a way out, in ways you could not even imagine! In facing difficult tasks, many leaders and individuals will make hasty, hard choices and follow-up with statements like, “There is no other way!” But it is a sin not to have faith in God (Romans 14:22-23). Faith is the master key to open all doors and unlock the treasure that one desires.
Many large corporations today can tell us that when they began, it was just by faith. Through faith they have expanded and experienced growth. Even the preparation of budgets for sales projections in an organization, is faith in action. When one has faith in God nothing is impossible!
There are many things people will say are impossible. How about closing a business deal, without having the criteria for success? Let’s say you want to get into business but don’t have the startup funds, but because you pursue it by faith, success is achieved. So faith extends favor.
Many organizations will draw up plans for construction without having the funding to do so. This is faith in action. The very act of completing a plan without investors is really an act of faith. Many of you have great ideas but don’t have the funds to make it a reality. What are you waiting for? Exercise your faith and you will see the manifestation of the evidence of things not seen. Realize that fear, doubt, logic all of those oppose faith.
Many unemployed persons will sit at home in a pity party, saying that people don’t want to employ them. Sometimes it pays to get dressed in your best clothes and volunteer in organizations by faith and see what will happen. Send out resumes to organizations for positions you are not even academically qualified for, or fields you did not study! Remember faith without works is dead.
How about starting your own consulting company? Speak positively by faith daily. Words create, shape and form. Confess that you are broke, and indeed, you will always be broke! But if you confess that you are the next millionaire by faith it will happen and believe it; and pursue what you believe, you will have it! (Matthew 7:7-12)
How about getting your cheque book and declaring money in your account by faith? How about filling out MoneyGram or Western Union forms by faith to receive money? All strange to you, but it is faith in action!
How about symbolically getting a blank ‘house key’ to represent by faith the keys to your new house? Or how about purchasing a tie, by faith, for whomever your husband will be? Then as you hold strong to your faith and continue to follow His Divine principles – watch the manifestation!
When your faith increases, your wealth increases. Faith brings expansion and it can birth each of your God-given visions. As you read and share this article, watch the manifestation of your faith.