OPEN HEAVENS BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE FRIDAY 26th APRIL 2019.
TOPIC: Not How Big!
MEMORY VERSE:
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” – (Mark 9:24).
READ: Luke 17:5-6 (KJV)
5. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.6. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Faith is a spiritual word that is a bit complicated to define. However, Hebrews 11:1 provides the best explanation on the subject of faith by defining it as the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. Faith gives a Christian the assurance of things which do not exist, and provides the conviction that what we hope for will happen but because God said it will happen.
Practically speaking, faith involves taking God at His word and acting according to it, despite the hopelessness of the situation and irrespective of what the odds look like.
As children of God, we generally find it easier to apply faith when dealing with simple matters of daily life like sleeping and waking up, but find it difficult to apply the same faith when confronted with difficult life-threatening issues like sickness and death. This should not be so.
In Luke 17:5, the apostles pleaded with Jesus to increase their faith. To better understand how faith works, let us closely examine Jesus’ response to their request. Luke 17:6 says:
“And the Lord said, if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
From the apostle’s request, they obviously thought that they needed mush bigger faith to accomplish spiritual tasks. Unfortunately, this is the same mindset a lot of Christians have today. Jesus’ response reveals that the size of faith does not really matter.
The smallest faith is enough to accomplish the biggest spiritual assignment, once the required conditions are fulfilled. By the grace of God, I have had my own fair share of dealing practically with the issue of faith, and God has always honored my faith irrespective of its size.
One area of the new covenant that requires faith is connecting with the power of divine life embedded in Christ’s flesh and blood. Anyone who partakes in the Holy Communion by faith is bound to receive whatever miracle he or she desires. The Holy Communion is the most powerful meal imaginable, but faith is required to activate its hidden power. This divine meal has brought about abundant testimonies of great miracles, such as healing from incurable and life threatening diseases, deliverance from deadly vices and demonic powers, incredible financial breakthroughs, miraculous restoration of broken homes and relationships, and much more. The next time you partake of this miracle meal, apply your faith to it, I assure you that you will experience divine healing and deliverance through its power.
ACTION POINT:
Apply Jude 1:20 to build up your faith by praying more in the Spirit in your closet.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Genesis 32-33, Jeremiah 25:17-33
HYMNAL:
Hymn 7 – My hope is built on nothing less
1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus name.
CHORUS:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
2. When darkness seems to veil His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
CHORUS:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
3. His oath, His covenant, and blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
CHORUS:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
CHORUS:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
