Introduction

We thank God for leading us to focus on the study of faith which is one of the prerequisites for walking in signs and wonders  this year. We started with the study of the name of Jesus and we have been blessed by great revelations from the word of God. The summary of our studies can be found in Col. 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

The understanding of the name of Jesus sets the foundation for our journey into the mystery of Faith. Faith is one of the fruit of the spirit (Gal.5:22-23). It is one of the very natures of God. Since we are partakers of God’s divine nature (2Pet.1:4) then,  living by faith is a must for our relationship with God.

1)   What is Faith? : Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

a)      Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.- Martin L.King Jr.

b)      Faith is making the Words of God the main determining factor for every action you take, and remaining at peace whether you know the outcome or not.. Web definition

The NIV stated that “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”

Moffatt's translation of this verse reads: "Now faith means that we are confident of what  we hope for, convinced of what we do not see."

The definition of faith will not be well rounded without understanding the relationship between hope and faith. Faith is giving substance to the things hoped for. Hope is not faith and faith is not hope.

2)   The Difference Between Faith and Hope: 

Hope is a great thing and it is also a key part of faith. But Hope alone has no certainty; but with faith comes certainty. It is this certainty (trust) that says to a mountain “move” and it will move!

Without the certainty that God will do what he promises, the great acts of faith we see in the Bible would never have happened.

Faith gives us the confidence to act on Gods promises… hope alone does not.

Hope is future tense. Thank God we do have a Blessed Hope. The Blessed Hope of the Church is the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saved dead, the rapture of the living saints, the hope of heaven, and the hope of seeing our loved ones and friends. Thank God for that hope. We rejoice in that hope, but that's all future tense. Jesus is coming again, whether we believe it or not.

Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

From this verse of scripture, we see that we must have HOPE to have FAITH. There is no faith without hope. But you don’t have to have faith to have hope. We know what we hope for, but that’s only the first part of having faith… we have to be “… certain of what [we] do not see.” Faith requires both parts!

Substituting hope for faith is like trying to win a race without crossing the finish line… you have to start and finish. The power is not in starting the race… anyone can do that. The power is in finishing. This is why faith is so difficult.

3)      Changing Hope to Faith To Receive Miracle:

Hebrews 11:1 reads: "Faith is giving substance ... to things hoped for." The journey of faith starts at the door of hope. Mark 5:21 “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” The hope of a miraculous healing made the woman to seek out for Jesus; believing that touching Jesus’s garmet would heal her was an “activator” of her faith and when she acted on her faith (by leaving her house and going ahead to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment) she received her miracle!

4)      To receive, we need faith – not hope!

A look at the hall of faith

Read Hebrews 11 verses 1-40

• It was faith that empowered Abraham to take Isaac to be sacrificed.
• It was faith that empowered David to fight Goliath.

·         It was through faith the people of old subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, and stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again and the walls of Jericho fell down.

Notice how faith always inspired fearless action! Hope doesn’t do that… only faith does. That’s why “…certainty in what you do not see” is so important.

The certainty of faith removes all fear, and doubt… something that simple hope cannot.

• It is by faith we please God, It is by faith we receive.
• Hope says “I’m expecting it” while Faith says “I have it”

Here are a few encounters:

• Matthew 9:2“Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, "Cheer up, friend! Your sins are forgiven."
• Matthew 15:28 “Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, you have strong faith! What you wanted will be done for you." At that moment her daughter was cured.”
• Matthew 17:20 “. . . . If your faith is the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move”
• Matthew 21:21 “If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, 'Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.”

We only receive when we pray in FAITH!

Conclusion

The study of faith is a very wide subject that will require extensive search for deeper understanding and revelation. We thank God for His generals like Kenneth E. Hagin who did extensive studies on the subject of Faith in his life time. This study was extracted from his book; Faith Bible Study Guide.

Contributors: Alex Alajiki & Isekhua Evborokhai