Faith is very important. It is our method of pleasing God. "Without faith it is impossib1e to please him" (Heb. 11:6).

It is also our method of victory over everything the devil throws in our paths… "and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

God has instructed us to live by faith.

In 2 Thessalonians (chapter 3) when Paul says, "All men have not faith," he is talking about the wicked men of the world, not the Church. People in the Church have been given faith; people in the world have not.

First Things First
To be dealt the measure of faith, you have to be born again. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."

If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, every man that is among you includes you. God has dealt you the measure of faith. Someone may say, "Yes, but my faith will never be as great as the faith of men like Oral Roberts or T.L. Osborn. God dealt them a large measure and me a little dab."

If God deals some people more faith than others, what criteria does He use in deciding who gets how much? How do we impress God enough to get Him to give us some extra faith? Faith is...not of works, lest any man should boast.

The Bible says God is just and no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He deals to every believer the same measure of faith.

Let's examine the meaning of "metron," the Greek word for measure. Metron literally means "a determined extent; a portion taken off." The word portion implies a part or a measure of something.

Let me give you an example of "a determined extent." If I invited some people to my house for pie, I wouldn't give one person the whole pie. I would calculate how much to give each person, and everyone would get exactly the same amount, a predetermined measure.

Our Own Measure of Faith
God predetermined the measure of faith. He would impart to every Believer before anyone was ever born again. He gave each Believer a determined extent, a portion taken off of His own faith.

That measure of faith is the same kind that created the universe. It led three million Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, and made a path of dry land across the Red Sea. It raised Jesus from the dead and has worked in the lives of the great men of faith throughout the ages.

Because these men used the measure God dealt them and followed the instructions in His Word, their faith grew. That's what makes them different from many other Christians. The measure of faith will be of no use to the person who lets it lie dormant.

God does not want you to live your entire Christian experience on the measure of faith He originally dealt you. In fact, He expects you to use His Word to increase it. Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

If you compare your faith level today to what it was a year ago, you will probably find that it has grown. That shows progress, and that is what pleases God.

Source: The Nature of Faith by Jerry Savelle.
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Ministries