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And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he SAITH. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(Mark 11:22-24)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Heb. 11:1)
Jesus told us to have faith in God. The margin note in my King James Bible says, "Have the faith of God." God wants us to have His kind of faith. The God-kind of faith believes and speaks. That's how God created the universe in the first place (see Genesis chapter 1).

We need to take another look at faith - Bible faith - so we understand the God-kind of faith. Some people say things about faith that don't line up with the Word of God. Many people have assumed things about faith that are not biblically correct. When people don't understand Bible faith, they often make false assumptions about it.

Their false ideas about faith influence their remarks, attitudes, and actions. What they assume to be faith is not biblical faith at all, so they end up disappointed, thinking that faith in God doesn't work. They are misled just because they don't know what Bible faith is and what it is not. So we need to take another look at faith and see what Bible faith really is.

One Misconception
For example, one misconception about faith is that it is wrong to believe God for specific things or for specific needs to be met. Some people say that we only need a general faith in God because believing God for a specific prayer request is manipulating Him, and that detracts from His sovereignty.

We can pray about our specific needs. The Bible teaches us that God wants to supply our specific needs.
- Kenneth Hagin, Jr.
They teach that it is only appropriate to pray "Lord, Thy will be done," because we can never know the will of God. Therefore, to pray for anything specific may be praying against the will of god.

For example, these people teach that you may be praying for God to meet a financial need in your life, while God may want you to be poor. So they believe God may want to teach you something by allowing you to suffer with lack and poverty. Therefore, they say that if you pray for God to meet your financial needs, you could be praying against the will of God.

According to this teaching, you can never pray about anything specific with any confidence. You can only pray, "Lord, Your will be done." And you can never know what God's will is because "God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform."

But one problem with this teaching is that people assume that whatever the outcome, it must be God's will!

We can pray about our specific needs. The Bible teaches us that God wants to supply our specific needs.

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (PHIL. 4:19).

God wants to meet our specific needs! In fact, you should be specific with God based on the promises in His Word. Faith begins where the will of God is known, and if you know what His Word promises, then you know you can receive your specific petition. This is what the Bible teaches!

The Woman With the Issue of Blood
In Mark 5, there was a woman who had suffered for twelve years with an issue of blood. She needed to be healed. She had suffered many things of many physicians and was not better, but rather grew worse.

The woman with the issue of blood said, "If I may touch but his clothes, I will be whole" (v.28). In other words, she was believing God specifically for her healing. She had faith for a specific need to be met in her life - the healing of her body.

Jesus simply looked at her and said, "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole" (v.34). Her faith for a specific need was rewarded because she was healed and made completely whole!

The Lame Man at Lystra
Another example of people receiving specific needs met is the lame man in Acts 14 who needed a specific healing in his feet and ankle bones. Paul had preached in Lystra, and there was a crippled man in that city who needed to be healed. The man needed to be able to walk!

Not only did this man need to be healed, but Paul perceived that he had faith to be healed. However, if this man had never believed God to meet his specific need for healing, he never would have walked! He had faith for a specific need to be met - the healing of his feet and ankle bones.

My dad, Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin, had specific faith to be healed of a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. I would not have been born if it hadn't been for my dad's faith in God's Word. I thank God today that my dad had faith to believe God for a specific need - the healing of an incurable disease!

You many remember from reading my dad's books and hearing him minister that as a teenager on his deathbed, a minister was asked to visit him so my dad could ask him about Mark 11:23 and 24.

The doctor had already told Dad that he only had a few days to live. Because of his condition, Dad couldn't really speak. So when the minister came, Dad tried to ask him if Mark 11:23 and 24 really meant what it said.

The minister couldn't understand what Dad was trying to say. So he just patted him on the head, and putting on his best professional voice, he said, "There, there, my boy. Just a few more days, and it will all be over."

But, thank God, a teenaged boy had faith in the Word of God! No one told him about faith or divine healing. He had never heard anyone preach about believing God's Word. He simply read the Word of God for himself and believed it.

This ministry has taught faith in God's Word because God gave Brother Hagin a special assignment or a special commission to teach faith. God told him, "Go teach My people faith."

This doesn't mean there's not more to the Word of God than faith or that faith is more important than other biblical doctrines. But faith is important because the Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6).

Find Out What Faith Is Not
The Bible defines faith for us in Hebrews chapter 11. And we can understand more about faith by looking at different translations of Hebrews 11:1 that help define what faith is.

But sometimes to accurately define and identify something, we must first find out what it is not. In fact, sometimes it is easier to find out what something is when you find out what it is not. It is then easier to discover what it actually is.

Listed below are some things that faith is not:

  • Faith is not an isolated spiritual force; in other words, faith works in connection with other spiritual forces.
  • Faith is not denial; it does not deny the existence of a problem.
  • Faith is not neglect; it does not neglect responsibilities.
  • Faith is not imitation. Faith cannot be imitated; it must arise in each person's heart based on the Word of God.
  • Faith is not a legalistic formula. God responds to faith, not to formulas.
  • Faith is not an issue of ordering God around. Faith does not negate the sovereignty of God.
  • Faith is not a ticket to Utopia. Faith does not ensure perfection for this life.
  • Faith is not a panic button to push only in times of trouble; it is a lifestyle of trusting in God.
  • Faith is not a magic wand; faith doesn't instantly settle every problem or question.
  • Faith is not the ability to override the free will of another; faith does not give us authority over other people.
  • Faith is not limited to specific results; we must also have a general underlying faith that cannot be moved by any circumstance.
  • Faith is not the absence of feeling; faith is based on the Word, not on feeling, but faith does not deny the existence of feelings.

    Real faith in God - Bible faith - is much different than many people have thought. Faith in God does not insulate you from encountering life's problems, but it does ensure that you come out of every situation as the victor, not the victim!

    Also, faith does not deny circumstances, nor does it deny the facts. But armed with the greater facts of God's Word, the believer who is in faith can overcome any circumstance because God's Word never fails!

    Source: Another Look at Faith by Kenneth Hagin, Jr.
    Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
  • Author Biography

    Kenneth W. Hagin
    Web site: Kenneth Hagin Ministries
     
    Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
    Read more...

    About Us

    The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

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