INTRODUCTION

Author: Pastor Johan du Toit

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Turn your focus on walking by faith and not by what you see or hear.
Understand the attitude and character of faith.
Read the Word of God, study the Word of God, meditate on the Word of God and do the Word of God.

1. DEFINITION OF FAITH

1.1 What is Faith?

Faith is believing God will work; it is believing the intangible Word of God is true, even when tangible, physical circumstances seem to indicate otherwise.

Hebrews 11:1 AMP
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

A. Faith is Assurance

Assurance is the opposite of doubt – faith never doubts. Faith is the confident assurance that, when God’s Word says a thing exists, it exists regardless of whether or not we can currently see it. That is why faith must be anchored in the Word – having faith for things that God has not given us in His Word is foolishness.

Having assurance is more than a state of mind, it’s living, acting and speaking as people who have assurance.

B. Faith is acting on proof.

Proof is legal evidence that something exists. A title deed is legal proof of ownership; the only way you can prove ownership of a house is by showing the title deed for that house. Faith is acting in the surety that the Bible is our title deed for the things that God has promised us.

C. Faith is perceiving as real fact that which is not revealed to the senses.

Faith works where we cannot see. We don’t need faith for the things we can see, touch, smell, hear or taste. Thomas did not believe because he did not see the nail prints in the hands of Jesus and felt the scar in His side.

But Jesus said:

John 20:29 NKJV
“...because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.”

Faith is believing in and acting on the Word of God. The manifestation of the Word follows on acting in faith. Waiting for the manifestation to take place before acting on it is not faith, and only leads to disappointment. Faith is acting, not waiting!

Thanksgiving is acting on the Word
Expressing joy is acting on the Word
Praise is acting on the Word

Faith is believing God spoke the truth in His Word; that He is not a liar, that He loves us and that He is able to do as He has promised to do.

Numbers 23:19 NKJV 
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

One of the greatest enemies of faith is circumstances. “Seeing is believing” is the world’s definition of faith. The devil is the god of this world and he manipulates circumstances to attempt to deceive us and make us doubt the Word of God. But the visible world is temporary, while the invisible is eternal (II Cor. 4:18). Faith understands that the eternal is more powerful and that it rules over the temporary; that the eternal is established forever but the temporary is subject to change.

Psalm 119:89 NKJV 
Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.

Matthew 24:35 NKJV 
Heaven and earth will pass way, but My words will by no means pass away.

Isaiah 43:13 NKJV 
I work and who will reverse it

Matthew 7:11 NKJV 
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

God is a faith God; He created everything by a spoken word and He upholds (Heb. 1:3) all things by that same word. His Word is a creative Word!

Hebrews 11:3 NKJV 
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible

Faith is always in the Word of God.

Jesus told us:

John 15:7 NKJV
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

God already provided for our salvation, our healing, our peace, our prosperity, etc. on the cross of Calvary; it is created by His Word ‐ we have the promises of all of these things and more. They exist in the spiritual realm, and by faith we can bring them into reality. When God spoke in Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes you are healed”, complete salvation was created for our spirit, soul and body. It exists in the spiritual. Now we have to make it a reality in our bodies by faith in that Word.

Since faith is action, we begin to act on the Word, rejoice in it, speak about it and expect it to manifest ‐ because God spoke it.

Read Isaiah 55:10‐13

1.2 What Isn’t Faith?

Faith has some counterfeits that can easily deceive us. They look like faith, but they’re far from it!

A. Foolishness

Definition: Exhibiting folly; without judgment, sense or discernment; silly; unwise; stupid; ill‐advised. The trait of acting stupidly or rashly.

Some common examples of foolishness that deceive undiscerning Christians:

It is foolishness to believe for God to give you something you’re not ready for. If you’re qualified to be an electrician, don’t trust God to give you a job as a bank director.
It is foolishness to walk around and claim everything you see if God did not promise it to you or give it to you in His Word. The “Name it, claim it, frame it” kind of faith is plain foolishness.

Romans 12:3‐5 NKJV 
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

God gave you faith to do what He has appointed you to do; develop that faith by exercising it, step by step. Be a good steward of it and let the Lord promote you.

It is foolishness to pretend you have something in an effort to display faith, while it is clear to everybody that it’s nothing more than foolishness.
It is foolishness to stop taking medicine after having been prayed for. Let the doctor confirm your healing and take you off the medicine. This way it will be a testimony unto him and protect you against the consequences of presumption and foolishness.
It is foolishness to buy something you cannot afford, believing God will provide.
It is foolishness to resign your job after someone prophesied that you’ll be an evangelist or minister.
It is foolishness to marry someone purely on the basis of a prophecy.
It is foolishness to sit and wait on God to send you a husband or wife. Marry someone you know and love and who is suitable to you!

Read I Corinthians 2:12‐16

A. Presumption

Definition: To take for granted; to suppose to be true; entitled to believing something without any examination of the subject or having any proof; on the strength of probability; to assume; could be.

Presumption is something which looks very much like faith, but isn’t. It causes many people to shipwreck their faith and become discouraged, disillusioned and even backslide.

Some examples of presumption:

“I presume if I resign my job and become a healing evangelist, people will get healed.”
“I presume if I go into business with another Christian, God will prosper us.”
“I presume if I marry a Christian, God will bless the marriage.”

B. Hope

Definition: To expect with desire; to desire realistically; to be optimistic.

Hope on its own never receives; it needs faith to give it substance. Hoping for something without exercising active faith is just wishful thinking, it will never bring results.

Some people hope God will heal them. After having been prayed for, they might say “I hope I will get better.” Hope without faith remains hope, and will never see the reality manifested. We ought to have hope, of course, but to that hope we must add faith to bring it into reality. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

C. Prophecy

Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, not from prophecy.

Romans 10:17 NKJV 
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

The Bible says in Romans 12:6 that we ought to prophesy in proportion to our faith ‐ faith that it is the Holy Spirit speaking through us, and that that which He speaks, will certainly come to pass. We prophesy in proportion to our faith, we do not increase out faith by listening to prophecy.

Faith acts on the revealed, Holy Spirit inspired, rhema Word of God. Anything else is not faith, and should be avoided. Faith cannot create anything – only the Word of God can, but faith brings into manifestation that which God has already created by His Word. God creates by the Holy Spirit speaking the Word into your heart. But, have a care that you are not deceived. When you believe the Holy Spirit is speaking into your heart, make sure it was Him by checking that it is in line with the Word.

There are some people who, out of zeal for God to do something or help someone, prophesy in hope – with desire and expectation. This type of prophecy is not by the Spirit of God, and it only raises false hopes. That hope never brings any real solution and only leads to eventual frustration.

Faith that is not based on the sure Word of the Lord leads to deception and consequently to misery and severe trouble for everybody involved. That is why Paul taught that prophecies should be judged by mature, responsible, wise Christians (I Cor. 14:29).

2. THE CHARACTER OF FAITH

We know something by its character, just as we know and understand a person by his/her character. Knowing the different aspects of faith will help us to understand it, how it works and how to apply it in our lives.

Read Romans 4:16‐21

The Bible mentions different levels of faith:

2.1 Strong and Weak Faith

Abraham was not weak in faith; he was strengthened by faith (Rom. 4:19,20).

If your faith is weak, you will be weak, but if it is strong, it will strengthen you. When your faith is strong, you will be strong too! That is why we have instructions in the Word to build our faith. God gave every one of us a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3) and left it to us to develop it by using it and by feeding it with the Word of God:

Romans 10:17 NKJV 
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Faith comes through the Word of God, by putting it into our hearts as God’s creative power that created everything that we would ever need.

That is why we need to be in the Word of God as much as possible and that is why the Word needs to be in us at all times. Jesus said:

Matthew 4:4 NKJV 
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Who must build your faith? You!

Jude 20 NKJV 
But you, beloved, building yourself up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit...

2.2 Great Faith

Matthew 15:28 NKJV
Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”

When the Canaanite woman came to Jesus with the request to deliver her demon possessed daughter, Jesus at first tried to send her away. He said that He had not come to the Gentiles, but to the Jews.

But she refused to take no for an answer because she knew He was able to help. She persisted, and received what she asked for. Look at the character of this woman’s faith; Jesus called her persistence great faith.

2.3 Little Faith

Luke 12:28 NKJV 
If God then so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

Worry is a sign of little faith. God is a good Father; He loves to give good things to His children. Have faith in His character!

2.4 Growing Faith

II Thessalonians 1:3 NKJV 
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other.

Thank God, faith can grow; we don’t have to live with little faith all our lives. As we feed on the Word of God and exercise the measure of faith we have received from Him, our faith will grow stronger all the time. Everything that is alive grows, so faith must always be in the process of growing.

2.5 Dead Faith

James 2:17 NKJV 
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Faith is action; faith is alive; faith produces results, so faith will always be known by those results it produces. Faith must have works that were done as the fruit thereof.

2.6 Perfect Faith

James 2:22 NKJV
Do you see that faith was working together with his (Abraham) works, and by works faith was made perfect?

As Abraham followed the Word of the Lord punctually in obedience, he obtained wonderful fulfilment of the promises of the Lord. When God told him to go and sacrifice Isaac, he obeyed. It was a hard word, but he “worked” that word by acting upon it in obedience because he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead again. He perfected his faith by obedience. He believed God would somehow give him a posterity by Isaac, so he went ahead to sacrifice Isaac as the Lord had told him to do. That was a ‘work of faith’. It made his faith perfect because he did not just believe the easy, nice parts of the Word – He believed God!

2.7 Shipwrecked Faith

I Timothy 1:18,19 NKJV 
This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck...

Our faith can suffer shipwreck; it can be destroyed. All of us know someone who suffered shipwreck of their faith. If we don’t fight the fight of faith to achieve our purpose in life, if we don’t hold on to that which we want to accomplish in the Lord by faith (and a good conscience), then our faith may suffer shipwreck.

The devil will do everything to steal our faith and come against God’s plan in our lives to try and prevent it being fulfilled. We must protect our faith and allow it to grow strong in order to go on to achieve our purpose in life.

2.8 Sincere Faith

Antonyms for the word sincere are: artificial; deceitful; disloyal; double‐faced; double‐tongued; false, hypocritical.

I Timothy 1:5 NKJV
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.

Faith will always be tested, but sincere faith will stand up to any test.

In this passage Paul gave Timothy a commandment to correct the doctrine of those who were teaching fables, false doctrines and genealogies, all of which only cause disputes, rather than edifying the faith.

The preaching of fables and stories will not edify your faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, not stories! Paul instructed Timothy to see to it that the Word of God was spoken to restore love from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith.

Make sure you go to a church where the undiluted Word of God is preached and taught, for anything less than that will not feed your faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God!

2.9 Rich Faith

James 2:5 AMP 
Listen, my beloved brethren: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?

Poor people who love the Lord develop their faith because they have to depend on God for everything. The rich, on the other hand, depend on their riches. They do not have to trust God for as much as someone who is poor. This causes the poor to be the richer in faith; they must grow in faith because their very existence depends on it. It is not God’s will for them to be poor, but even while they are poor they receive from the Lord by faith according to their needs. These are people who have a wealth of testimonies about the supernatural provision of the Lord in times of need in their lives. They are rich in faith! Of course, you don’t have to be poor in material things in order to become rich in faith.

Know Who your source is, and depend on Him.

Allow your faith to be tested and tried, and become rich in faith!

2.10 Steadfast Faith

Colossians 2:5 NKJV 
For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

Faith must be steadfast because it works where circumstances are difficult. Things don’t always change overnight; it takes time for our faith to bring that Word into reality and to rule over circumstances. How many people have given up the faith just before the answer came! What would the Canaanite woman have missed if she was just a little less persistent?

Faith goes on and on until the work is done, whatever it may be. This is one of the characteristics of faith.

Hebrews 6:11,12,15 NKJV (annotated)
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance (faith is the assurance!) of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises...And so, after he (Abraham) had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH

3.1 Faith is What We Live by

Hebrews 10:38 NKJV 
Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

3.2 Faith Pleases God

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV 
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

3.3 We are Saved by Faith

John 1:12 NKJV
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God...

3.4 We are Justified by Faith

Galatians 2:16 NKJV 
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ...

3.5 Faith is the Key that Opens the Door to Answered Prayer

James 1:8 NKJV 
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.

Prayer doesn’t make your faith work faith makes your prayer work!

James 5:15 NKJV 
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

3.6 Faith is the Believer’s Method of Victory in Spiritual Warfare

I John 5:4 NKJV 
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

4. EIGHT INGREDIENTS OF STRONG FAITH

Know the reality of God’s living Word.
Understand your redemption in Christ.
Know what it is to be a new creation in Christ Jesus.
Understand the meaning of being the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
Know the reality of almighty God living inside of you.
You must have a revelation of the authority that there is in the Name of Jesus.
Faith is based on God’s Word and in His character. Faith is not a formula.
Know that God loves you.

5. GOD’S SEVEN “I WILL’-S OF DELIVERANCE

Read Exodus 6:6‐8. (Seven stands for perfection)

“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…” (Burden of sin)
“I will rescue you from their bondage…” (Bondage of sin)
“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
“I will take you as My people…”
“I will be your God.”
“I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (the land of promise flowing with milk and honey).
“I will give it to you as a heritage” (It is your right to live a prosperous life).

6. GOD’S COVENANT NAMES

God reveals His character by His Name; we have faith in God for those things which He promised us by covenant. A covenant is an undertaking which cannot be broken.

Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord our righteousness (remedy for sin – spiritual). Jer. 23:6; I Cor. 1:30
Jehovah Rapha: The Lord that heals (remedy for sickness and disease – body). Exo. 5:26; Acts 10:38
Jehovah Shalom: The Lord our peace (remedy for fear and anxiety – soul). Jude 6:24; John 14:27
Jehovah Ra’ah: The Lord your Shepherd (guide). Psalm 23:1; John 10:11
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord your Provider. Gen. 22:14; Phil. 4:19
Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is ever present (to protect). Ezek. 48:35; Heb. 13:5,6
Jehovah Nissi: The Lord our Banner (victory). Exo. 17:15; I Cor. 15:57

7. WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT HIS WORD

Psalm 89:34 NKJV 
My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

Psalm 138:2 NKJV
...For You have magnified Your Word above all Your name.

Jeremiah1:12 NKJV 
Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My Word.”

I Kings 8:56 NKJV
There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.

Read the Word
Study the Word
Meditate the Word
Speak the Word
Do the Word

8. WHAT JESUS CALLS FAITH

8.1 Understanding the Authority of the Word

Matthew 8:8,9 NKJV 
“...But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one ‘Go’, and he goes; and to the other, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant ‘Do this’, and he does it.”

When the centurion, who was not a Jew but part of the occupying Roman force in Israel, spoke these words, Jesus replied:

Matthew 8:10 NKJV 
“Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such a great faith, not even in Israel!”

This man understood the power of the spoken Word of God. His own words had some authority because they were backed up by the Roman Empire; his instructions had to be carried out. When he spoke, people came into action!

The Word of God is backed up by all authority in heaven and earth. What God has spoken will come to pass. That is why it’s so important for us to speak the Word of God: His rhema‐Word in our mouth is as powerful as it is in His mouth, because its still His Word. When God’s Word is spoken, there’s action in the spiritual realm:

Psalm 103:20 NKJV
Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of His Word.

Release your faith by giving voice to His Word!

8.2 Persistence

Read Matthew 15:21‐28

When the Canaanite woman asked Jesus to heal her demon‐possessed daughter, He first ignored her. Then the disciples came and asked Him to send her away because she was too noisy. Then Jesus said that He was only sent to Israel and not the Gentiles. Through all of this ‘resistance’ she remained persistent, and started worshiping Him, probably bowing down before Him.

Jesus’ response to that was that one doesn’t throw the bread of the children to the dogs (The Jews called the Gentiles dogs in those days). Jesus first ignored her, then called her a dog, and the disciples wanted her to be sent away. But her persistence was reckoned as great faith in the eyes of Jesus; she would just not accept a ‘no’ for an answer!

This woman had a strong desire, and she pressed on until she had the answer.

“There can be no great faith without great desire.”
Andrew Murray

Giving up would have robbed this woman of the fulfillment of her desire. But she stood in faith when Jesus first ignored her, when the disciples wanted her to be sent away and even when Jesus called her a dog. Do you feel ignored in some of your desires and prayers? Press on, the answer is coming!

The woman with the issue of blood pressed through the huge crowd that followed Jesus as He was on His way to raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead. She pressed through until she could touch the hem of His garment and received her desire. Although people were crowing Him from all sides, Jesus noticed when faith put a demand on His power.

Mark 5:34 NKJV
And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed from your affliction.”

Luke 18:1‐8 NKJV 
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Faith is holding on to the Word until the answer is manifested. God wants to help you. If He said it in His Word, He will do it. Don’t see a delay as unwillingness on His part. Press on until the Word is manifested!

When those four men brought that paralytic to Jesus, letting him down through the roof because they could not get near Him as there was a crowd, Jesus saw that as faith! (Mark 2:5)

8.3 Worship

Jesus was in the house of Simon the Pharisee who invited Him to dinner. A woman, who was a sinner, came into the house and started weeping and washing His feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. She kissed His feet and anointed them with fragrant oil.

Simon wasn’t too happy with this incident, but Jesus accepted her worship and called it faith:

Luke 7:47,48,50 NKJV 
“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ... Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

8.4 Giving Thanks to God

Read Luke 17:11‐19.

When the ten lepers came to Jesus, He sent them to the priests as the law prescribed. As they left, they realized that they had been healed.

Luke 17:15,16,19 NKJV 
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks ... And he was a Samaritan. And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Although all ten of those lepers were healed as they left to go to the priest, Jesus only said to the one who came to thank Him “Your faith has made you well”. He received more than the other nine; we do not know what it was, but could it be that Jesus restored his limbs that were eaten away by the leprosy?

Jesus called his giving thanks for his healing, faith!

8.5 Rolling the Stone Away

Read John 11:1‐44.

Jesus responded a bit late when Mary and Martha called upon Him to come and heal Lazarus. He arrived on the scene after he had been buried for four days. The dead body of Lazarus was put in a cave with a stone against it. Jesus asked Martha to roll the stone away, but she was hesitant.

John 11:40 NKJV
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Between Jesus and the dead Lazarus lay a stone, and it had to be removed. Jesus called the removing of the stone, faith. Faith is action, and it prepares the way for God to work! Before Lazarus could be raised from the dead, the stone had to be rolled out of the way.

There might be a stone between you and the answer on prayer. There might be something you have to do to prepare the way for God to work, some action that you have to take. Faith is something you do.

Naaman the leper had to dive in the Jordan seven times to get his healing (II Kings 5). The blind man had to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam (John 9:1‐12). Activate your faith; take some steps toward receiving your answer.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nelson, T. (1982). The New King James Version Bible. Thomas Nelson.

ASSIGNMENT 1.11