Day One: Introduction
Faith. Faith is a topic many are familiar with. Biblical accounts of faith heroes reveal actions deserving of awe, admiration, and acclaim. Abraham's and Sarah's faith enabled an old couple, well beyond childbearing, to birth Isaac, their child of promise. Ruth's faith in God engrafted her into the lineage of Jesus, The Messiah. Jesus' faith in God enabled Jesus' triumph over the devil and Jesus' seating at God's right hand in Heaven.
It's easy to rationalize how these faith heroes could use faith so powerfully. Yet, Bible study reveals the humans were flawed: Abraham lied; Sarah manipulated; and Ruth came from a pagan nation. As for Jesus, He set aside His deity to live as a man, empowered by the Holy Spirit—the same Holy Spirit present in each believer.
Similarly, faith is present in each believer, for God has given each believer the measure of faith (Romans 12:3 ). What a relief and challenge! As believers, the use, not existence, of faith becomes the issue. How do we use our God-given faith to experience God's wondrous promises?
I'm glad you asked. We'll take a few days to focus on 3 basic steps in developing Faith That Delivers. These 3 basic steps are: Believe, Receive, and Act.