You Are a Believer!
Everyone believes something.
Whether it’s for our best interest or worst.
You can’t help but be a believer. It is how we are made. Just as we have two eyes, two ears, a mouth, and walk upright, we also believe. It’s in our very make up. We are made in God’s image. God is a believer. That is what “faith” means in Greek: to believe.
This is why faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). He wants His children to believe that He is and does what He says He will do. No different than any parent.
The issue we have in thinking we “don’t have faith” comes from our “feelings.” Feelings lie most of the time. They cannot be trusted. (See study on: Spirit, Soul, & Body.) And when we “feel” that way it only means we need to build up our “believer” muscles. We already have them they just need some exercise.
Believing=Faith
The way to build up your “believing" or faith muscle is to spend time with the Lord in His Word. The process is simple. It only requires time. And you get to spend time with the Creator of the universe!!! He wants to share His heart with you. How amazing is that!
You get to share in God’s sweetness. Share in His expounding love. And as you spend time with Him and go to where He leads you in the Word, and He can trust that your relationship with Him is the most important thing to you, He will share more of His heart with you. Including when He’s unhappy at what people are doing and He may have you pray about the issues. Your closeness will be more and more enriched. There is no limit.
How To Start:
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There are many scriptures that can be used for this but I tend to use one of these three:
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Ephesians 1:17-19 - That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
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Psalm 119:18 - Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.
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Psalm 119:103-104 - How sweet are Your Words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
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We have these scriptures within us whether we know it or not. God is in us. Jesus is in us. The Holy Spirit is in us. Therefore the Word is in us. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God - Romans 10:17. So as we speak these Words it stirs up our faith and then the Holy Spirit can bring them to pass. Just like He did with God Almighty in Genesis 1:2 - God spoke and Holy Spirit was there to move on the Word that He spoke. God didn’t just “think” it. He had to speak it so the Holy Spirit could move. Same in the book of Acts with Paul ministering. The power of the Holy Spirit would fall on people and miracles, signs and wonders happened because of the Word spoken! So this is what we will do. Speak His Word so the Holy Spirit can bring it to pass in our prayer time. And this is true for every area of our lives - not only our prayer time.
2. When I’m in my quiet time with the Lord, I typically plan for at least 30 minutes. I do an hour or longer if I can. I begin by telling Him “good morning” and how much I love and appreciate Him, praise Him, and whatever else comes to mind. (This is building your relationship with Him, just like your spouse. You had to spend time together.)
Then I take one of the afore mentioned scriptures and I pray it back to Him, out loud. This is how we use our faith. We believe what He has said in His word about us. We take the scripture personally expecting it to come to pass. Because it will. He upholds all things by the power of His Word (Hebrews 1:3).
An example of praying these back to the Lord and taking them personally by faith:
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“Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I want to give You praise for Your Word is truth and You uphold all things by the Power of Your Word. And as You said in Ephesians 1:17-19 I am asking for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Knowledge to come up out of me, that my eyes would be enlightened to know more about You and what is Your inheritance that’s in me. And I receive it. I thank You for it. And I thank You that I know what is the exceeding greatness of Your Power to me because I believe You, just as You used that Power to raise Jesus from the dead. It’s the same Power in me! And I thank You for this! Now what wonderful things would You like to share with me today, Father?”
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I close my eyes and stay quiet. (Be still and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10.) Expecting Him to speak.
He will tell you where to go by one of the many ways He works: still, small, quiet voice from deep down within your belly; and comes up (sometimes) on the inside of you. Hard to explain. You’ll know it when it happens.
He can also bring an image up to you from deep within you, perhaps of a story in the Bible that you know where it is, like maybe you “see” the tower of Babel; or Jesus on the Mount giving the sermon of the Beatitudes…whatever He shows you; or you may see the title of a book like John, or James, or Genesis in front of your eyes. Then He will show you an image of the chapter number.
Or sometimes it’s a deep “knowing” from deep-down within your belly, you just “know”. Like a knowing to read Romans 8. Whatever “knowing” from deep within you. Not outside your body. Inside.
Wherever He tells you to go, do it.
3. Always have a notebook and pen available. Dedicate them to the Lord for your study time, this is all you use them for. As you are reading the scripture He has led you to there are several things to keep in mind:
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Date each entry with the day, month, and year. Any questions over verses or chapters, write them down in your notebook with the scripture reference. And talk them over with the Lord. Tell Him your questions/thoughts on it. He may reveal something as you are talking. He may not and instead will reveal it later in the day or two, or few. He may have you study something from that verse, a word, or subject matter. He will lead you. Follow ideas out. Hunches. Typically in this time of study He will also lead that way. You know it’s a “God-idea” when you weren’t thinking anything like it. It just comes up from within you.
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Any “a-ha’s” you get over a verse. This is revelation knowledge! He is showing you insights to His Word. He is showing you His heart.
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And give Him praise and thank Him for showing you the wonderful things out of His Word.
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4. As you continue doing this in your daily prayer time your faith/belief will be built up. You can “sense” it. You sense power there, not a void. You can tell because you feel light, joyful, excited, strong - all of it is in Him. Those are all “fruit” from hanging out with Him. You are believing His word and it is always good, as you do what He tells you to do.