Mensa Otabil - Put Your Faith to Work
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We’re looking at the subject of faith throughout this week and how to activate our faith. Mark chapter 5, verse 34: «And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.'»
A woman had bled for 12 years, and for 12 years, her case was not getting any better. But she hears of Jesus and decides that if she just touches the hem of Jesus’s garment, she will be fine. So she pushes through and touches the hem of Jesus’s garment, and the blood flow ceases, and she is made well. Jesus then showcases what the woman has done and speaks to her, and this is what Jesus says to her: «Your faith has made you well.» Of course, the power of Jesus was at work; the power of Jesus flowed to make her well, but it is faith that allows the power of God in Christ to touch the woman. Jesus did not say, «My power has made you well,» and that is the truth, but he said, «Your faith has made you well.» That’s the emphasis he is placing.
What do we learn from that? First, we must know God for ourselves. It must be your own faith in God. It’s good for your pastor to have faith in God, for somebody to pray for you, your parents to pray for you, or your wife or husband to pray for you, but you must know God for yourself. You must have your own faith; you must be able to say, «I believe in God for myself. I know the word of God for myself. I can pray for myself,» because that’s what this woman is doing-her own faith. Each one of us has been given a measure of faith by God, and that faith must be activated. So you must have your own faith in God; you must have a personal relationship with the Lord.
The second thing we learn here is that our faith is great, but it’s of no use if it’s not grown. Faith must be grown; faith must be activated. What does that mean? It’s like having a savings or an investment account. You keep investing; you keep placing money into that account so that your income grows, and later on, your benefits grow. In the same way, God gives us faith, but we must build upon that faith; we must grow the faith; we must let our faith increase. How do we do that? We grow our faith by feeding our minds with the word of God. The word of God is faith food; just like normal bread is good for the body, the word of God is the bread for our faith. So if you want your faith to grow, then you have to read the Bible.
How does that make your faith grow? As you read the Bible, you get to know more about God; you get to know how trustworthy he is, how faithful he is. You get to see his power at work, and as you see all of that, your faith grows, your faith deepens, and you become more confident in who God is. That’s how faith grows: faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. So you have faith; it has to be your own faith. You know somebody’s faith, and the faith must grow.
The third thing is that we must use our faith. This woman with the issue of blood used her faith. It’s great to have faith, and even to have great faith, but what is great faith if it is not used? You have something mighty and powerful that you never use. So faith must be used. How do we use our faith? We trust God with our faith. That means that we venture and pray and believe God, and we pray for ourselves and, more than ourselves, we pray for other people. So if somebody says, «I have a problem,» pray for them. If somebody says, «Oh, I’m sick,» pray for them. What are you doing? You are using your faith.
So you have to have your own faith, you have to grow your faith, and then you have to use your faith. That is how we become more confident in seeing God at work in our lives.
Let’s pray: say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank you for making yourself known to me. My faith rests in you alone. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»