Intentional Faith

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase." Martin Luther King, Jr.


    Our faith in God has to be intentional. In a world where we can coast, drift and can literally be on autopilot, I'm reminded that we need to:  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)... EVERYTHING in our lives can be fair game to the enemy because he's a thief. He wants to destroy as much of you, your family and especially your faith in God as possible. He can't take what we don't give him. He will talk or really more accurately deceive us out of the blessings of God. He won't stop until we stop believing, thereby blocking the funnel of overflow God wants to give us.


    The Word says in Mark 16:17-18 (KJV) 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. I dare say that if we undoubtedly believe God isn't a man that should lie nor the son of man that He should repent (Num. 23:19) what is going on why we don't see more signs, wonders and miracles in our lives? It's because we've been so disappointed, discouraged and distracted that we have given up hope that it can happen to us.


    I've been guilty of this myself. The truth is I remember a time when I believed that God was limitless in what He could do for me. Life happened and my faith became limited because I had experienced so much loss. I speak about those in the past since I'm walking in my season of overflow. Even if the manifestation hasn't happened yet in the natural realm, it's already done in Spirit! I'm changing my confession every single day. God has challenged me to latch on to His Word and not let go. This is that NOW or as I like to say (that present) faith.  Hebrews 11:1 says 11 Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence (A)of things not seen. (NKJV)... That brings me to another point: what do you hope for or have hoped for in the past? Have you lost your hope? 

    Proverbs 13:12 says that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (NIV) How does this tie into what we're talking about? If you're hoping for healing and still feel sick you might start to lose confidence that God will heal you. If you are hoping for a spouse and you're still single, you might have begun to doubt that it will happen for you. If you've been hoping for a financial miracle and it hasn't come to fruition yet, your trust may start to wander. What if your hope is to see God save your family, friends or loved ones, but they seem to be acting out more than ever, your faith may become shaky. I'm telling you from personal experiences that this is the very essence of the plot of the enemy. Deferred means to delay…in other words delayed doesn't mean it isn't coming. It means it is coming, but you obviously have a fight on your hands. The devil uses those times to make you question God and His Word.

    This is when faith has to become intentional. This is when we have to take God at His Word and not waver. This is when we have to hold up the shield of faith to quench those fiery darts of lies being thrown at us by the devil. (,Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. - Ephesians 6:16 AMP) This is when present faith requires us to stand on the Word of God as a firm foundation. 1 Cor. 16:13 (A)Be watchful, (B)stand firm in the faith, (C)act like men, (D)be strong(ESV) God's Word will outlast everything. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but His Word will stand. (Isa. 40:8)

    At the end of the day, I believe the point God is pressing upon my heart is that we will have EVERY promise of His Word, but it's activated by our faith. Matthew 17:20 reads, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you”. (KJV) It's time to move mountains. It's time to be intentional. It's time to align our thoughts and confessions to the faith of God's Word. 

    Has God done anything for you before? Then why don't we believe He will do it again? He will not allow His Word to return void. "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isa. 55:11 KJV God's promises are still yay and amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20 KJV) For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.) You can trust God. Now let's pray to ignite the kind of Faith that will move mountains in your life and those around you. 

Let’s pray: Father, God as we agree together in prayer we ask that you help us to activate the kind of faith in our hearts that moves mountains. We come against all lies from Satan. We cast down all wicked imaginations. We decree and declare by the authority of Jesus Christ that our battles are already won. Satan, we rebuke you and your hand from everything that God has promised us. We will NOT be passive in the Word of God, but will stand on it unwavering. The storms of life will not shake our reliance on you. You love us God and we believe that you want to give us good gifts. We are trusting you with child-like faith. We are trusting that you will not withhold any good thing from us. We press into the love you have for us in Jesus name. We press into the mustard seed faith in Jesus' name. Now we declare that the angels of God are bringing us everything you have promised us in the name of Jesus. Miracles are happening. Lives are beings saved. Bodies are being healed. Finances are coming. Mountains being removed and cast into the sea. We are blessed. Our families are blessed. Our friends are blessed. Our ministries and businesses are blessed. We are winners in Jesus name. Doors are opening and we are walking through them. We believe it right now. Thank you Lord. Amen. 

Sinner’s Prayer: Lord, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. He died on the cross just for me. I also confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that He rose again on the 3rd day, paying my sin debt in full. He is now seated at the right hand of power, interceding for me to the Father. I thank You, Jesus, that as I pray this prayer and believe with my heart that You have saved me. I receive Your love and commit my life to You. You are now the Lord of my life. Thank You for all that You have done and will do for me in the future. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Scriptures references: 1 Peter 5:8 Mark 16:17-18, Num. 23:19, Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV), Proverbs 13:12 (NIV), Ephesians 6:16 AMP, 1 Cor. 16:13 ESV, Isa. 40:8, Matthew 17:20, Isaiah 55:11, 2 Corinthians 1:20 - all are in The King James Version unless otherwise specified.


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