The Power of Belief

Chapter Three

The Lord has been very gracious to us over the years. He has given us a revelation of Himself. He has been faithful in bringing us into the Spirit. Now that we have been educated as to who we are in God, it is imperative that we walk in the same. It is the purpose of God to bring forth sons who will glorify His name. I believe with all my heart that we are a part of that chosen generation. Nevertheless, we are only as strong as our belief in the Word of God. I want to share with you the power of that belief. Those who come to the Lord must first believe that He is and that He will reward those who diligently seek after Him.

MAINTAINING OUR FAITH

Walking in the power of belief places us inside the maintenance of our faith.

Colossians 1:21-23

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

When we continue to walk in the truth, agreeing with God, we maintain the faith we offered to the Father at salvation. The Body of Christ struggles with unbelief. Why and how is this possible, seeing as how we have already been persuaded in our heart that Jesus is the Lord of all. Without this persuasion, it would not have been impossible to be born again. What happened? Did we suddenly not believe in the thing that saved us? I think not.

Romans 6:13

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Consider these facts beloved. Belief for the sons of God is manifested in continual agreement with God. There should never be a situation where we have to wonder or second-guess what God’s response. Those who are truly the sons of God are those who are led by the Spirit. To truly be led by the Spirit leaves no room for indecision, dilemma or controversy.

The life of a son of God is hid in Christ. We are instructed to make no provisions for the flesh, to be content with whatever state we are in, and to submit to the will of God. We are turned away from the world and the lusts thereof. Our life is no longer our own and our members are to be yielded only to righteousness. Now these instructions are commandments for the sons of God. They set the boundaries for our life. But what happens when we move outside these boundaries? Or rather, what is it that can move us out of these boundaries? I submit to you that it is not only unbelief that moves us, it is also wantonness and lusts for the things of the world.

Unbelief is simply a by-product that is produced by a turning away from the truth. It is not that we do not believe the truth, for the truth has evidenced itself in us. In order for a son of God to walk in unbelief, he has to reject that which he has already believed. It is the lust for the things of this world that pull us away.

James 1:14-15

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It is not unbelief that leads us into temptation. It is the lust from within. It is the consideration we give to that which is without the faith that draws us away from the truth. Therefore, a better definition of unbelief for the sons of God is disobedience. We are those who know the truth. Likewise, the operation of our faith is not situational. When we walk in the power of our belief, we are not encumbered (to impede or hamper the function or activity of, to hinder or weigh down, or to burden), by situations in which we must now gender faith to deal with negative things that confront us in our territorial spheres of influence.

In other words, we do not confront the mountain by first building a necessary level of faith to get it to move. We must walk in the power of what we have already believed. We are the sons of God. We are led by the Spirit of God. If He leads us to the mountain, we must maintain the disposition that we will receive instructions from God as how to deal with the mountain, even as Moses received instructions at the Red Sea. However, it is impossible to maintain this disposition walking in disagreement or disobedience to God. It is the disobedience that destroys our confidence in the Father.

Hebrews 3:12-14

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

We should be able to walk in the power of the Holy Ghost. To do so, we must maintain our agreement with God. There must be no desire in us for the things of the world. There can be no wantonness or shadow of turning. The anointing of the Holy Ghost is the same today as it was two thousand years ago. Jesus Christ is our example.

St. Luke 4:18-19

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Jesus agreed with the anointing. He never considered operating in anything that was not within His purpose. He trusted that which He believed. We must do the same.

EXAMPLES OF WALKING IN THE POWER OF BELIEF

AT LAZARUS’ TOMB

St. John 11:42

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Jesus walked in the power of His belief in His relationship with the Father. He knew the Father would respond to Him. His reasoning for praying aloud was so others might believe.

CONSIDER THE PLIGHT OF THE APOSTLES

Acts 4:18-20

18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

We only speak those things that we have seen and heard, regardless of the circumstances or consequences. This is the evidence of walking in the power of what they had believed.

Acts 4:29-33

29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

THE POWER OF THEIR BELIEF:

The manifestation of their steadfastness in what they had believed is reflected in many signs, wonders, and the great power in which the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The power of belief diminishes the influence of the flesh and creates a hunger for righteousness. We have already believed. That is why we are saved. Beloved, let us maintain our faith in God by separating ourselves from the things of the world.

II Timothy 1:12-13

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

I am expecting us to do great and marvelous things through the power of our belief.