How To Grow Your Faith Pt.2

[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Reverend Dr. David Entry. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God even as you listen.

[0:14] Be blessed. Just now I told you how they crossed the Red Sea. You may think that Moses just opened the sea, but the Bible clearly tells us that by faith they walked on dry land.

[0:35] They passed through the sea as by dry land. By faith. So that means that faith is a necessary requirement to see the hand of God manifested in your life.

[0:55] Faith. You have cried enough. Crying doesn't change anything.

[1:10] So without faith, it is not, you can't actualize anything from God without faith. Faith is so crucial if you want to see God.

[1:25] If you want to see God, you need faith. You can't see God without faith. You can't. All those who are doing attempts to experience God without faith, it's their religious, religious activities they are doing.

[1:45] And religious activities don't have proofs. And if, I'm about to say something very strong, if your faith lacks proofs, in other words, results, it's fake.

[2:03] Faith always will produce results. Jesus puts it this way. In John chapter 5, verse 36. He says that, if I do not the works of him who sent me, don't believe me.

[2:16] He said, but I have greater, greater witness than this. For the works he's given me to finish. The same works, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the father has sent me.

[2:31] It is the works that show that this thing is God. So, how come you are walking in faith, and you don't have works? There must be proofs that this is, you are a man of faith.

[2:43] There must be proofs. You are a man of faith, and every time you are sinking. Faith, you can't be walking by faith and sink. We walk by faith, we don't sink by faith.

[3:00] So, if you are sinking, you are not walking by faith. If it is faith, it will have results. It will have results.

[3:13] I see your faith producing amazing results. Developing your faith. Yesterday, I spoke about to develop your faith. How do you develop your faith?

[3:24] I said the word of God. Right? So, you need to give yourself, engage in active studies of the word of God.

[3:38] And, number two, commit to meditation. Number three, engage in the study of the word of faith materials.

[3:51] So, there are people like Bishop David Oedipo, people like Kenneth Hagen, who have written materials on faith.

[4:03] People like T.L. Osborne. People like Archbishop Benson, Ada Hoser of Blessed Memory. People like Ora Roberts, and the like.

[4:24] These people have written materials on faith. If you want to grow your faith, expose yourself to materials. Books written by credible people who have got results to show for their work of faith.

[4:41] So, most of us are trying to develop our faith, but are not engaging in what makes faith develop.

[4:54] And, can you imagine, if you get supernatural results only by faith, and faith, I didn't say this earlier on, faith is in dimensions, is in degrees.

[5:07] Yesterday, yesterday, I told you, Mark chapter 4, verse 40. Jesus said, how come you have no faith? So, you can come to a level, a degree, where your faith level is no faith.

[5:22] How come that you have no faith? faith. And, then, you can come to a level where you have weak faith. Abraham was not weak in faith.

[5:33] Romans chapter 4, verse 19. Weak faith. And, then, you can come to a place where you have strong faith. Romans 4, 20. Abraham was strong in faith.

[5:46] Or, you can be at a place where you have little faith. Jesus said, oh, ye of little faith. Matthew 6, 30. Little faith.

[5:57] How little is your faith? Thy faith is little. Or, you can come to a place where you have great faith. Matthew 15, verse 26 to 28.

[6:11] Jesus said, oh, woman, great is thy faith. Great is thy faith. great is thy faith. So, you can be at varying levels of faith.

[6:26] So, if there can be small faith, or little faith, or great faith, or weak faith, or strong faith, and or overcoming faith.

[6:36] 1 John, chapter 5, verse 4. Overcoming faith. That means that somebody can choose to develop your faith to move from one level to the other.

[6:51] And, when it comes to developing your faith, it is a personal responsibility. God cannot do it for you. Neither can your best friend do it for you.

[7:05] When it comes to the, I said this about a few weeks ago, when it comes to the fundamentals of life, like breathing, like eating, and the rest, nobody can do it for you.

[7:20] You have to take personal responsibility and do it. When it comes to faith, no one can develop faith for you. Like I said yesterday, no one can go to the gym on your behalf.

[7:36] Your husband is a fitness instructor, so you will lose weight on your behalf. No.

[7:50] You just have to take a personal responsibility. A personal responsibility. So, the Bible says in Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4 that the just shall live by his faith.

[8:06] the just shall live by his faith. Your own faith. I said this some time ago, that you can't be driving on the highway in the night with somebody's headlamps.

[8:21] Your car must have its own headlamps. Your car must have its own headlamps. Your mother is such an amazing woman.

[8:33] She loves you so much. But you can't your blood circulation can't go on based on her heart condition. It's your own heart that will determine your blood circulation.

[8:47] You can't use somebody's heart. You can't borrow somebody's heart. Can you loan me your heart to use for today? No. So, everybody lives by their own heart. That's the way everybody lives by their faith.

[9:00] Own faith. They just shall live by his faith. So, if your faith is weak, it is you who will be a victim. And without faith, you can't see the supernatural activities of God.

[9:17] There are things you do to see physical results. If you want to talk to your friend, your brother, your relative somewhere, who is somewhere else afar from you, all you need is you take the phone and you call.

[9:32] It doesn't really require prayer. Oh, how can I get it? You have a phone, you have their number, just call them. You just call them. If your friend needs money, you want the friend to buy something for you, just go there and they said they've reduced it 70% off and you've been looking for it for a long time.

[9:50] That store has it. Or you just wire the account from your bank to bank. You don't need a prayer. You know what I'm saying? You don't need to pray. If you have eaten, you just look for a restaurant, buy something and you have the money, just buy.

[10:04] But when it comes to faith, faith is a mystery. According to I think 1 Timothy 3 verse 9, I think so, the mystery of faith.

[10:15] Faith is a mystery because holding the mystery of faith, yeah. Faith is a mystery in the sense that it is the only thing that when you engage, you get supernatural results.

[10:26] you must always learn how to receive the word. When the word is, you must have an attitude of readiness.

[10:39] Expectation is the mother of faith. Without expectation, you can't have faith. The word of God is required to have faith, to be there for faith.

[10:54] But the Bible says that faith is the substance of things expected, things hoped for. So if you are not hoping for anything, faith doesn't have any premise to work on.

[11:07] Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1. Now, faith is the substance. Hopus stasis, that's the Greek word. The substance, what substantiates the things you are hoping for.

[11:21] So faith starts with the hope, with expectation. Bible says that Abraham being not weak in faith. Why? Because when God spoke, he hoped against hope.

[11:33] So we studied the text very carefully in Romans chapter 4. Bible spoke about his hope. From verse 17 it talks about how Abraham believed God, believed God, before him who calls things that be not as though they were.

[11:50] As it's written, I've made the father of many nations. Before him whom he believed, even God who quickens the dead. You know what it means?

[12:00] It means that to quicken the dead means to give life to the dead. So God is not afraid of anything that is dead. If you can believe him, he comes in and he brings life to it. Because a typical example, Sarah's womb was dead.

[12:16] It didn't matter. When God wants to do something, it doesn't matter what is dead, it doesn't matter. Because it comes with his own life. The word comes with his life and germinates anyway.

[12:28] The word of God can germinate in the sea, it can germinate in the desert, it can germinate in the feral land, in the barren land, in the sky, it can germinate anyway. It doesn't need a living condition to flourish.

[12:43] Because the word is life itself. So he quickens the dead. God quickens, Abraham before God who quickens the dead.

[12:54] And the problem with working with God is God is fond of, and that's how he does actually, he calls things which be not as though they were. So, if he's going to call, come, then he said, the greatest billionaire ever lived.

[13:11] Meanwhile, meanwhile, maybe he hasn't even been able to pay his bills. he says, and yet, when God is speaking to you, he calls things that be not as though, listen to the terminology very carefully, he's not prophesying it into existence, he calls it, the thing is not about, he's talking as though he's already there.

[13:35] So, let's say, let me look for someone who is not married. And, God is discussing business with him, he says that, so, you know, when you, so, when you go back, when you get home, and, your wife cooks, but, why are you talking, I don't have a wife.

[13:54] But, he speaks about things that be not, although they wear. So, once he says this, you don't get confused, just trust him that once he says it, it is.

[14:06] So, God comes to Abraham and begins to call him, as it's written, I have made you father of nations, many nations, when he was very barren, I have made you father, it's not that you become a father, I have made you already, but I didn't have a child, but God said I have made you, and Abraham was so stupid, he believed.

[14:28] So, God comes to him and he speaks about things that be not, as though they were. That's how God, so then if you don't have faith, you can easily be confused.

[14:42] Can I give you a typical example in the days of Jesus Christ, in John chapter 11, Lazarus was dead. Then Jesus tells his disciples, let's go, Lazarus is asleep, I'm going to wake him.

[14:54] Peter said, excuse me, when people sleep, you don't have to travel all the way to Birmingham to wake people up from sleep. Peter said, he's asleep, he'll wake up, do you have to travel?

[15:06] And secondly, there's a Rick, the Jews there will want to attack you. Why are you going to wake someone who is asleep? He said, she do understand it. So he said, let me tell you in plain language, Lazarus is dead.

[15:17] And for your sake, I'm glad I wasn't there. Let's go so I can bring him back to life. Thank you, sir. So Abraham believed God who quickens the dead and calls, I like it just, call it, call it the things that be not as though they were.

[15:38] before whom he believed. Verse 18 is where I was coming. Whom, this Abraham, against hope believed in hope.

[15:51] So when he believed in hope, I used to think like, I believe in you. I believe in this Bible. So he believed in hope. No. He believed hoping.

[16:02] So his believing was in hope that it will happen. Do you understand? So he believed hoping that it will happen. So you need the hope in order to believe.

[16:15] But his type of hoping was against hope. Can you imagine, watch this, can you imagine that I start believing that maybe I will be accepted to play in a premier league?

[16:30] let's say, Mark starts believing that he will be accepted to play in the premier league.

[16:46] Under 17. You know, there are some things you don't have to hope. Because it's bizarre, absurd, a man.

[17:00] And then suddenly such a man tells you that I'm 20. And what I'm 20, I want to go be accepted for under 17. At this age, you have never played football.

[17:12] You understand that? But Abraham, against hope, he believed hoping. Please be seated. So against, there's no hope, there's no reason why he should hope for something like that.

[17:27] But even though there's no reason to hope, hope, he hoped against hope. That's very radical. That's very radical. And all was predicated on what was said.

[17:41] He hoped that he would become the father of many nations according to what was spoken. So this is what was spoken. So shall thy children be. A fatherless man.

[17:53] man. And they showed him the stars of the sky, the sun on the seashell. He said, so shall thy descendants be. And he said, oh, really? A barren man like me? So he chose to hope, against hope, believing, believing that it shall be just as it has been said.

[18:11] So all he wanted was a word. As soon as the word came, he defied every word and held on to the word, hoping that it would be.

[18:21] And because of that, Bible says, it was accounted to him for righteousness. That means that it accounted, God having considered that he has done everything right, all the requirements needed for a man like him to have a child, he has passed all the requirements.

[18:43] But he didn't do much, just believed good. Against hope. So hope, expectation, is so crucial for what God can do for you.

[18:55] Faith is the substance of things hopeful. So without faith, there's no hope in view, or there's no chance.

[19:07] You don't have chance in life if you don't believe God. Because your life will be left to chances.

[19:17] things will happen when they are ready to happen. But when you begin to exercise faith, you walk by faith, then things will happen not based on chances, but things will happen the way they must happen.

[19:32] I've seen too many testimonies, especially healing testimonies. Healing testimonies of people who had to bring that gentleman was healed of cancer. He told me he was coming to 24th, 24th was his birthday, last Tuesday, and he wanted to really celebrate because that would be three years in car.

[19:49] He was on his way to death. He came for one of our miracle services. I prayed for him and he declared to pray for sick people.

[20:00] He came to church on Sunday. He said when he came, he couldn't drive. After the service, the headache stopped. He came to church, gave his life to Christ, topped it up.

[20:12] Today, he was declared cancer free. He didn't see it. Bishop Weed the post says, some of us, we have so much faith in what the doctor says.

[20:29] We have so much faith. So, doctor says, so that's it. When doctor says, you to find what God has said and believe God, believe God, believe God, but you need to develop your faith.

[20:41] So, expose yourself to faith materials. So, that's number two, that's number three, number four. Let me add one more and see. So, to develop your faith, engage in the way active studies of the word, commit to meditation, and engage in studies of word of faith materials.

[21:02] All right? Number four, convert the spirit of faith. Faith, you see, you have to convert, you have to desire, I want that spirit of faith. Second Corinthians chapter four, verse 13 says that we also have the same spirit of faith, therefore we speak.

[21:20] All right? It's a spirit. It's a spirit of faith. See, when it's a spirit of faith, when the spirit of faith, you begin to preach in the spirit of faith, you don't have the second guess.

[21:33] Oh, what if, what if, you just, you just act. When people are screaming, what is it? Just walk. Because you are preaching with a stronger inner conviction.

[21:44] Spirit of faith. So you have to convert the spirit of faith. When you pray, God, grant me the spirit of faith. Grant me the spirit of faith. Grant me the spirit of faith.

[21:55] I see somebody receiving the spirit of faith. One of the things I discovered about spiritual things is that when it comes to spiritual things, the things of God, anything you convert, you connect, you contact and collect.

[22:11] anything you convert, when it comes to the things of God, anything convert, it means to desire intensely. And when it comes to the things of God, anything you covet, you will connect and collect.

[22:24] Hallelujah. I think let me just add one or two. Number five, to develop your faith, practice what you hear.

[22:35] faith without works is dead. James chapter 2 verse 18, do you don't be just hearers.

[22:51] James 2, 18 says that a man may say, thou have faith and I have works. Show me thy faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works.

[23:02] faith is not faith if he has not got works. So faith will always be seen. If you have faith, it will always result in some actions.

[23:17] The reason why many people don't give to the things of God is because they don't have faith. Yeah. When you have faith, it will show you the steps you take.

[23:29] So, your faith steps, are a reflection of how much you trust God. Peter said to Jesus in Matthew chapter 14 verse 28 or 26 now, he said, Lord, if it is you, bid me to come.

[23:47] And the Lord said, come. And he said, okay, he said, I'm going. He started walking on water. Why? Because he heard God's word and took a step. And he started walking on water.

[23:58] Walking on water. Until he took his eyes off the word and he started concentrating on the storms. He began to sink. Conditions had not changed.

[24:08] It was his focus that changed. So, as to whether he would continue walking or sinking, it was based on what he was focusing on. Not the conditions. The conditions of your life are subject to your focus.

[24:25] You are either focusing on God's word or you are focusing on what you see. the conditions in your life. You have to grow your faith.

[24:38] You have to grow, develop your faith. Yesterday, I said, faith must be developed. And if it is not developed, it will diminish. Faith that is not developed will diminish.

[24:52] Because it is times, time is always changing. So, you are either developing it or it is diminishing. So, it is one of the two.

[25:05] I see somebody's faith growing. I can't spend too much time talking about action. That is a whole message.

[25:17] There was a time I preached on a message, Fide Viva. Living faith. Faith that is alive. action faith. If your faith must work, it must have actions.

[25:34] Number six, be committed to praying in the Holy Spirit. Jude 120, building up yourself in the most holy faith.

[25:45] Praying in the Holy Spirit. So, to develop your faith, be committed to praying in the Holy Spirit. When you pray in the Spirit, you are developing your faith.

[25:57] How many of you who are speaking in the Spirit have experienced this before? Maybe something was going on in your life, maybe you heard some news, and you were down, and then you went into your room, you blow, and sometimes when you start praying, you are down.

[26:12] But if you keep praying, by the time you finish, you finish, you finish, yeah, now you have faith, you can handle it's that. Yeah.

[26:25] Anytime you blow in tongues, you pray in the Spirit, you stir up your spirit, man. You stir up. Faith is not just a mental exercise.

[26:36] It is a spiritual exercise. So, when you speak in tongues, and you pray in the Spirit, you build yourself in the most holy faith.

[26:47] you are charging your batteries. That's why it's good for every believer. You wake up in the morning, instead of going to have tea, my people do vodka.

[27:12] Sometimes you wake up in the morning, listen, listen, maybe you're in the office, and they brought some information that they are going to lay some people off. Your boss told you, you need to talk to me next week.

[27:23] And you are so down. Or they said you have a meeting in the next hour, you are down. Go hide somewhere. They are going for lunch, don't go. Go hide somewhere.

[27:38] Listen, give yourself 30 minutes of speaking in tongues and see if you'll be the same. You'll be the same. You go to the hospital, they said, oh, what's that?

[27:49] We have to wait. We are coming. You know, sometimes they tell you wait. They tell you wait and they don't know what they go doing inside there. Somebody, you to excuse yourself, find someone and begin to speak in tongues.

[28:02] Speak in tongues, charge your batteries, raise your spirits, stare your spirits, man. He that speaks in unknown tongues edifies himself. 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 4, stare up your spirit, man.

[28:16] Edify yourself. Build up yourself. Build up yourself. Build up yourself. Because you are not just an outer man, you have an inner man. Most of us, we live just based on the outward.

[28:31] But you have to build your inner man. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16, it talks about how even though our outward man perishes, for which God we face, although our outward, you see that it's an outward man, our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

[28:51] We, so physically it looks like we are weary or we are tired or this may not be the way they are, but our inner man. So you are a believer, you are the, it's only believers who can stay their inner man.

[29:06] Unbelievers their inner man is dead. They are dead on the inside. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, it said, and you who were dead in your trespasses.

[29:19] So you don't have life. If you are not in Christ, you are dead. Even though you have natural life, which is called bios, Greek word for natural life, bios, you don't have Zoe, the life of God.

[29:32] So internally in your spirit, you are dead. In your physical being and your soulish being, you are alive. But in your spirit, you are dead. But God, John chapter 4 verse 24, God is a spirit.

[29:47] So you who are dead in your spirit, how can you communicate with God? God is a spirit. So every believer needs to learn how to keep staring and charging your spirit so that communication with above, communication with heaven is easier and smoother.

[30:08] And then when you communicate with heaven, you have an advantage on earth. faith, your faith is growing. Finally, finally, so you commit to praying the Holy Spirit and then finally, seven, commit to a life of praise and thanksgiving.

[30:34] Yeah. When it comes to praising, thanking God and praising God, it has a way of steering your faith. Yeah. It has a way of building your faith.

[30:45] Praise and worship is not for young people. Praise and worship is just for serious Christians who are practicing working with God and who want to work by faith.

[30:58] So in a minute, we are going to pray for just about five minutes and we are going to pray, those of you who can pray in tongues, pray in tongues to stay your spirit. God, tonight is a night of encounter.

[31:10] we are about to pray. We thank God for using this sermon, Reverend Dr. David Entry, to share this awesome word. If this message has blessed you in any way, please spread the word by sharing it and send us an email to amen at karis.org.

[31:27] Remember to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter for regular updates on what God is doing here at Karis Ministries. Stay blessed. I死 I死 I死 I死 Ií I I I I I I