Where is your Faith? - Part-3

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[0:39] The past two days I've been talking about where is your faith? Where is your faith? They were in the storm and they became frantic, afraid they were about to perish.

[0:54] Actually, the scriptures clearly said they were in jeopardy. The Bible said that. The Bible said they were in jeopardy. But what the Bible didn't say was they were perishing.

[1:10] Not every jeopardy can make you perish. When you are a man of faith, a woman of faith. No atrocity can stop you when you have faith.

[1:28] Let alone for you to die in a plane crash. Can you imagine? They said Jesus is dead. He was in a plane crash. It can't be your testimony.

[1:42] That will not be your portion. Nothing can stop you. So when they saw the situation, they were so worried.

[1:53] They came to Jesus. Jesus said, where is your faith? I want you to look at Habakkuk chapter 2. Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4. It said, Behold the proud. His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith.

[2:10] Behold the proud. His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith. Let's all read it together. Behold the proud.

[2:22] His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith. All right. Let's read it again. Behold the proud. His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith.

[2:36] One more time. Behold the proud, the soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith. Let's say the just shall live by his faith. The just shall live by his faith.

[2:47] One more time. The just shall live by his faith. There was a time I was teaching and I spoke about how faith is personal. God relates to us and deals with us on a personal basis.

[3:00] Not necessarily on a corporate basis. You get saved on a personal basis.

[3:12] We didn't get born again corporately. Just the way two people cannot share one heart. Okay, use it a little bit and then give it to me.

[3:26] Let me also use it a little bit. You know, two people cannot share one brain. Everyone comes with his own brains and everyone is born with his own heart.

[3:39] Like a brother who got healed of diabetes. It cleared. Diabetes. Jesus cleared it. Then the GP, the medical record, not like wishful thinking, medical record says you cleared.

[3:52] Went to the GP, the GP saw, wow, it cleared. He said, okay, let's see, maybe it will come back again. What do you mean to come back? What do you mean to come back? It's clear you're telling me to come back. The devil is a liar.

[4:04] Praise God. And so the heartbeat is important. They say, well, your faith, your own faith, not your mother's faith. Your mother's faith can't help you. In your calamity, you need your faith.

[4:16] Bible says that they just shall live by his faith. Put it on the screen again. They just shall live by his faith. Oh, my pastor is, he's an anointed man of God.

[4:27] He says, that's a lot of faith. Okay, by your own faith. You can't borrow my headlamps to drive on the motorway that night. He said, can I use your own headlamps to use? No, no. You need your faith.

[4:39] The just shall live by faith. Faith is like your heart. You need your own heart to exist. So, the just shall live by his faith. The just shall live by his faith.

[4:52] Faith is a, is a, is personal. And I discovered that God deals with us on personal basis. He works with us collectively, but on an individual basis, he comes to us personally.

[5:08] How many, how many, he said, God gave us a dream. I had a dream and then two people, they always have the same dreams every time. You and husband and wife every time, they dream the same, the same, the same time.

[5:21] No, it doesn't happen. You have your dream, other people, maybe similar, but you have your own dreams. I love my, I love my son so much. My son is unwell, so I'll take the medication for him.

[5:33] My dad is not well, I'll take the medication for him. Does that, does that work? No. All right, so, the faith is personal. Say faith is personal. Faith is personal.

[5:43] Say it again, please. Faith is personal. So, if you don't take the, if you don't take the personal responsibility of developing your faith, brother, sister, stop saying, my wife is religious.

[5:58] Brother, you, you keep saying, my wife is religious. My wife is, oh, my husband is very spiritual. Develop your faith. So, God deals with us on a personal basis and expects us all to not be running on borrowed strength, but running on a personal faith.

[6:19] I spoke in the past two days about the fact that the just shall, the Bible says the just shall live by faith. And in this morning we found out that the kind of faith is talking about that you live by is your faith.

[6:35] All right, so you live by faith. The just shall live by faith. Transportation, there are different forms of transportational system or transportation, different forms.

[6:47] What are some of the forms of transportation we have? Train, bus, tram, helicopter, airplane, bicycle, ferry, horses, donkeys, chariots.

[7:06] What did you say? There are different forms of transportation, but what you discover is that certain transportation, forms of transportation are not suitable for certain kind of journey.

[7:21] You can't go to America by car. So it says that I can safely say that the only way you can go to space, you need a vehicle to get to space. Right? You can't fly.

[7:33] You need a, like you can't develop feathers to fly. You need a vehicle to get to space. So, people go to space via vehicle. Now, then it comes, and so the judge shall live by faith.

[7:47] But now, what sort of vehicle? What sort of faith? His faith. So you live by your faith. Your faith. So, development of personal faith is crucial for your destiny.

[7:59] You have to develop your personal faith. Don't abdicate the development, the responsibility of developing your faith to some special prophet or special pastor. You have to, that what the pastor does is to teach the word and to bring you to a point or give you the tools to develop your faith.

[8:19] It's just like personal trainer. Your personal trainer can be the best in town but cannot do the training for you. You have to go on the treadmill yourself.

[8:32] There are some of us who have got money and you've got some money and you've got some nice, this sophisticated treadmill at home. And every day is looking at you.

[8:45] It's good to invest in it but sister, you've got to use it. Jump on it. Other than that, you'll still be growing out of proportion. Other than that, or the other way around.

[8:55] You know what? You have to use it. So coming to church and you are giving your tithe and offering and you are committed to church, it's not good enough. Coming to here, wait, wait, wait.

[9:07] Some people don't even have much time for the word. Say, oh, more music, more music, more music. Because they replace the church like another form of party and feasting. We come to church primarily for God's word.

[9:19] That's right. You need God's word. That is what will sustain you in the day of trouble. In the day of trouble is the word you got in you that can determine how far you can go.

[9:31] Not who you know. It's the word you know. That's why every good pastor will teach you the word. My job is not to make you feel comfortable in my presence.

[9:42] It's nice for if you're a man of God and a pastor, it's nice to be affable. It's nice to be approachable. But that's not my job. It's nice to be friendly. But I'm not supposed to be looking for your friendship.

[9:54] I'm supposed to be preparing myself to feed you with God's word. My job is not even to be visiting you at home when you are not well and out. That's not my job. My job is to give you the word.

[10:07] Now, I'm not saying that calling a man of God or calling a church leader is not necessary. But you have to learn how to take responsibilities and then it gets to a certain place where you join your combined forces because even all of us, it gets to a place where we also ask others to join us in prayers.

[10:22] So there's nothing wrong with asking people. Bible actually says if someone is sick, let them come for the others of the church and let them go to the house and pray for them. So there's nothing wrong with that. But what I'm trying to say is that when you are at home and when you are at work and when you are in the plane and the enemy should raise his head, what are you going to do?

[10:40] So you must learn how to develop. So my job is to teach you how to fish, not just be giving you fish every time you come. Because some people, you know what, now, teaching them to fish, they think that you, the best, you know, is better if you want a fish, don't jump, there's a Chinese proverb, don't jump into the water to go and catch a fish.

[11:01] Get a hook. Get it. Get it. Don't jump into the water because the fish, you can't chase the fish. In the water.

[11:13] So my job is to teach people, teach brothers, teach sisters, how to walk this, thank you Lord, how to walk this walk of faith on a personal level, not on a church level.

[11:28] So the key thing is your heart. And when your heart is nourished by faith, it says that, we're saying this thing so that your faith will not rest in human wisdom, but in the word of God and the power of the Holy Ghost.

[11:43] And it's better for the heart to be established by faith than just doctrines. I see someone growing up, growing in faith. I said I see someone growing in faith. Praise God.

[11:54] So I spoke about how the judge shall live by faith. Because that's how we live. By faith. And what sort of faith? His faith. What sort of faith? His faith.

[12:05] The judge shall live by his faith. Your own faith. You've got faith. All right. And then I said in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, we are saved by grace. So if you are saved, if you are born again, then you have faith.

[12:16] Because it takes, it takes faith to be saved. Let's all say that together. It takes faith to be saved. Please say it again. It takes faith to be saved.

[12:27] It takes faith to be saved. So if you are saved, that means you have faith. In Romans chapter 12 verse 3, it talks about how God has dealt with each of us a measure of faith.

[12:40] Right? So each of us has been dealt, God has dealt with each of us a measure of faith. Say, I have a measure of faith. I have a measure of faith.

[12:50] So you can't, you can't be a believer and say, I do not have faith. Because you know why? You have faith. And so I also spoke about how you have an option.

[13:01] You have a choice. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, chapter 5 and 7, it says that just, we walk by faith and not by sight. So then you can, you can choose to walk by faith or you can choose to walk by sight.

[13:13] By sight, we the righteous, the only way we walk is by faith. Right? So that means that there will be the, other people walk by sight. But we walk by faith. Who are the people who walk by sight?

[13:26] Those who don't know our God. Those who are not born again. Those who are not alive. They walk by sight. But it's, it's sad to note that there are people who are born again who have the propensity, have the divine capability, the heavenly installation to be able to walk by faith.

[13:48] But they don't do that. Because they just still stay in their normal, natural state. So if you stay in your natural state, you will be able to download the benefits that come with you of being redeemed.

[14:06] So, Jesus did not save you to punish you. He saved you to polish you. You are not born again to suffer again.

[14:18] You are born again to reign in life. But how do you reign in life? You must begin to apply faith and download all the benefits that come with redemption for it to become a reality and become a physical experience in your life.

[14:35] Say amen. And so, everyone who is born again has faith and you have to walk by faith, choose to walk by faith and not by sight. Say the just shall walk by, say we walk by faith and not by sight.

[14:49] We walk by faith and not by sight. Please say it again. We walk by faith and not by sight. Now, let's go to our text, our foundational text in Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8, verse 22.

[15:05] Now, it happened on a certain day that he got into a boat with his disciples and he said to them, let us cross over to the other side of the lake and they launched out.

[15:17] But as they sailed, he fell asleep and a windstorm came down on the lake and they were filling with water. Water was coming into the boat.

[15:29] That was a critical situation. Right? So, they were filling with water. Interesting. See that word, filling. Filling. In other words, they were filled or water came in.

[15:43] Water was coming in on a constant basis. They were filling. So, maybe it started by the time we would be able to do it. But they realized the thing is now increasing. That problem, you thought, I had some pain here.

[15:56] I thought it would go. Ah, now the thing is filling with water. It's climbing up. Then all of a sudden, when the pain was small in your knees, oh, I'm healed by Jesus in the name of Jesus.

[16:07] Healing is my portion. I'm okay. Then the thing was climbing to your thighs and to your hips. No, Jesus' healing is my portion. Then it goes to both hips and all of a sudden, you say, ah, this thing is not working.

[16:21] Let me go and look for some medical help. And then you go, they tell you something. It looks like what they are saying is true. Let me put the Bible aside now. Okay.

[16:32] So, the situation, sometimes we are okay when everything is fine. I said the other time, if you don't come to church when things are bad, it tells us the level of your faith. Oh, I'm so down.

[16:44] Everything, things are so bad. I can't go to church. I just need some time off. Off? Off what? Think about it. Some time off what? I need some time to rest.

[16:55] Rest. God, it's too much on my head. It's too much. I can't take this. I need some time off. No. Bible says that the name of the Lord, the righteous, you run into the tower, run into it, you race into it.

[17:15] Not run away from it. You race into it. And they are saved. Okay. So, in the time of trouble, he said, I like the way he puts it in Psalm 27.

[17:26] Yes, I think 27. He said, for in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion. No, I think it's, yeah, it's Psalm 27. There's one, two, three, four, somewhere. In the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion.

[17:39] In the time of trouble, God, that's when we need God more. Hallelujah. So, the boat started filling with water.

[17:50] And then, when the guys saw that this thing was filling with water, they said, oh, this situation is not good. And, I like the way the Bible puts it in the verse 23.

[18:08] This is a narration, okay, narration of the event. Okay. The Bible has different sections, but let me just focus on the New Testament.

[18:19] The New Testament has different sections. We have the narrative, the narrative, and the didactic. But the narrative is history, telling us about the story.

[18:33] While the didactic is the instructions. Love one another. Oh, no one, anything except love. These are instructions, didactics, didactics. Study to show yourself, approve that.

[18:44] So, most of the epistles are like didactics. And then, most of the, the gospels and acts. The gospel and acts is primarily narrative.

[18:56] It's telling a story. Now, so, in this narrative told by Luke, he says that they were filling with water. So, water was coming in so rapidly and watch this.

[19:07] He added, and they were in jeopardy. Now, he's not, he's not trying to create a scene. He's telling us what the situation was. So, he said, the guys were in jeopardy.

[19:22] Do you understand what I'm saying? The boat was, New Living Translation, put it on the screen please. The boat was filling with water and they were in actual danger. They were in real, say real danger.

[19:35] Is there someone here who feels like you are in real danger? You know what I'm talking about. You are in real danger. So, they ran to church. Pastor, pray. Pastor, pray.

[19:46] Pastor, pray. That's what they did. They went and walked Jesus out. Jesus, Jesus. Now, Bible said, what version is that? Message. And they were about to capsize. That's a different, didn't you?

[19:57] So, they went and then the next verse says that they went and woke this man who was sleeping when we were about to capsize. Master, master, we are going to drown. So, when he rebuked the, he got up and rebuked the sin.

[20:12] Now, watch this. When the King Jezu reading, he says that they told the master that master, we are perishing. Brothers and sisters, as I said earlier on, the Bible didn't say they were perishing.

[20:27] They were in danger. But it doesn't mean you're perishing. You can't perish. It looks like you're about to lose your marriage.

[20:37] It won't happen. Amen. It looks like your health is really going down. What? It's going down and down. The devil is a liar.

[20:48] Then all of a sudden, something begins to suggest that's the same thing that happened to your auntie. You remember? It's the same thing that happened to your dad. It's the same thing. The devil always begins to bring history and tell you that you are not different from where you are coming from.

[21:02] And you can see the reality of the danger. But the reality of the danger does not mean you are actually going to perish. You are going to become what the danger is trying to define to you.

[21:15] All right. So Jesus got up, rebuked the, let's go back to my text so that I can pick it from. Let me read it. Verse 24, and they came to him and awoke him saying, Master, Master, we are perishing.

[21:30] Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water and they ceased and there was a calm. But he said to them, where is your faith?

[21:44] There was a calm. Then he said to them, where is your faith? Praise the Lord. Brothers and sisters, you know what I just deduced from this text as well? Sometimes when you're a Christian brother, a Christian sister is in trouble and is like throwing tantrums, don't be too quick to not be preaching to them.

[22:02] Help them solve the situation and when they are calm then call them aside and say, what was wrong with you? You understand what I'm saying? Because sometimes, so Jesus calmed the situation, made a difference in the situation, then he asked them one question, that where is your faith?

[22:19] Ask someone, where is your faith? Where is your faith? They were so frantic and afraid because they believed they were dying.

[22:33] But you are not dying. So Jesus said, where is your faith? All right. Now, the reason why he said, where is your faith is because, as I told you earlier, everyone has got faith, has got faith.

[22:45] And, oh, oh, faith is a force. Faith is a divine force. Faith is a heavy force that comes on the scene to make things happen.

[22:59] So it's not just so it's not just a philosophical persuasion. It's not just an ideology or religious preposition.

[23:12] Faith is a divine force. The Bible says that God even, the worlds were framed through faith. Remember, I explained it to you the other time.

[23:25] We understand by faith the worlds were framed. So it takes faith to get things done. When Jesus was on earth, he was operating up.

[23:36] He was operating in the realm of faith. All right. Now, the point here is that if you're a believer and you have faith and the just shall live by faith, then why is it that you don't find yourself operating in faith?

[23:47] Because sometimes, watch this. Uh-huh. Most times, watch this. Remember, remember I told you two things I want to underscore here. Remember I told you that everyone has faith.

[24:00] And faith is not like a spare time which you pull out in the time of trouble. But faith is a lifestyle. Faith is a realm. You live there. So whether there's problem or no problem, you are just, you are constantly in faith.

[24:15] And I used Abraham as an example that when he was in trouble, when he didn't have a child and God spoke to him, he believed God's word. Okay? So whether God had spoken to him when he was 25 or he spoke to him when he was 50 or 80 or 90, it didn't really make any much difference because his faith was in God's word in spite of the situation.

[24:41] All right? So whether there's a bad situation or not, his faith was stable. His faith was based on what God has said. Base your faith on what God has said and not how good things look.

[24:53] Because if you base your faith on how good things look or it looks like, oh, it's going to be, well, that's a possibility. Sometimes, even in the face of impossibility, you just base your faith on what God has said and you know that God is going to deliver.

[25:06] All right now. So you live, we just live, faith is a lifestyle. Faith is a realm you operate and it makes things, even impossible things, become possible.

[25:17] All right? So then, why, when they were in a storm and Jesus rebuked them and they were in jeopardy, Jesus said that, where is your faith?

[25:29] In other words, does that mean they were not constantly in faith? Pastor, you are saying that when, watch this, I want to underscore a point, a very important point here. Pastor, you said that faith is not a spare time, you pull out in trouble, but you live with it constantly.

[25:45] That even if people were living with it constantly, why is Jesus saying that, where is your faith? So that means they could have pulled out the faith and used it. They understand that. Now, you can be living by faith. We live by faith.

[25:55] Say we live by faith. Or say we walk by faith. We walk by faith. We live by faith. All right. So we live by faith. You are living by faith, but there are times situations come and throw you out of balance.

[26:08] I've always believed God, but not this, I never thought this, this, where's this one coming from? Am I talking to someone? If you don't have faith, 99% of us won't be in church.

[26:20] 99% of us here are in church because we have faith. The other 1% were just here to either look for a woman, look for a man, or... Oh yeah, I found out people come to church to come and do that.

[26:32] Ah, don't you know that? When you see some of the nice, nice ladies on this stage, some people come and they're trying to okay after church. I think this one will be...

[26:43] You see that a church like this, you can't, the women are nice. Yeah, yeah, Pastor Frank. So you see the pictures on Facebook, so you come in quickly.

[26:54] Verify that. But then the point I'm making is you get up in the morning, get yourself ready, come to church, it's an act of faith. Now, so you are in the state of working with God and all of a sudden this storm shows up and throws you out of balance and you feel like, well, I need to find some another solution because this thing is not working for me.

[27:16] Right? So then what happens is that, watch this, situations come to challenge your faith, to try, watch this, to try to derail you from the walk of faith.

[27:29] So they were with Jesus crossing over to the other side and suddenly a storm arose and the boats began to be filled with water and they were about to capsize and so they, they were thrown out of balance and they felt that there's no hope now, there's no hope now.

[27:47] Jesus, you don't have to die, you have to, this is no way, you have to die on the cross, you don't have to die in this water. Jesus, wake up, we are going, we are going, we are going, we are going, master, don't you care? I believe that they didn't wake him up to do something, they woke him up to, let's all bring our minds because now, master, we are all going down.

[28:02] So they said, don't you care that we are perishing because their problem was he was sleeping, that's why they woke him up. That, if it was just you to get your life jacket or something because we are perishing, not that to come and bring a solution because sometimes you get to a place where you are certain that there's no hope.

[28:21] Sometimes you get to a position in your life, in your marriage, in your health, in your childcare or in your business, your job, search, and that now is gone, there's no hope.

[28:33] There is no hope. Listen, even when death comes, there is still hope. All right, even when death comes, there is still hope. I've seen people and I've heard of situations and cultural situations where people died and they were brought back to life.

[28:47] All right, so nothing is final once you are with God. So now, so when things come to challenge your faith, I want to underscore a few points here.

[28:57] Ah, Jesus, this is just good. Remember, Bible says that we walk, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 7, we walk this way and not that way.

[29:11] Okay, this is how we walk and now you are walking by faith and then things are challenging you and guess what? The things that are challenging you, you are seeing them so if you don't take care, let me take you to the scriptures again in Matthew 14, verse 27.

[29:26] Something happened and then I'll go to one or two scriptures again quickly. Matthew 14, verse 27. Verse 25 said, Now in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them walking on the sea and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled saying, It is a ghost and they cried out for fear.

[29:46] But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid. Verse 28, and Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.

[29:59] Huh? You are daring? Really? Because I am walking on the water? Alright. Then Jesus said, Come. Come. Say come. Come.

[30:10] It is all you need is the word. And when Jesus said come, any of the disciples could have gone. A word has been issued out and that word is what sustains God's manifestation.

[30:23] Okay? So, sometimes you can be in a service and a word will come. I have seen people where somebody is receiving a prophecy and they say, God is telling me I am going to raise you. God is telling me within the next three months or next year, this is coming to the fortune, serious fortune.

[30:41] And then while someone is receiving the word, another brother is sitting there and say, Amen, I receive it. I receive it. See, you can tap into that word. Don't wait for it to be told, your name to be addressed.

[30:52] Maybe to not, but you know that this word too, I will need it. You know this word is also good for me. You can tap into the word. So, when Jesus said, Peter was the one who told Jesus, tell me to come. And Jesus said, come.

[31:03] Any of the disciples in the boat could have also gone walking on the water. Because Jesus said, Peter, come. He said, come. Come.

[31:14] Say, come. And so, what happened? Jesus said, Peter started walking on the water. Look at this very carefully. It's very interesting. So, he said, come. Verse 26, 29, sorry.

[31:24] So, he came. When Peter came down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Verse 30, but when he saw, uh-huh, when he did what? When he did what? Saw.

[31:35] We remember 2 Corinthians 5, verse 7, we walk by faith and not by sight. Okay, sight there is talking about sensory perception. What you can hear, what you can feel, what you can taste, what you can touch, and what you can smell and see, all those things, uh, uh, uh, when we say, when the Bible says sight, it's all, it includes all that.

[31:57] Sensory perception. Okay? So, Peter saw, when Peter, and then, he was walking on the water, all right? But when, verse 30, but when Peter saw the wind was boisterous, he was afraid and, and began, and beginning to sink, he cried out saying, Lord, save me.

[32:15] Now, what did Peter see? Why did he walk on the water? Because he had the word and he started working on the water. But he was walking on the water and then he saw something whilst walking on the water, whilst walking by faith, whilst living by faith, he saw something else that got his attention.

[32:34] He said, hey, I've been going to church regularly. I've been going to church morning, evening, morning, evening, every time I'm in church, I'm giving, I'm showing, I'm, everything, one day, all of a sudden, I begin to feel, this is why, hold on, I just can't take this anymore.

[32:51] This is too much. Now, Peter was walking on the word and then, he saw the boisterous wind and the boisterous wind, what happened when he saw the boisterous wind?

[33:05] What happened to him? From the scripture, what we just read? He was afraid. Why was he afraid? Because of what he saw. Because of what he saw.

[33:17] Some of us, sometimes, the things we see send shivers in our spine. The things you hear, the news you heard about your mom, your dad, your brother, your job. Some people are seated here and by the end of the year, they are hoping that things, they are afraid, they know that things are not going to work for them.

[33:34] Now, this brother came to you, proposed marriage and everything was going okay and then one day, you heard, your auntie told you in our family, people don't get married though.

[33:46] So this man you watch, he's going to leave you. He will leave you. He will leave you and all of a sudden, fear enters your heart. He comes to visit you, what do you want? I know you will leave me, go. I know you will.

[34:00] Praise the Lord. So what he saw, that's why you don't, that's why you don't walk by sight because if you depend on what you are hearing, sister, you will not enjoy healing.

[34:12] If you depend on the medical records alone, you will remain sick. But find out the word God has got for you and walk on the word.

[34:24] God, that's how, so when we talk about we walk by faith, not by sight, we're actually walking on the word. And when you look, when you get distracted and look at what you, things around you, focus on the situation, then fear gets into your system.

[34:38] When fear comes into you, fear begins to disengage faith. So fear will disengage your faith and then when your faith is not in place, God can't help you. Do you know what?

[34:50] All you need is God and all it takes is faith. All you need is God and all, my sister, all you need is God and all it takes is faith.

[35:06] That's all it takes. I don't have money. You don't need money. I don't have a car. You don't need a car. I don't have a job. You don't need one.

[35:17] I don't have a friend. You don't need a friend. I have no one. You don't need anyone. All it takes is faith. All it takes is faith.

[35:28] Anyone here, woman or man, who is afraid you won't get married? The devil is a liar. You'll be married. I said you'll get married. It's a choice. You'll get married.

[35:39] But I don't have anyone. You don't need anyone. You don't need anyone. And who am I going to marry? Am I going to marry my faith? Your husband is in the faith. He's in the faith. He's there. Your wife is in the faith.

[35:53] It will take some people five years to get what I just said. But don't worry. All right. So, it's very important to appreciate. Now, watch this. So, if the judge shall live by faith and things are challenging our faith, things come, your faith, watch this, every walk of faith will be tested.

[36:14] Genesis chapter 22, verse 1, Bible said, I came to pass after all these things that God did test Abraham. Every walk of faith will be tested. Minister, every walk of faith will be tested at every level.

[36:28] At every level. So, you don't get to a place where, okay, now I've become a master in faith. So, no, no, no, no. The more, the older you grow in the Lord and the stronger you grow in faith, the more harder challenges to test that.

[36:43] Because the, the validity and the solidity of your faith is based on the test it has been through. When your faith goes on God's word.

[36:56] So, when you go through the situation and you focus on God's word, that is what test shows how, what your faith is actually. Because I'm going to say faith, but it's not actually faith, you know. It's not faith either, it's confidence.

[37:10] Confidence in their friend, in their job, in their certificate, in their contacts, in their intelligence, in their beauty, in their handsomeness, in their, you know, connections.

[37:25] So, confidence. And they call it faith. No. Faith is only based on God's word. So, it gets to a time, all those things will be stripped away.

[37:36] And we'll find out where you are, what you are standing on. What you are standing on. Bible says that it came to pass after this in that God tested Abraham and said, Abraham.

[37:48] He said, yes, here I am. What is it? Are you going to tell me? He didn't know where he was coming. He would have said, no God, not now. Every walk of faith and every genuine faith will be tested.

[38:00] In 1 Timothy, this is a good text, you can write it down. 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 11. 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 11. But, by you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

[38:22] Go to verse 12. Let's all read the first statement together. Fight the good fight of faith. One more time. Fight the good fight of faith. Louder, please.

[38:33] Fight the good fight of faith. It's a fight. Fight the good fight. And it's a good fight. Obviously, you know that some fights are bad fights.

[38:44] When somebody's fighting, you go and take it, you're fighting. Bad fight. All right. Bible says, anyone who meddles with problem, that is not his. It's like, you are holding a dog by the ear.

[38:57] Don't get involved. He must know where to stay out. What to stay out. Can I say this, please, gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen. When you see a husband and wife, okay, or people who are in love and they are going out and where, you see them fighting.

[39:11] Be careful. Yes. And one comes and blasts the other one to you. Hey, hey, hey, hey, be careful. Husband and wife, so you see some wives, hey, my husband, he's a wizard.

[39:22] He's a foolish man. I can't stand him. I hate him. And he said, oh, don't mind. He's a stupid man. He said, I don't know such a man.

[39:33] He said, look, we will deal with him. The next time, you see her pregnant. He said, hey, is that how hatred does? What hatred can I do?

[39:43] So you have to be careful. When you are getting involved in somebody's marital issues, husbands and wives are always usually unpredictable. Someone is sitting here, maybe you are upset with your husband or upset with your wife.

[40:02] Don't fool us. We won't join you. We won't join you. We won't join you. Because it's just a short season. Those things are short-lived. Short-lived.

[40:14] There are one or two bad things. Once it's pressed, everybody forgets about every other thing in the world. Praise God. So I said, pastor, please, if you come and insult, tell me so many bad things about your husband.

[40:25] I may not disbelieve you, but I will join you to find him. If you come and tell me, oh, this woman is a devil. Pastor, you don't know.

[40:35] I'm living with, you don't know her. I'm living with the devil in my house. The real devil. I'll look at you in sympathy and I'll be looking, wow, this is someone living with the devil.

[40:48] Wow. Wow. When I finish with you, I say, okay, let's pray. Father, I pray that lead, I never even pray that the Lord rebuked the husband. No, no, I say, Lord, I pray that lead him.

[41:01] Help him to be able to handle the situation. I say, I'm a pastor, so he think, oh, I say, hey, let's go to your house.

[41:15] I'm going to cast the devil from your house. No, no, no, no, no. His boys will do that, but men don't do that. Any adult knows that when husband and wife are quarreling, don't go and talk about it too much because you'll be, you'll end up being the, the, the, the, but then it says that not every fight, so don't, don't engage in every fight.

[41:33] Now, the Bible says that, but fight the good fight of faith. Okay, so to watch this, some of us are fighting for your jobs, fighting for your health, fighting for your marriage, fighting for your children, fighting for your rights, fighting for, it says that, these, these good things are good, but the one fight, that Bible says the good fight, fight the good fight of faith.

[41:59] In other words, fight, do anything so you stay in faith because you can get all these things if you are out of faith, sister, you are in trouble because if you are out of faith, God can help you.

[42:10] That's the key point. God can help people unless they are in faith. God, when God is coming to, ooh, ooh, I like this, your faith attracts God.

[42:22] Once you are in faith, heaven is on your side. Once you are in fear, you put a barrier on what heaven can do for you. So when Jesus showed that the first, he said, fear God.

[42:34] He was working on the water, working on God's word, so fear entered. He started to sink. Now, Jesus was the one who said, come. Who told him to come? Jesus. But he started sinking.

[42:45] So that means that, Jesus, you trapped me to kill me. No. He didn't trap you to kill you, but he gave you the word. So long as you keep your focus on the word, you are okay.

[42:58] Tell somebody, I choose to remain okay. I choose to remain okay. Because I'm going to focus on the word. Because I'm going to focus on the word. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight the good fight of faith.

[43:09] Right. And second, in James 1, verse 2, it talks about how count it all joy when you fall into diverse kinds of temptation, knowing this, that the trial of your faith, knowing this, knowing this, that the testing of your faith, it produces, so it's your faith that is being tested.

[43:28] How does, okay, can I ask this question? How does faith get tested? From this text? Verse 2.

[43:39] Verse 2. How, how, how, how does faith, right? Ah. So faith gets tested through trial. They want to check if the shock absorbers of the car is good, then they put, let it off, they begin to, instead of spring, ah, okay, this is good.

[43:58] They test it. They test it. They test to check the strength of it. Sometimes when they're building a structure, they have to put some loads on it to check this thing is good enough. Right.

[44:10] So it says that, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Why? Because trials test your faith. Trials don't destroy your life as a believer.

[44:22] Because nothing can destroy you. The thing that will destroy you has not been, the devil hasn't found it yet. You didn't hear what I said? The things that will destroy you, that will keep you down and ground you, the devil has not found it yet.

[44:37] Because nothing exists that can keep you down. Once you are, you are going on the way, you can't even walk on water on the way. Nothing can keep you down. So then the only solution by the enemy can employ is to create a scene, create a scene to distract your focus from the word.

[44:52] Once you get distracted from the word and you stay out of faith, even if you keep walking, you are sinking. A sinking man walking. Do you understand what I'm saying?

[45:04] You are sinking. Because the reason why you are walking, what is keeping you going is God. All right, let me put it this way. If God is the one keeping you, then if you lose focus on God and still seem to be going, you are not actually going.

[45:21] Because you have disengaged God. It's like you are traveling on the motorway and you run out of fuel. Depending on what kind of car you are driving, the car will still be moving.

[45:32] You are going for some distance, but the accelerator will not work. You can't engage the engine, but the car will still be moving. So you will think that, I'm okay, see, I'm okay.

[45:43] See, yeah, I'm okay. It's just a matter of time. But as long as you engage what keeps you going, you are not sinking in the name of Jesus Christ. So quickly, how do you release your faith?

[45:53] Three points. Three points. I'll mention them quickly. Number one, prayer. Prayer. Because Jesus said, where's your faith? That means that you should have released your faith. Get your faith into action.

[46:05] You've always been on faith and situation came and now your faith has gone on break. No, engage your faith. All right? So how do you release your faith? How do you engage your faith? How do you release your faith? Number one, prayer.

[46:16] Okay, what do you mean by prayer? No, you must be prayerful. Okay, why should I be prayerful? Watch this. Because faith operates on revelation. The insight you have about God is what boosts your confidence in him.

[46:32] And Jesus told them that flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father. So as you have a different perspective about God and what God does, it empowers you to be able to walk in faith.

[46:46] That's one of the reasons why we share testimonies, just to give somebody an idea or give somebody an aspect of what God does. So then revelation, now watch this, people can tell you everything, I can be teaching you all these things, but if your spirit is not in a position to absorb this, it becomes information not revelation.

[47:04] And in a time of trouble, revelation, that keeps you going, not just information in your head. Because watch this, when a trouble comes, you see the issue, it begins to challenge your thinking. Your mind, how many of you have been in situations where, okay, I believe it's very common with men or women, when you fall in love.

[47:21] Sometimes you fall in love and the guy is doing some things that everybody is concerned about. But there's another part of you, see your head is doubting, but your heart, in my heart, I still believe him. So now you get into this conundrum, your mind wants to, your mind is telling, you can see all the dangers.

[47:40] You can see he has got three girlfriends, he didn't tell you you are discovering that. But somehow your heart makes you feel that he will change. He's so innocent. Even those girlfriends he got, his friends gave them to him.

[47:57] He will change. He will change. All right. So the point is that there are times that your mind will, so long as intellect is constant, you can pick up some things that you know that no, this doesn't seem good, this is dangerous, but then your heart too can tell you something else.

[48:14] There are people here, Mama Grace for instance, when she wasn't even born again, doctors told her don't give birth again. I bought this child and she said no, I bought this child and they said no, it will endanger your life and the child's life.

[48:26] She said no, I will give birth and my child will be okay. It wasn't based on faith, but her gut, she had this gut feeling in spite of that medical argument, there was this gut feeling that was telling her that you can go through.

[48:39] And sometimes it does happen to human beings. Now the point I'm making here is that when faith is based on revelation, then the arguments that come on your mind, the things you see that appeal to your intellect don't affect your faith.

[48:53] Because your mind, so that's why the psalmist said whenever I'm afraid, I will trust in you. Because my mind tells me there's no way, but I know in my heart there's a way. I know in my heart there's a way.

[49:06] I know in my heart. Then your mind says, but where is the way? Where is the way? There's no way there's no way. You're saying there's no way. And you know in your heart that you're not going down. When we didn't have a child for one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, I knew that it's not possible for me not to have a child.

[49:20] I knew I've had a child already because I had an encounter with God, seeing myself years ago, carrying my baby, my wife was delivered and the baby was in my hand. So I have seen it. Seeing is believing. I've seen it.

[49:31] You can't tell me. So in spite of all the medical arguments, I know I have a baby already. I have it. I have it. So when revelation enters your spirit, revelation can enter your spirit through prayer.

[49:45] When you're having realized the more prayerful you are, the more open you are to the things of God, the less prayerful. So listen, it doesn't matter. I feel the Holy Ghost here. It doesn't matter how long someone has been in church.

[49:56] They can be in church 20 years. Be careful when they are advising you. If they are prayerless, their advice is flesh. You can be in church three months and you can tap into the frequency of heaven and someone can be in church 18 years.

[50:10] So stop telling me, you know how long I've been in church. So what? What has that got to do with receiving from God? It's your insight. It's your insight.

[50:22] Now I'm not saying that age doesn't matter. Stay long. It's good. But make sure, you see the longer you stay, you see someone it helps you to be able to easily align. But what you need is pray.

[50:33] So when someone is advising you and they pull out the church card, I have been here long, check on them. How about your prayer life?

[50:43] Oh me, I pray every day. I pray. Sometimes when people don't pray, when you're talking to them and you are sensitive to God, you can tell. Because if this one prays, you should have known this already.

[50:55] When people pray, sometimes someone who prays will just see your brother and say, brother, it is well. And easily you know that this guy is prayerful. Because he doesn't know what he's done, but you know.

[51:07] So the way to tap into revelation of God, Bible says that these things are spiritually designed. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14, spiritual things are spiritually designed. And it takes revelation to walk in absolute faith.

[51:20] life. Because physically, some things, my sister, some things will challenge your physical thinking. Some things will challenge your thinking, your mind, the way you think.

[51:31] You will see issues that you know that there is no hope for me. There is no hope. Doctors can tell you there is no hope. You can see the situation and you know they are not lying.

[51:42] They are telling you the truth. But when there is revelation in your spirit, someone, a young man, a young boy can stand there and go, I can do that thing through Christ. Immediately revelation enters your heart.

[51:53] Because your spirit is sharp. So God can speak to you through enemies. Through enemies. Say revelation. So it's important. To release your faith, you must be prayerful.

[52:06] That's what makes your revelation, makes you walk in revelation. And then number two, righteousness. Say righteousness. What do I mean by righteousness? Right standing with God. Doing the right things so long as God is concerned.

[52:18] Because the Bible says that they are unrighteous. The sinner runs when no one is pursuing him. I don't know how many of you have sinned before.

[52:31] How many of you haven't? Whoa. Can you show us how you do it? So we can. Everyone has sinned before. And some even not before.

[52:46] Last night. This morning. And guess what? Some are even sitting here right now. They are sinful thoughts. Thinking about all kinds of this lady.

[52:57] She doesn't know. I don't like it. Maybe look at it. Maybe she fall while she's walking. You look good, but your mind is interesting. Now, how many of you have realized that maybe when you enter into some sin and if it hits you so much, you come into God's presence and you really don't feel yourself.

[53:20] And they say, let's pray that God will open the heavens and bring bread to you and you lift up and say, God, please, I feel so bad. Forgive me. Am I talking to anybody? I feel so bad. You know what?

[53:30] Sin deflates your confidence. And righteous, the Bible says the righteous is as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28, verse 1.

[53:41] The righteous is as bold. So sin deflates your confidence. So if to release your faith, stay righteous. Stop saying, I can't stop, I can't stop, I can't do this. You can.

[53:52] Say, I can do all things through Christ who trains me. And quickly, last, to focus on God's word. All right? So focus on God's word.

[54:02] Say, focus on God's word. That's how you release your faith. Now, do you know why Peter started to sink? Tell me, talk to me. Talk to me, somebody.

[54:14] Huh? He lost focus on what? See? Huh? The first day. How did he walk on the water? Because he had the word.

[54:26] That's why he was able to walk on the water. But the word didn't change. The word didn't come. Another word didn't come. It's sink. It's the same word. What happened? What happened? So he lost focus on God's word.

[54:39] He lost focus on God's word. Sister, God's word has always been the same. By his stripes, we are healed. It's the same. It won't change.

[54:51] It won't change. Have you discovered that the only book that never gets reviewed? God's word. Because what? 2,000 years and it's still valid.

[55:04] Some books, every academic book, all this big, big, big book, they have to every time, new edition, updates, every time, improvised versions and every time, every year, any academic book that is not reviewed and updated is not valid after a while.

[55:22] It's not valid. Some of us are still staying with some staff teaching us in class 1. Times are moving on. When you're in class 1, we'll talk about iPad or emails.

[55:39] So things get updated by the word of God. The Bible says it's the same yesterday. Today and forever. So the word God the word God gives you about your job.

[55:51] It's still valid today. It's still valid. The word God gave you about your health is still valid. In spite of the fact that you see things not looking good at all.

[56:02] In spite of the fact that you see age or biological clock changing the word God gave you is still valid. If God told you you'll be a father of many nations it does not matter how old you get. The word is still valid.

[56:17] The word is still valid. The word is still valid. But what doesn't it produce? As long as you keep your eye on the word just a matter of time people will then see what the word has always been saying.

[56:34] Your manifestation is showing up in the name of Jesus. Somebody's manifestation is showing up in the name of Jesus. And the Bible talks about how Hebrews chapter 4 verse 2 he says that they heard the word we also heard it but it didn't miss it with faith.

[56:47] So when the word comes to you when in a situation why? Hey! God will always give you a word. That's the characteristic of God. He's a word giver.

[56:59] He will always give you a word. So it does not matter the situation you find yourself in there's always a word. But what you have got to do pray and look out for what God is saying. Look out for what God is saying and stay on that word.

[57:12] Stay on that word. Stay on that medication. Stay on that spiritual medication. It will take you through it will carry you through and you are not going down in the name of Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 6 says that the word they heard the gospel was preached to us as well as them but they did not mix it with faith.

[57:29] So when the word comes to you what you have to do is now release your faith into it your confidence into it and begin to walk by it. Shout hallelujah. Hallelujah. And then finally releasing your faith.

[57:42] Speak what the word is saying. The longer you remain silent the more it looks like your qualification to enjoy what God has said aspires.

[57:59] In other words you can disqualify yourself from becoming a beneficiary of God's word or what God has spoken and promised you. How do you do that?

[58:10] If you don't say it. Did you realize what Jesus did when they saw the storm? Did you realize what he did? Some of you didn't notice that in the book of Luke chapter 8 verse 24 Bible says that Jesus rebuked the storm.

[58:30] He spoke to the storm but when he finished he said where is your faith? That means that your faith is called to speak. You are afraid that's why you all began to cave in. And master master and then Jesus rose up and rebuked.

[58:45] You think they did what? No. He spoke at that account said and he spoke to the way. He spoke so back then later you go to verse 26 somewhere or so he said they were all marveled because they said what kind of man is this that even the winds obey him?

[59:00] No, no, no. I think it's verse 24 still somewhere there. What kind of man is that even the winds obey him? Alright? Obey. He spoke. He issued a command. Alright? Who can this be?

[59:11] For he commands even the winds and they obey him. He issued a command. Faith will speak in Mark chapter 11 verse 23. 22 says that have faith in God. 23 says that if you have faith in God if you believe if you have faith you will say.

[59:25] So to release your faith you have to speak. Speak out. Speak out. Somebody don't remain quiet. Don't remain silent. Speak out.

[59:36] Speak out. What do you speak out? Speak out your convictions based on God's word. Hallelujah. There's no way you are going to get stuck.

[59:49] You are going to be grounded. Your faith is going to deliver. I see somebody's faith delivering in the name of Jesus. Did you get something? Come on. Let's appreciate God. Hallelujah. Thank you for listening.

[60:00] For more resources please visit charis.org or call us on 0207-740-9960. God bless you.