Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayerಮಾದರಿ

Cultivating the God Kind of Faith

Every day, you and I live by faith. In fact, everyone lives by faith. When we read in the Bible, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11), we have to define this statement, because faith of some kind is working in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Having faith means believing and having confidence in the words that you hear. It is believing in something that is not seen as though it is already a reality—and then speaking it and expecting it until it manifests itself. 

If we are going to do any kind of business with God, we need to be able to function in the faith the Bible speaks of. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Many of us were taught that faith is necessary. However, we usually weren’t taught how to obtain the faith that is pleasing to God. 

Faith Is Active Belief

Men and women were created in God’s image to operate in the same way He does—through words of faith. The Bible says, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9). One of the most important illustrations in the Bible concerning faith and prayer is found in Mark:

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. (Mark 11:12–14)

What did Jesus do? He used words. What kind of words did He use? Words of faith. Faith is active belief. When He spoke to the tree, Jesus actively believed that the tree would die.

What happened to the tree Jesus spoke to? “In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!’” (Mark 11:20–21). Most translations give Jesus’ reply as, “Have faith in God” (verse 22). Yet this is not the way it was written in the original Greek. Its literal translation is, “Have the God kind of faith.”

What you hear creates faith for what you are hearing. Then you speak it, and it happens to you. That is why Jesus said that if we want to operate as He does, we have to have the “God kind of faith”:

I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (verses 23–24)

Faith Comes by Hearing

The God kind of faith comes from hearing His Word. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17). Faith doesn’t just initially come by hearing. It continues to come by continual hearing. If you listen to good teaching for one hour and then listen to negative talk for two hours, you are going to have faith for the negative. Faith comes from the word that is near you. That is why I’m careful about the company I keep. I want to be around people who speak words that produce the faith of God, because this is the kind of faith we are to have.

Your salvation came by the confession of your mouth and the belief in your heart (see Romans 10:8–10). When you confessed your faith in the Lord Jesus, He actually, in reality, without a doubt, became your Lord. In light of this truth, consider the following: if you are born again by your words, if you can be kept out of hell and go to heaven by your words, if there is that much power in what you believe and say, what effect are the rest of the words you speak having on you?

We need to be aware continually that there are other kinds of faith all around us besides the God kind of faith. I encourage you to check the company you’re keeping; check what you’re listening to and to whom you’re listening; check the books you read, the music you listen to, the movies and videos you watch, and the church you attend—because you will become what you listen to and speak what you hear. I can almost tell the kind of company a person has been keeping by what he is saying and the way he is acting. He might have previously demonstrated a certain attitude and then suddenly changed. He has been listening to somebody.

Plant Yourself in the Word

How do you obtain the God kind of faith? Romans 10:8 says, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” Whatever is in your heart comes out of your mouth. We could define “heart” in this instance as the subconscious mind. It’s where you store everything you have been listening to.

I want you to remember this truth because it is going to be the biggest test of your faith. What do you say in the midst of trouble? What do you say when there is adversity? What do you say when things are not going the way you want them to go? What you have been listening to will come out of your mouth, because that is what is in your heart. This is why it’s so important to have a constant diet of the Word of God, so that it will get down into your heart. It will nourish your heart so that, when you experience troubles, the Word is what will come out of your mouth, and you will create what the Word says.

Plant yourself in a place where the Word is prevalent and the people around you are continually speaking and living it. The more time you spend in the Word, the more your mind is transformed. You begin thinking differently. When you are constantly around something, when you keep hearing it, it becomes a part of your heart. You start believing it, and that belief is reflected in what you say. Then the fruit starts coming.

Faith, active belief, and expectation all come by what we hear. The Word of God needs to be the foremost source we listen to. All prayer must be the prayer of faith!