Genuine faith is not a product of human contrivance. Faith is a product of God’s impartation of revelation to man. No man has Biblical faith, who has not first received a revelation from God. Faith is not an attempt to convince ourselves that something is true. Therefore, do not wear yourself out in an attempt to work up faith. It is true that we often face problems that require faith to solve. However, we need to understand that we lack the ability to produce faith, on our own, to solve those problems. Faith is born of God. It is a product of revelation. Jesus is the author of faith; it has no other source (Heb 12:2).
Therefore, if you are faced with problems for which you need faith to solve, do what the Bible instructs us to do under such circumstances: “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2). The answer you need is in Jesus. For the Bible says, “… my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philip 4:19). ALL YOUR NEED, think about that. Nothing is left out! Bring the problem to Jesus and let Him give you His perspective on it and tell you what to do. Faith to deal with that situation will come when you have heard Jesus for yourself: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17).
However, in order to hear from Jesus, you need to give Him your attention, like Mary who sat at His feet listening to Him (Lk 10:39). You may wonder how you can give attention to someone whom you cannot see. Not to worry, we have the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Jesus Himself said of the Holy Spirit, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:14). When we prayerfully read and meditate on the word, we give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to reveal Jesus to us. Jesus is God’s definitive answer to every human need, irrespective of its nature. Hence, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:7-8). This great revelation underscores His unchanging nature, His eternal existence in the present, and, therefore, His timeless relevance to humanity. No wonder “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”” (Acts 4:12 NIV).
God wants us to be ever conscious of His abiding presence with us. That was why He sent Jesus to us as Immanuel which means “God with us” (Matt 1:23). Let us, therefore, fix our eyes firmly on Jesus. Shalom.
