Introduction
FAITH IS A SPIRITUAL substance. When activated, it causes the unseen things in the Spirit that we desire to become manifest in the natural world. The Bible says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).
I believe the Scripture clearly illustrates six definable characteristics of faith. When set into motion through a believer, these characteristics produce a full cycle of faith that causes the unseen to manifest in the natural realm. These characteristics are as follows:
- Faith Sees
- Faith Speaks
- Faith Acts
- Faith Stands
- Faith Rejoices
- Faith Rests
Faith sees
Faith always sees the end of a matter before the result shows up in the natural. Every good thing that comes to pass in your life starts in your heart—your spirit. Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things” (Matthew 12:35). The Bible also says, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart” (Proverbs 20:27).
Your human spirit is creative and productive—just like God. Functioning much like a manufacturing plant, your spirit forms an image that creates a picture in you of what God’s Word says you can rightfully have and do.
When you meditate on the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to join with you in your studying, He will use the Word of God like an artist’s paint to create an image of what God says on the canvas of your heart. For instance, if you need money, you can meditate on and confess scriptures that promise to meet your financial needs, scriptures such as Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” As you read, confess and envision God’s Word coming to pass, the Holy Spirit will create in your heart an image of you having enough money to meet all your needs. Eventually, that faith image will be more real than what your physical eyes see.
God saw an image of the universe in His heart before He ever spoke that image into existence. He saw mankind before He created man and woman in His own image. And because we are created in His image, we can use our faith to bring what we see with the eye of faith into the natural.
The Bible says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Once you have conceived an image, faith is the evidence that what you need exists—whether or not it is yet visible.
The unseen realm is not a fantasy world in which you pretend certain things exist: the unseen realm deals with ultimate reality. The highest form of reality is this: God’s Word is true.
According to what the physical eyes can see, it is not possible to feed more than 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus proved these natural facts were subject to change when He used His faith to multiply the loaves and fishes to feed the multitude (see Matthew 14:17–21).
Meditate on the Word and use your faith to see yourself as God sees you. You are a joint heir with Jesus (see Romans 8:17). Whatever He gets, you get. You are a winner, more than a conqueror and an overcomer (see Roman 8:37; 1 John 5:4). Choosing to see yourself as God sees you is the first step to bringing this image into existence.
Faith Speaks
Faith always speaks a thing into existence. In the book of Genesis, we see this second step that God established for bringing the unseen into the physical realm: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament …’ Thus God made the firmament” (Genesis 1:3, 6–7).
Notice that whatever God said came into existence. Because we are made in the image of God, we too can speak things into existence. The apostle Paul understood the connection between faith and speaking.
He said, “And since we have the same spirit of faith according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13).
When you see an image inside yourself and believe it, you’ll automatically speak it. Creative words will come out of your spirit. Be careful to conceive the right kind of image in your heart. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34–35).
You will always talk about the image you have conceived, whether good or bad. If you have an image of failure, you will talk failure. If you have an image of success, you will talk success. Regardless of the kind of image you’ve conceived, your words will bring it into existence.
Jesus revealed this principle of faith in the book of Mark: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).
If bad things are happening to you and you want to know why, listen to what is coming out of your mouth.
You may say, “But, Brother Elder, I just can’t make good confessions.” Yes, you can. Start by changing the image in your spirit.
A person who continually speaks curses is speaking what is in his heart in abundance. In the same way, a person who has God’s Word in his heart in abundance will have no problem speaking the way God speaks. When you are full of God’s Word, it is what comes out. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Notice that Jesus said rivers of water—not mere trickles.
Many people attempt to speak faith without first having conceived an image in their spirit. Because they haven’t seen by faith, what they say doesn’t come to pass. Then they are quick to say their faith confession didn’t work: “I’ve confessed that I’m healed, but I’m still sick.” The Bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).
Jesus said the time would come when men’s hearts would fail them for fear of what is coming on the earth (see Luke 21:26). This statement literally means that people will die of fear, but it also means the spirits of those who don’t operate in faith will fail to produce. Allowing our faith to speak is vital, but it is only one part of the full cycle of faith.
Faith Acts
Once you’ve spoken the image, you begin to act accordingly. Peter saw an image of himself getting out of the boat and walking on the water to Jesus. Then he spoke the image: “Lord, if it is You, command me come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28)
Jesus said come, and immediately Peter began walking on the water. Peter’s faith saw, spoke, and acted. But then he allowed the circumstances to change his image. When he got his eyes off the unseen and focused instead on the storm about him, he began to sink.
Once you see an image, don’t let anything stop you. Start speaking it, and then take action. When every door you come to is shut, use the ripping-off-the roof kind of faith to guide your actions. Jesus will see your faith, and He will meet your need.
When you’ve seen the image of what you desire, you’ve spoken it, and you’ve acted accordingly—yet the circumstances haven’t changed—then put on the whole armor of God and stand. God hears you; therefore, keep standing on His Word. God said, “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34). If you are full of the Word, you always know what God will do in every area of your life.
We are to abound in thanksgiving. Giving God praise and thanksgiving is the highest expression of faith. After you pray and believe you’ve received, immediately thank God and then rejoice; your answer is about to manifest. Praising God is a principle directly linked to increase and blessing: “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God our own God, shall bless us” (Psalm 67:5–6). Praise keeps the enemy at a standstill and opens the door to the blessing of God.
There is labor involved in conceiving an image. You may have to spend a few nights confessing God’s Word until you get the image you desire firmly planted inside you. You don’t always have to labor, but if that’s what it takes to win, be willing to do it.
Sometimes when you lie down to go to sleep, the devil says over and over, “This faith stuff won’t work. You’ll never have what you’re believing for.” When this happens, you have to get up and labor.
You shouldn’t mind missing some sleep when you can change things in just a few hours by successfully conceiving an image. Then you reach the point in your faith where the labor is over and you rest. Some people continue to struggle with their faith after they enter into the rest. They struggle because they don’t let the nature, the characteristics, and the full cycle of faith operate in their lives.
Once you’ve conceived an image by seeing the end result through the eye of faith, you have spoken and acted accordingly, and you’ve stood and rejoiced, then all there is left to do is just enter into God’s rest. When you do, you will experience the consuming assurance that the struggle is over and what you are believing for is yours.