*If you want to go up in Faith, clean up.
*This month will be your month of greatest results so far.
*You will end this month with diverse surprises.
*Blessings that you did not plan for will arrive in your life.
*The blessings of this House will continue to rest upon you.
*The God of this Commission will lift you up.
Our series of teachings in all our midweek services is
UNDERSTANDING THE DEMANDS OF BUILDING YOUR FAITH
By way of introduction tonight we are reminded that faith has unlimited capacity for growth. There is no dimension that an individual is operating in to which there is no other option or level to grow into.
2nd Thessalonians 1:3
The word ‘exceedingly’ means increasingly. So the growth of yesterday is not sufficient for today and the growth of today is not conclusive for tomorrow. We must continue to increase in growth. From scripture we are meant to understand that Faith is in degrees. At redemption, we are given what the Bible refers to as measures of Faith.
Romans 12:3
We are expected to continue to take responsibility for growth and increase of our faith. In scripture we discover that the faith that is given to you as a measure can be reduced to no faith.
Mark 4:40
So the measure can be diminished to zero. We also have what the Bible refers to as ‘little faith’.
Matthew 14:31
So from scripture we have ‘No Faith’, we also have little faith and little
faith will also have little effects. From scripture we also have ‘Great Faith’.
Matthew 15:25
So there is ‘No Faith’, there is ‘Little Faith’ and there is ‘Great Faith’.
Matthew 8:10
Jesus speaking to the Centurion, It doesn’t just end with great faith. The greatness of faith also differs in levels. The faith must continuously be on the increase.
For each one of us in this month, your faith will change levels.
We will discover in the cause of our study that faith grows primarily by the Word and by prayers. There are two primary avenues through which faith grows. It takes labour in the Word to see our faith continue to grow.
Grace to be consistent in Word labour will come afresh upon us in the name of Jesus.
So we are going to look specifically on how to build your faith. We have been looking at that in the cause of our teachings so far and we are going to go further again tonight and I trust that the Holy Ghost will grant us understanding.
1- Faith grows by praying in the Holy Ghost among others.
Jude 20
When we pray in the Spirit we give room for the growth, the increase and the advancement of our faith. Let’s begin to examine very quickly from scripture why is it that praying in the spirit helps your faith to grow.
The Bible makes us to understand that when a man prays in the Spirit, he speaks mysteries unto God.
1st Corinthians 15:2
This communication between God and man is spirit to spirit communication.
1st Corinthians 14:14
Praying in the Holy Ghost is engaging your spirit and connecting to God’s Spirit. Romans 8:26-27
If you look at what we saw in
1st Corinthians 14:14 the word ‘spirit’ the ‘s’ is small s which means your spirit. You look at Romans 8:26 it is capital S which means the Holy Spirit. So it means that in praying in the spirit your spirit is communicating with the Holy Spirit.
In John 4:23-24 God is looking for those who will worship Him or who will engage with Him in spirit and in truth. So there is a demand from God for spirit to spirit communication and when this takes place what begins to happen is that the Holy Spirit begins to enhance our understanding. He opens us up to the mysteries of God. When a man prays unto God, he speaks mysteries unto God and the spirit of God communicates back to him.
John 16:12-13
What does He mean? Does He mean you cannot carry them? No. He meant you cannot comprehend them. You can’t understand them.
John 16:13
It means the things that humans cannot say to you, the Spirit will interpret to you. The Holy Spirit is the master teacher.
1st Corinthians 2:13
The Holy Spirit is the One who teaches us spiritual things. Man can only understand natural things but the Spirit is the One that interprets spiritual things to us.
If you are going to understand the things of the Spirit then you will need the help of the Spirit and that is what we get when we engage in praying in the Holy Ghost. As you are praying, He is interpreting. That is why if you are very observant, when you stand extensively praying in the Holy Ghost, suddenly there is a movement of the Holy Ghost inside of you networking scriptures with scriptures, bearing spiritual things with spiritual.
When you don’t understand what is happening pray in the language you don’t understand because in doing so the Holy Ghost begin to network things of the spirit and your eyes become open to see the light that God has in store for you. Understand that it is simply the enhancing of our understanding that produces faith.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The moment we have understanding of the word our faith is boosted.
Romans 10:17
When you pray in the spirit your spiritual understanding is boosted and your faith therefore is enhanced. So that language of praying in the spirit is not something to demonstrate that you are baptized in the Holy Ghost, No. It is an advantage given to you by God to boost your spiritual understanding and enhance your placement in the journey of your faith.
My prayer for each one of us is that we will continue to excercise ourselves, praying in the spirit and our faith will keep growing from strength to strength.
Now to facilitate the growth of our faith, what are some of the facilitators we must take note of? I am going to give us 4 of them quickly tonight and I believe that the Holy Ghost will grant us understanding.
1- We must keep walking in the fear of God.
If your faith will grow you must maintain a life that operates in the fear of God.
Psalm 25:14
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. The moment your lifestyle does not exhibit the fear of the Lord, you are not a candidate for the secret of God.
Matthew 7:6
The Word of God, the insight and revelation of God is the treasure of God so He keeps it only for those who loves Him and who are worthy of Him.
If you look in front of your Bible there is something you will see written, ‘Holy Bible’. Now the question is what are dogs? Is it talking about physical dogs? In Revelation 22:15
Anyone whose life is consciously exhibiting sinfulness is not a candidate for the secret of God. Please hear this and hear it very well, if you are going to gain access to the secrets of God, you must maintain a life of the fear of God. It is very critical.
We live in the day and age where compromise has been commonized. People feel you can live anyhow and still claim association with God. But two cannot work together except they agree. Amos 3:3
You cannot stand with God if you continue in the things that God cannot stand. It is so critical for us to understand that the beauty of our access to insights and to revelation is determined by our commitment to living in the fear of the Lord.
Mark 4:11
They are not permitted to come in, to gain access to the things that God has packaged behind the veil. It is our commitment to a sanctified life that gives us continuous access to the secret of God and it is your access to the secret of God that continuously builds your faith.
Never live in compromise. Don’t allow anything around you that is displeasing to God because if you do, you cannot gain access to the secret of God. Check it, anytime you do something that is displeasing to God, open your Bible and you will see nothing. Everything you will see are things you knew before because it will always require sanctification.
I remember some years ago I met a couple that was always having contention. The woman told me to talk to her husband that every time they had an argument he will carry his Bible and begin to read. So I asked him ‘Sir what have you seen after the fight?’ He looked at me and couldn’t explain. I said ‘You cannot see anything because the moment you are contrary to God you are not a candidate for the secret of God’.
Please hear this, revelation cannot be attained by effort. It is God that unveils. Until He unveils you cannot find it. We who are humans know how to hide things nobody can find. Many of us have things that as inquisitive as your children are they can never find it. Now how can God the Almighty hide something and you think you will find it by effort? You will find it by Him showing it to you.
Look at what we found in Matthew 7:6
What did he say there? There are those that no matter how they ask He will not give them because they do not qualify. So there is a standing order in Heaven that no matter how you ask, Lord show me, give me insight, open my eyes, you cannot manipulate God. Before Him all things lay bare.
If you want to go up in faith, clean up in life. It is very vital. These are vital facilitators. Faith will not grow where you live a life that is contrary to the standard of God and this is so important particularly in our days where people are saying you can do anything you want in this Kingdom. This is a Kingdom of specific Heavenly standards.
1st Peter 1:6
May God give us insight.
2- We must remain in love with God. For you to gain access to the secrets of God which is the foundation of faith you must remain in love with God.
John 15:15
When He talks about friends there, he is talking about individuals that have come into a bond of love with Him. When your love for God is confirmed, the secrets of God are unveiled to you.
1st Corinthians 2:9-10
The spirit revealed them unto us. Who are ‘us’? They that love Him.
One of the greatest things that help in Bible studying, in understanding the scripture, is recognizing that the things stated in scripture are not generally applicable. You must find out whether it meets the standard. When you qualify as a lover of God, you are qualified for the secrets of God. The question is can I confirm my love for God? If my love for God cannot be confirmed, the secrets of God cannot be given. We must understand the necessities of living a life that is committed to loving God.
Love is not in words but in truth and in deeds. How do you manifest love scripturally? In
John 14:21
A lover of God is one that is committed to obeying God that is why you cannot be a genuine commander of divine secrets without gaining access to a heart that is committed to obeying and loving God. What did He say? He said serve the Lord your God and love Him. When that takes place your faith grows exceedingly and suddenly you begin to experience supernatural deliveries that faith has to offer.
Ephesians 3:18-19
Your faith cannot grow without the ground of love. Faith worketh by love.
Galatians 5:6
The ground for which your faith can grow is the ground of love. Until love is present your faith is groundless and groundless faith will lack any kind of effect. We must remain in love with God. When you find a lover of God, they cannot be defeated.
Romans 8:35-38
You cannot be conquered when you are a lover of God. The love of God will always make you dominant in every situation.
Daniel 3:17
The lovers of God cannot be destroyed. Because of the genuineness of the love of Shedrack, Meshak and Abednego their faith was unshakable. Remember when there is no love for God, there is no ground for faith to grow.
From this day, the fire of God will be ignited in your life.
It means you are excited and delighted to obey every commandment of God and that takes you into realms of supernatural testimonies.
3- We must continue to engage the blood of Jesus against all blindfolding forces of hell.
2nd Corinthians 4:4
So anywhere you see absence of faith the enemy is at work trying to blind the eyes. The devil does not have the capacity to stop the shining of light, what he has ability to do is to cover the eyes.
Just like no man can cover the sun but men can cover the eyes of another. It is the same way the devil cannot cover the light of God but at the same time he seeks to cover the eyes of men. We have the responsibility of tearing apart that which seeks to block our access.
Hebrews 10:17-22
He has made a way for us and that way came via the Blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:3-7
Blood was the access so anytime there is a blockage what do you invoke? The Blood.
Revelation 5:1-6
It takes the blood to enter behind the veil. Anytime you find yourself studying the scriptures, seeking light in a particular subject and it looks like there is no way, engage the Blood. Now by the Blood of Jesus I tear apart the veil and I enter into the Holiest, I must see the secrets on the table of the covenant and I must eat of the golden pot of Manna. You engage the Blood.
You don’t enter into revelation by intellectual exertion. You get there by spiritual weaponing, engaging the Blood to gain entrance to the Holiest of all. The Blood of Jesus is our instrument of victory against the attempt of the enemy.
Revelation 12:11
The Blood is our weapon to overcome. It is our weapon of victory. It is our weapon of dominion over every plot of the enemy. God’s intention is to prepare a feast of fat things for us every time we come to the Word and the way to gain access to it is to do so by the Blood of Jesus.
By the Blood of Jesus every veil upon your eyes I see them torn apart in the name of Jesus.
2nd Corinthians 3:18
It takes our faith being opened to gain access to the light of God.
From today onwards your eyes will never be blinded again.
4- We must continue to fellowship with the saints . There is something about fellowship that enhances spiritual understanding.
Psalm 73:17
I was trying to gain insight but it did not come until I entered the sanctuary. You must understand that the sanctuary, the house of God, the place of fellowship is the place of understanding.
Have you not noticed that there are times you come to Church and you hear a scripture that you know but you understand it that day. You see there is something about the atmosphere of fellowship that activates our access to spiritual understanding.
I have discovered that just being in fellowship has a way of activating spiritual understanding. There are times I stand in service and in the midst of the service insights begin to network with insights and I am wondering these are things that I have been thinking about before coming to church. But there is something about the presence of God in fellowship that activates our access to spiritual understanding.
Jeremiah 3:15
That is the purpose of being in Church.
Being fed with understanding so that our faith can grow into next levels. If you want to see your faith grow you must be a fellowship addict. It doesn’t take time being away from fellowship for your faith to nosedive. There is faith in numbers.
If you see a team or a pride of lions they will pull down an elephant but a single lion will run from an elephant. The elephant does not need teeth to kill a lion, only a step is okay. Your strength is in your company. If you lack spiritual company to which you belong, your strength will be deflated.
It is said that the number one killer of lions is hunger. A lion that is solo is a lion that is determined to die. If you are going to serve victoriously as a believer you must understand the necessity of commitment to fellowship.
Psalm 84:7
Our strength is our commitment to being in God’s presence.
Hebrews 10:25
That is why God gives us so many platforms for fellowship. There is fellowship availability everyday: Sunday service, Monday-Saturday Covenant Hour of Prayer, Midweek service. Why? So that your faith does not have opportunity to go down. The more we assemble with each other continuously there is an enhancement of our faith because our spiritual understanding is boosted and our faith comes alive.
Your faith will never go down in the name of Jesus.
Isaiah 25:6-8
The place of fellowship is the place for the destruction of covering. That is what enhances the potency of your faith. That is why we must never joke with fellowship.
From this day onwards the grace to sustain your commitment to fellowship comes afresh upon each one of you.
So shall it be in Jesus name.
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