Faith is a Kingdom mystery that confers mastery on believers. It is the live wire of Christianity and as such, Christianity is worthless without it. An understanding of this mystery is the greatest discovery in our adventure as believers (1 Timothy 3:9). Even though the Bible is an open cheque book, it takes our faith to draw anything from it.

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” James 1:6-7

Among other benefits, faith confers on us supernatural mastery over all life’s situations and circumstances.

As it is written: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

We must understand that at the root of all divine interventions, rewards and blessings, is faith. Until we understand the mystery of faith, revelation will be mere frustration, because it is faith that defines everyone’s destiny. It is the baseline for fulfilment in every area of our lives. Jesus once said: … According to your faith, be it unto you (Matthew 9:29).

This means that it is not to us according to the prayers of anybody; it is only to us according to our faith. There are many prayer warriors who are gallant losers, but we will never find a faith giant who is not triumphing over challenges. Even when we are prayed for, we must connect with our own faith or we would not get our desires.

For instance, when Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwelt, went to Nazareth, He could do no mighty works because of their unbelief (Mark 6:5-6). We must realize that the presence of the anointing is no substitute for our faith. Rather, we need our faith to connect with the anointing.

This goes to confirm that no prophecy of scripture will ever be fulfilled in our lives without faith. Faith is a vital law of the Spirit that suspends all natural and scientific laws, and guarantees the fulfillment of prophecies. Although prophecies are important, our faith is much more important because without it, prophecies will be reduced to mere wishes. It is written:

“And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45

This, therefore, means that responsibility is placed on us to believe the Word before it can be fulfilled. As we all know, nobody can fulfill destiny on our behalf because it requires our personal input, and until our faith comes alive, our destinies are in doubt.

Faith also determines the limit of God’s help in our lives. For instance, Sarah had to believe God’s prophecy before she could conceive and bring forth Isaac (Hebrews 11:11). In like manner, every time we believe God, we commit His partnership, and that empowers us to do the impossible. Concerning Abraham, the Bible says in Genesis 12:1-2:

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.”

Abraham, a man without an identity, became a global and trans-generational phenomenon overnight because he believed and obeyed God for the fulfillment of prophecy (Genesis 12:4). Furthermore, consider Noah who built an ark for 120 years, simply because God instructed him. By that simple act of obedience, a new generation emerged. We must realize that we are co-labourers with God and it is that partnership that turns us to living wonders on the earth.

During the construction of the Faith Tabernacle, people were sceptical about it being dedicated on September 18, 1999, as earlier announced. While the construction of the Tabernacle was ongoing, Faith Academy was also being built. The pastorate, at a meeting, expressed their concerns about the possibility of dedicating the Tabernacle with the enormity of work left. They advised that the construction of Faith Academy be suspended, so that we could focus on building the Tabernacle.

Immediately, I said to them, “Are you saying that God can handle one but not the two? Give Him the two; there is none we can handle.” Then, I told all the contractors to keep working. Meanwhile, the financial resources to build either Faith Academy or Faith Tabernacle on a standalone basis, was not physically available! However, I believed so much that if God said it, He would do it. I would rather die than doubt the integrity of God or the infallibility of His counsel. To the glory of God, the gigantic 50,000-seat sanctuary, Faith Tabernacle, was dedicated within one year!

It is time to step out of the passive religious phase. There is nothing that God has said that will ever “mistakenly” happen without faith. Although God commanded the Tabernacle project, I needed faith to commit Him to make it happen.

In Exodus 8:16-17, God instructed Moses to tell Aaron to stretch forth his rod and smite the dust of the land, for the land of Egypt to be buffeted with lice. Moses believed and as soon as he obeyed, lice gathered and invaded Egypt to torment the Egyptians. This shows that when we act in faith on every Word we receive, God is committed to deliver.

“Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3

As earlier stated, faith invades the invisible world to deliver its mission with precision. Therefore, our destinies can only be fulfilled when it is rooted in the Word of God and driven by faith. We may encounter revelations from the Word, but it takes our faith to translate those revelations into manifestations in our lives.

We also understand from scriptures that faith is not subject to the dictates of any scientific analysis. Faith is a spiritual force, which can only be effectively operated by men of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:16). Thus, we cannot experience the tangibility of God’s presence without being spiritual (2 Kings 4:29-31).

“Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith…” Romans 11:19-20

To experience the fulfillment of prophecies, we must put up a fight of faith. By redemption, we are not permitted to lack anything because God has given us all things that make for life and godliness. However, to access our inheritances, we need supernatural faith as unbelief will disconnect us from heaven’s supplies.

For instance, it takes faith for our giving to command returns. According to scriptures, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained a good report that he pleased God; but without faith, it is impossible to please (move) God (Hebrews 11:4-6). Also, Romans 14:23 says: …Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. This means that faith is our only access to rewards.

Consequently, our faith is what determines the limit of God’s help in our lives. If we believe God for sound health, and unrepentantly so, He will make us healthy. Likewise, if we believe in returns on our giving, we will enjoy returns (Luke 6:38; Romans 1:17).

However, to effectively engage this mystery and obtain our desired expectation, we must have a good understanding of what faith is all about (1 Timothy 3:9).

What, Then, Is Faith?

Faith is not a Feeling but a Spiritual Fact

Faith is not a religious principle, a philosophy or a belief system; it is a spiritual weapon. Now faith is the substance (fact) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1; emphasis mine).

For instance, no one drives a car without the consciousness of it. In the same vein, no one can operate in faith without knowing. If we are limited only to what men can do, we are not in faith.

I cited an example earlier about the building of the Faith Tabernacle. When God said it would be completed within one year, I knew by spiritual fact that it would be delivered. Anyone else could doubt it, but my faith was solid. I believed it and God did it against a technical facts. It is important to understand that fai is not a feeling. We do not have to feel anything; just need to believe everything and we will have whatever we desire…

This text is an extract from the book “UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF FAITH” written by David O. Oyedepo. 
We invite you to read the following article “TRUSTING OTHER GODS“.

FAITH IS A MYSTERY. FAITH IS A MYSTERY. FAITH IS A MYSTERY.