Pastor’s Corner: “Faith Activation”
Matthew 9:29 (AMP) – “According to your faith [your trust and confidence in My power and My ability to heal] it will be done to you.”
When the Microsoft Windows XP operating system first came out in 2001, many were surprised to discover that you had to activate it before you could use it. Activation was Microsoft’s way of forcing you to register your product. When you registered it, they imaged your drive, which prevented you from installing it on another computer. In other words, you could no longer use the same copy of the Windows for every computer in your home.
But there was another surprise that came with the activation. Some did not believe Microsoft’s promise that information stored on their computers wasn’t being accessed when they registered their software. Up until then, no one had to register the product to use it, so if they didn’t trust them, they just refused to register it. The problem with Windows XP was that if you didn’t activate it after several days, many of the features that came with it would not work until you did so. So while you had an operating system that would work, you would never get out of it what it was intended to provide unless and until you activated it.
I believe that our Christian faith works very much the same way. All believers have some measure of faith, but some seem to have more than others. Why? The truth is I’m not so sure some Christians have more faith than others. They just seem to use it more. They have activated their faith with the owner who not only gave it to them, He purchased it for them.
So how do we who seem to have less faith than others activate the measure of faith we have. First of all, faith is a gift, so that means that we can’t create it. The faith we have doesn’t just belong to us. It is a gift and always works in relationship with God. Faith has very little to do with what we can achieve, and all to do with whom we believe. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) – 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 1 Corinthians 2:5 (ESV) – So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. We do not create but we can ask for it. When was the last time you asked God to increase your faith?
Paul also teaches that our faith is directly tied to our knowledge of God’s Word. “Faith comes by hearing,” he told the Church at Rome, “and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17). In other words, the more we learn about the power of God, the more we realize how much it applies to our lives. If we do not know God’s promises for us in His word, what are we trusting in Him for? Do you know God’s promises for your life? Do you trust that God is faithful to His promises?
Then, you have to act on what you believe by saying what you believe. 2 Corinthians 4:13 (ESV) – 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak. Do your words match God’s promises?
Then James reminds us that we must not just be hearers or even just preachers of the word. We must apply what we hear. “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves,” he wrote in his letter to Christians in Jerusalem, “do what it says.” (James 1:22).He concludes that if we can’t put action behind our faith, then our faith is dead.
Paul activated his faith; some of us are waiting for it to automatically kick in. It just doesn’t work that way. Activating our faith takes time, effort and a willingness to be uncomfortable for a little while. Activating our faith requires us to study, memorize and claim God’s promises. And it requires us to give up the reins. We must stop trying to live our lives by our plans and agendas, and must instead completely surrender to God.
Do your words and actions match God’s promises? There is active faith and then there is passive faith… passive faith believes the promises of God, but does not actively do what it takes to receive them. Active faith engages… active faith pursues, expects, participates and ‘lays hold’ of what has been given. Activate your faith. It doesn’t work on auto-pilot. And the process will not be an easy one. But I guarantee you this: it will be rewarding!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton