FAITH COMES BY HEARING - PART 2

These two elements are ever-present in our world: fear and faith and they are factors that influence our actions because of what we hear and the way we view things in life. Most people who are struggling with feeling of fear are always afraid to trust, let alone exercise faith in the positive. And sometimes, its due to their experiences in life.

For instance, if someone has been abused at some point in life, they may fear emotional and physical intimacy. If someone is constantly criticized, their ability to perform well in any environment will definitely be affected because of the words they've been hearing and the circle that shapes them. So it's important what we hear and the atmosphere we condition ourselves to influence us.

Reference: Galatians 6:9 New Living Translation (NLT) 'So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.'

We need faith to continue to do what is right and needful, otherwise we may give up or get weary. Faith comes by hearing and if you stop hearing the right things, your faith can get choked with discouragement and then wear out. Faith builds your confidence and gives you the advantage in all endeavours. If you don't feel confident while doing anything, then fear can overpower you. If you don't see yourself beautiful, great and intelligent, or hear those words as compliments often, you may not have confidence in yourself and you can become afraid to mix with people of excellence or talk to them with confidence.

So the benefits of faith cannot be undermined in our daily walk. But first of all, it begins with acknowledging the true source of faith, which is the Word of God. The apostle Paul wrote, 'And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified' (Acts 20:32 KJV). That means the Word of God has enough grace to build you up and sustain the faith that keeps you going. It's a faith-builder. Nothing else has the stamina to sustain prolonged effort in doing what is right, other than the Word of God.

Just as our bodies are built by nutrients obtained from the food we eat, so is our faith built by the Word as we hear it. Remember, our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process that really supplies the muscle, the nerve, the sinew and the bone is the process of digestion. It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life.

Same way, to digest the Word of God, we must constantly meditate on its truth, because our faith is not nourished merely by listening for a while. Constant hearing, reading, meditation, and learning are required to digest the Word inwardly, for it to complete its usefulness and build our faith muscles. So it takes inward digesting of the truth of God's Word, by meditation, to build a strong faith and keep it alive and active.

Scripture Reading - Matthew 21: 21-22; Luke 1:37; Romans 10:17; Ephesians 6:16.

Exuberant Declaration: I have faith in God and I believe what God says in His Word concerning me. My faith is the bedrock of my confidence in Christ; it brings tangible reality to all my desires. As I form the habit of getting into the Word of God by the means of meditation, the Word gets into me by digestion, producing strong faith and filling me with courage and supernatural ability to manifest the virtues and perfections of divinity and to be a blessing to my world. Hallelujah!