Hi, everyone. It’s a beautiful day here in Lagos, Nigeria.
Today,we are going to conclude our two-part series on faith.
Faith is Organic
We see in the Romans 10:17 that faith can grow.The passage says, Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
Therefore, the more you hear the word, the more you grow your faith.
If you water a plant,it will grow,if you don’t,it will die. You water your faith by hearing the word of God.
Common Faith
Everyone has a measure of faith, whether they are believers or not. This is how it works.
If you take a bus ride from your station to a destination, you believe that the driver,whom you don’t know, will take you safely to your destination. That’s common faith in action.
You sleep in your home, not bothering whether the building might collapse on you overnight. That’s something we take for granted. It’s a measure of faith. It’s common to all, regardless of their measure of faith.
God gave each one of us a measure of faith.
*Rom 12:3-6
Gift of Faith
This is a special gift of faith exercised in certain rare situations like we see in the life of Daniel, when he was thrown into the Lion’s den.
Also,it was in display when his Hebrew brothers,Shadrach,Meschack and Abednego were thrown into fire. This is very unusual demonstration of faith by believers.
Read the relevant scriptures in the book Daniel.
*1 Cor 12:9
Weak Faith
Faith could decline and become weak if not fed by the word of God. We grow hungry and weak if we don’t eat properly.
In Rom 14:1,we are urged to:’Receive one who is weak in the faith’. Circumstances could make one to become weak in the faith. Delays,fear, discouragement and and such situations could make faith weak.
Dead Faith
Faith could die,if not nurtured or exercised and completely abandoned.
In Jas 2:17-20,we read how faith could die. If faith has no works,it will surely die.
Faith must, therefore, be exercised,grown by reading and hearing the word of God. Otherwise,if faith is starved of the oxygen and nourishment of the living word,it would die.
Icons of the Faith
In the famous chapter of Hebrews 11, we read the stories of the icons of our Faith. Abraham,Moses, Samuel, David, and several men and women,who demonstrated different kinds of faith.
These legends are listed in this famous Bible passage for our inspiration.I want you to read and learn from their exploits. Your faith would grow, and it would receive strength and hope.
This is how I want to close this series for this sermon.
We shall surely revisit it again some other time.
A Final Word On Saving Faith
I want to mention that,where to begin the Christian journey is to be saved.
This is a one-off exercise. You do not get saved each time you commit a sin.
Saving Faith saves you once for all.
Your sin is forgiven at once, not many times. We taught that last week with the relevant scriptures.
Have no fear, worship God,go to church regularly and learn the message of Christ. That’s the only way to stay in the faith.
Until we meet again next week, stay blessed.
*Ladi Ayodeji is a Bible -based Motivational Speaker, Counselor, Author, and Gospel Minister. He can be reached on 09059243004(WhatsApp only).