BECAUSE OF FAITH


It is clear in the Bible that God responds to your faith. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matthew 21:22) "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will be move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21) “Because of your faith, it will happen.” (Matthew 9:29) Not because of your needs. Not because of your wants. But because of your faith.

Jesus says that you will receive from God what you expect to receive. What do you expect from God? What do you believe he will do for you? Do you say in your heart of hearts, "There's no way God will bring someone special in my life; there's no way God will heal me; there's no way God will provide for me — I don't deserve it, I'm too unworthy." Let me challenge you to raise the level of your expectations. Look at the needs in your life and practice saying, "God can do something about this, and he will do something about this. God, I am trusting in you." 
 
What kind of faith does he respond to? To answer that let's talk now about where it begins. Faith begins with an attitude of expectation — an expectation that God will work things out for the best. Even when the bottom is falling out from under you, faith is having confidence that God will see you through, and he will ultimately bring good things into your life. As an Indian philosopher once said, "Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark." 
 
Faith also includes corresponding actions. In the miracle stories of Matthew, each person Jesus healed put themselves in a position to be on the receiving end of a miracle. The paralyzed man's friends brought him to Jesus; the suffering woman inched her way through the crowd to touch the hem of his garment; the synagogue leader invited Jesus into his home. And the two blind men approached Jesus not once, but twice. What were they doing? They were positioning themselves for a miracle. 
 
You have to look for ways to demonstrate your faith. If you want God to save your marriage, start taking steps to put yourself in a position where God can bring it to pass. Talk to your spouse and treat your spouse as you would if you were happy married. If you want God to provide you with a job, start taking steps today to make it possible — polishing your resume and pursuing every opportunity that comes along. Faith begins with an attitude of positive expectation in the goodness of God, and it is increased with corresponding actions. 

Whining and moaning about what you need, or what you want and don't yet have, isn't good enough. God cares about your needs, and he wants to meet them. He cares about the desires of your heart, and he wants to give them to you. There is no question about that. Please understand that he responds to your faith.

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