INCREASING OUR FAITH FOR THE ENDTIMES

INCREASING OUR FAITH FOR THE ENDTIMES 

The Bible is a book of God’s plan, promises, provision and protection. We are living in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ and therefore, need an increasing Faith to endure and persevere in the very difficult times ahead. While God is judging individuals, cities, nations and even the entire world, Satan, and his cohorts are doing their evil deeds to control and destroy the world at the same time. As the world is facing increasing corruption, immorality, terrorism, tyranny, loss of freedom, wars and possibly a nuclear war, great natural disasters, currency weaknesses and national bankruptcies, economic malaise and collapse, personal privation and poverty, only our Faith in Almighty God and in His Word will deliver us from the ‘floods of calamities and firestorms of destruction’ soon coming upon the earth!

The Lord said ‘..Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour’ Is43:1-3. This promise holds true for us today, to all that believe on Jesus Christ. Ac16:31 states ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house’. This paper will look into the categorization and the characterization of Faith- what Faith is all about!

What is Faith and How Do We Get Faith?

The Bible tells us ‘..Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’ Ro10:17. Faith comes from the many promises, lessons, instructions, and examples in the Bible. Faith comes by studying the Word of God. Heb 11:1 defines Faith as ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’. Faith is simply believing God for something that He already promised us in His Word- that He would do what He said He will do. Heb11:6 continues ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him’. Here we see that unless we know His Word, believe on and act upon it, we cannot please God and receive anything from Him. Faith is believing that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!

Faith is ‘our currency’ by which we can receive blessings from God. Faith is the only currency we need to get anything from God! Faith requires that we obey, trust, rely on, and hope in God. Faith pleases God. Only by Faith can we obtain and attain the blessings that God has for us. As God is Faithful 1Th5:24, 2Th3:3, Re19:11, we also need to be Faithful to His Word Mt24:45,25:21. The Word of God illustrates many kinds, examples, and nuances of Faith. While the Old Testament gives us many rich examples of Faith, by the heroes of Faith, like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, David, Elijah, Daniel, etc., the New Testament also teaches us much about Faith. Jesus is the author and finisher of our Faith Heb12:2. Hebrews Chapter 11 is known as the Faith chapter, where the Heroes of Faith are found.

What Did Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Our Faith, Say About Faith

Jesus said ‘If ye have Faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you’ Mt17:20. Here Jesus was using a hyperbole to illustrate a point. A mustard seed is about the size of a grain of sand. If we have ‘mustard seed Faith’, we can remove the barriers in our life. Simple Faith will move the hand of God. In another verse, Jesus said ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible’ Mt19:26. When a centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant by just declaring it rather than to visit him, Jesus said ‘I have not found so Great Faith, no, not in Israel’ Mt8:10. God can see or perceive our Faith, or lack of Faith. Mk2:5 states ‘When Jesus saw their Faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee’.

When we diligently seek the Lord, He will reward us with what we desire. When a Canaanite woman sought help for her daughter vexed with a devil, Jesus said ‘O woman, great is thy Faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour’ Mt15:28. To another woman Jesus said ‘thy Faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour’ Mt9:22. Jesus told the blind man ‘Receive thy sight: thy Faith hath saved thee’ Lk18:42. Here we see that it is our Faith in God that heals us, makes us whole, saves us, and grants us what we desire. Jesus said ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them’ Mk11:24, and ‘..all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive’ Mt21:22. Faith is about praying, believing and receiving from God. Jesus said ‘..According to your faith be it unto you’ Mt9:29. The Bible states ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever’ Heb13:8, meaning what He has done for others, He will do for you also! Just have Faith!

 A Word Study on Faith

The following is a Word study on Faith- the kinds, examples, and nuances of Faith as found in the Holy Bible. It will also cover some examples of the Bible Heroes of Faith recorded throughout the 4000-year annals of mankind, from the time of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, the Prophets, to Jesus Christ and His disciples, and also the antithesis or opposite of Faith. By studying these examples and references to Faith, those who are believers, can then strengthen our own Faith in the Lord, and be prepared for the onslaught of evil and perversity that are coming upon the earth in the endtimes! In order to appreciate and learn from them, it is very important to refer to the scripture verses for each of these types of Faith.

Kinds, Examples, and Nuances of Faith as Found in the Holy Bible

• Abundance Through Faith in Jesus Christ  Jn10:10, Ep3:20, Php3:19
• ASK Faith – Ask, Seek, and Knock Mt7:7  
• Agreeing in Faith Mt18:19
• Assurance of Faith Heb10:22
• Believing Faith Mk11:23, Heb11:6
• Breastplate of Faith ITh5:8, and of Righteousness Ep6:11
• Building Up Your Most Holy Faith Jude20
• Casting All Your Cares Upon God 1Pe5:7
• Common Faith Ti1:4,   Household of Faith Ga6:10
• Come in Unity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God Ep4:13
• Confident Faith- Php1:6, 1Th5:23,  Confessing Faith Mk11:23   
• Contend For the Faith- Jude3,  Enduring Faith Mt24:13, Mk13:13
• Faith- A Gift and A Fruit of the Spirit 1Co12:9, Ga5:22               
• Faith- Rejoicing In the Lord Always Php4:4-7
• Faith in Christ Jesus Ga3:26, Ep1:15, Ac24:24, Co1:4
• Faith in God Mk11:22,   Faith of God Ro3:3
• Faith in His Blood Ro3:25,  Faith in His Name Ac3:16
• Faith of Jesus Christ Ga2:16,26, Ro3:22
• Faith of the Gospel- Php1:27,   Good Fight of Faith 1Ti6:12
• Fearless Faith- I Will Fear No Evil Ps23:4, No Evil Shall Befall Thee Ps91:10
• Faith Benefits- Forgiveness, Healing, Redemption, Lovingkindness, Renewal Ps103:2-5
• God’s Telephone Number Jeremiah 33-3  Call unto Me For Great and Mighty Things
• God’s Emergency Number Ps91-15  Call unto Me In Time of Trouble 
• Gospel Mixed with Faith Heb4:2,  Great Faith Mt8:10,15:28, Lk7:9
• Grounded Faith Co1:23,   Growing Faith 2Ti1:3
• Healing Faith- Woman With Blood Problem 12 Years  Mk5:27
• Hearing Faith Ro10:17, Ga3:2,5  Increasing Faith Lk17:5, 2Co10:15
• Jesus- Author and Finisher of Our Faith Heb12:2
• Jesus’ Joy of Faith- Heb12:2,   Joy of Faith Php1:25
• Justified By Faith Ro3:28,5:1, Ga3:24
• Just Shall Live by Faith- Ro1:17, Ga3:11, Heb10:38
• Miraculous Faith- the Raising of Dead Lazarus Jn11:43
• Mountain Moving Faith Mt21:21,24,  Mk11:23,24
• Mustard Seed Faith Mt17:20, My Faith by My Works Jas2:18
• Noah’s Saving Faith- Built an Ark  Ge7:1, Heb11:7
• Now Faith Is- Substance and Evidence of Things Heb11:1
• One Faith Ep4:5,   Our Faith 1Jn5:4, Heb12:2
• Overcomer’s Faith- Defeating the Devil Re12:10
• Perfected Faith Jas2:22,  Pleasing Faith Heb11:6
• Overcomer’s Faith and Reward- Re2:26,3:21,21:7
• Prayer of Faith- Healing of the Sick Jas5:15
• Precious Faith 2Pe1:1,   Profession of our Faith Heb10:23
• Rapture Faith- the Blessed Hope Tit2:13
• Rapture Escape Faith- Lk21:36, Heb2:3, 1Th5:9
• Real Faith- Whose Faith Follow Heb13:7
• Receiving Faith Mt21:12,  Rich Faith Jas2:5
• Righteousness of Faith Ro4:5,13, 9:30
• Sanctifying Faith Ac26:18,  
• Saving Faith Lk7:50, Acts16:31, Heb10:39,11:7, Ep2:8
• Seeing Faith Jn20:29,   Unseen Faith Jn20:29
• Shield of Faith- to Quench all the Fiery Darts of the Wicked Ep6:16
• Sound in Faith Tit2:2,    Strong in Faith Ro4:20, Ep6:10
• Strengthening Faith Php4:13,  Renew Your Strength Is40:31
• The Poor- Rich in Faith Jas2:5, Lk6:20
• Thy Faith or Your Faith Mt9:22,29, Ep1:15, 1Co2:5, Co1:23
• Trial of Your Faith 1Pe1:7,  Trying of Your Faith Jas1:3
• Trusting in God Ps25:2, Ps91:2, Pr3:5,6 
• Unfeigned Faith 2Til:5,  Unwavering Faith Jas1:6                       
• Walk by Faith and Not By Sight 2Co5:7
• Word of Faith- In Thy Mouth and In Thy Heart Ro10:8

The examples of Faith shown above describe the nuances or shades of meanings of what our Faith should be like. By their titles and by examining the accompanying scripture verses, we can then understand how Faith comes to us: ‘..Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’ Ro10:17.  In the old days, there were only a few Bibles available. And all of them were written and copied by hand, until the first printing press was invented by German goldsmith, Johann Gutenberg in 1448. Thus, only a few people possessed written copies of the Word of God or could even read, and most people learned and increased their Faith by hearing someone else share the Word of God with them! But today, the Bible is the best-selling, and hopefully, the most read book of all time. 

Bible Heroes of Faith

• Able’s Faith- Made a More Excellent Sacrifice Heb11:4
• Abraham- Father of Faith Ro4:12; Sacrifice of Isaac Heb11:19
• Ananias’ Faith- Healing and Baptism of Paul Ac9:17
• Barnabas- Full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith Ac11:24
• Blind Bartimaeus Faith For Healing Mk10:51
• David’s Giant Goliath Slaying Faith 1Sam17:46
• Daniel Lion’s Den Faith Dan6:23
• Elijah Fire From Heaven Faith- 1Ki18:24,38
• Enoch’s Translation Faith- Ge5:24, Heb11:5
• Gideon’s Army- 300 Routed the Midianites Jud7:7
• Jesus Multiplying Faith- Feeding the Multitudes Mk6:44,8:9
• Joseph’s Faith- Saved Many People From Hunger Ge50:20
• Joshua’s Jericho Wall Faith Josh6:20, Heb11:30
• Mary’s Faith- God Used Her to Bring Forth Jesus Lk1:38
• Moses’ Red Sea Faith Ex14:13, Heb11:29                                    
• Paul’s Faith- Preached and Turned the World Upside Down Ac17:6
• Peter’s Faith- Healing the Lame Man Ac3:6
• Rahab the Harlot Faith, Saved Her Family- Josh2:13, Heb11:31
• Samson – Slew a 1000 Men with Jawbone of an Ass Jud15:16                                      
• Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego- Fiery Furnace Faith Dan3:17 

The above are just a few examples of the Heroes of Faith found in the Holy Bible. In some of them, the Faith of these individuals is revealed by their obedience to God, like Abel, Abraham, Ananias, Enoch, Mary, the apostle Paul, etc. In other examples, they show how God miraculously protected and delivered them from a terrible death or injury such as Daniel, Rahab, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then there are the examples of how God had supernaturally used these individuals to bring forth great victories like David against Goliath, Moses against the Pharaoh, Joshua defeating the Canaanites, Gideon against the Midianites, and Elijah against the 850 prophets of Jezebel and Baal. Finally, a few examples show how great healings were wrought by Faith, as in the cases of Blind Bartimaeus, and Peter’s healing a man, lame from birth for over 40 years Ac3:6, 4:22.

Antithesis of Faith- False Faith, Little Faith, No Faith, Faithless, Lack of Faith, Greed, and Unbelief

• Apostasy- Falling Away From the Faith 2Th2:3
• Dead Faith- No Works Jas2:20,
• Denied the Faith- Negligent Parenting 1Ti5:8
• Departing From the Faith- Backslidden Heb3:12; Demas 2Ti4:10
• Greed- Love of Money, Erred From the Faith 1Ti6:10,21
• False Faith- Form of Godliness, But Denying the Power 2Ti3:5
• Lack of Faith- Unbelief Mt13:58, Heb3:19
• Lukewarm Faith- Like Many Churches Today, Neither Cold nor Hot Re3:16
• No Faith or Faithless Mk4:40, Heb11:6
• No Faith in the End- Apostasy Lk18:8
• Secular Humanism and Social Gospel- Another Gospel Ga1:7,9, 2Ti3,5
• Unfaithful Servant- Mt25:30,  Vain Faith 1Co15:14,17
• Weak in Faith Ro14:1,  Wickedness Ps55:11, Mt22:18
• Works of the Flesh- Ga5:19-21, Ro1:29, Mk7:22, Re21:8
• Ye of Little Faith Mt6:30,8:26,14:31,16:8, Lk12:28

The opposite of faith is fear, anxiousness, anxiety, depression, doubt, disbelief, defeat, unbelief, wrong belief, believing a lie, believing false teachers, believing in others or in the circumstances, deception, greed, wickedness, spiritual blindness, denying God, denying the finished works of Jesus at the Cross, denying the work of the Holy Spirit, lies, sin and other works of the flesh Ga5:19. Ro14:23 states ‘Whatsoever is not of faith is sin’. Heb11:6 quotes ‘Without faith, it is impossible to please God’. Without faith, we cannot receive or get anything from God. No Faith, No Blessings From God! Much Faith, Many Blessings From God!    

Faith means trusting in God. We are living in days when TRUST IN GOD is imperative. It is not an option- for without trusting God and what He has spoken, it would be impossible to have the Faith needed to deal with hardships- to understand that what is now taking place at home and elsewhere in the world which seems out of control, is really under God’s control!  

In conclusion, we are saved, healed, delivered, protected, helped, blessed by Faith, and one day, we will be translated or Raptured by Faith. Faith is only for believers in Christ, and His Word! Faith is for those who love God! Faith knows no defeat! Paul wrote ‘..thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ 1Co15:57, and ‘..my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus’ Php4:19.  Faith will always give us the victory in our lives! In the endtimes that we are living in, we will really need increasing FAITH IN GOD to survive the coming onslaughts. This is what Faith is all about! AMEN!