Chapter 3 - In Jesus Name
Earlier we established that the bible’s definition of faith is different form religion’s definition of faith. Since God the Father is the One who said, “The just shall live by faith” and “Without faith it is impossible to please him, “ then we better know what he says faith is, and not what our momma, daddy, or preacher says it is. God’s Word establishes some significant truths regarding Bible Faith.
Remember that according to James 2, Bible Faith is “conviction or persuasion plus corresponding action.” It is not Bible Faith until your conviction or persuasion has a corresponding action – something that can be seen or heard. Faith also has a vital principle and a metal disposition: Faith is always present tense.
Bible Faith takes the promises of God and speaks them in the present tense. So , if faith speaks what I believes, then the God-Kind of Faith speaks God’s Word in the present tense. Only the believer has access to the lever of faith because the unbeliever does not have the authority to use God’s Word. When Jesus said,” Whatever you ask in My name,” it did not mean whatever you ask and attack His name to. The Greek word for name is onoma, and it means “nature, character and authority.” Here Jesus was saying, “Whatever you ask in My nature because you have the right to My nature. Whatever you ask in My authority because you, as My child, have a right to My authority; whatever you ask in My character because you, as My blood-bought child have right to My character.” Therefore, you have a right to a higher level of faith more than anybody else. I made up my mind that since I have the right to it, that I am going to use it. Remember the earlier example of cars? A Dodge Omni and a Rolls Royce are both cars, but one gets you to your destination at another level, at another speed, and in another environment.
Again, the God-Kind of Faith is the kind of faith that speaks God’s Word in the present tense in response to circumstances and situations. If there is someone who does not want the Jesus-Kind or results, check them out and move away from them because they will contaminate you with their negativity and unbelief. If you and I are going to walk in the God-Kind of Faith, we will have to discipline ourselves to make sure that what comes out of our mouths in response to circumstances and situations is the living Word of God. You cannot just say anything you want to say. You have to put a guard over your mouth. You have to be quick to hear and slow to speak. You cannot say, “Well, I don’t know, I think I am going to go under.” If you say that, then you are going to go under because you will have what you say. But if you get God’s Word in your mouth and say, “Greater is He that is in me than he that in the world,” and then declare, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even my faith, and I am walking by faith, and I have faith,” you will start overcoming. You are not supposed to be going under. You are supposed to be overcoming.
God calls you an “over-comer.” An over-comer comes over; he does not go under. Everyone has an opportunity to go under, but the over-comer chooses not to go under, He chooses to go over because he speaks God’s Word in the present tense. Remember when Jesus saw the fig tree he said, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again,” and Mark 11:14 says, “In response, Jesus said to it….” The barrenness of the fig tree was communicating to Him, and in response, he spoke the Word of God. This is what you have to do: You have to meet your lack fear, or sickness with a godly response. You must respond and make sure that what you are saying is the Word of the living God. Jesus put this principle into effect in his life, even regarding the resurrection from the dead, as the will of God was revealed to Him. You must holler back!
