“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:22-23).
The God kind of faith which Jesus encourages us to have in Mark 11:22 is totally different from the natural human-sense-knowledge kind of faith that is commonplace in this world. Unlike the natural human-sense-knowledge faith that relies on human reasoning and understanding, the God kind of faith is supernatural and is based on spiritual knowledge of the Word of God which the Holy Spirit imparts to our reborn human spirit. The Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). Therefore, the God kind of faith is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit as we diligently hear, study and meditate in the Word of God. Furthermore, this God kind of faith is the only kind of faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). It is also the only kind of faith that brings us success and victory in our Christian walk. As it is written, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4). In other words, it is what is born of God (i.e. what originates from God) that can help us overcome the world and give us victory in this life! Therefore, as Christians, we need to ensure that the kind of faith we walk and live by is the God kind of faith.
The followings are some basic characteristics of the God kind of faith:
The God kind of Faith is Always Fully Persuaded
The God kind of faith is always fully persuaded kind of faith. It believes the Word of God wholeheartely. It never doubts and is never double-minded. This is because it always focuses on God and His Word only. It never leans on natural human understanding or intellectual reasoning of the circumstance (Romans 4:19-21; Mark 11:22-23; James 1:6-8). It simply focuses all its attention on what the Word of God says about the circumstance and trusts wholeheartedly in God’s faithfulness to always perform His promises (Hebrews 10:23).
The God kind of Faith Always Speaks according to God’s Will
The God kind of Faith never speaks according to the circumstance. Instead, it confidently speaks according to God’s Will (i.e. God’s Word) regarding the circumstance as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. It always imitates God by “calling the things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). Just like God said “Let there be light” when there was darkness (Genesis 1:2-3), the God kind of faith always speaks the desired end rather than the present circumstance. For example, if there is sickness it speaks healing and health by the stripes of Jesus! (Mark 11:12-14; 1 John 5:14-15; 2 Kings 4:18-26).
The God kind of Faith Always Relies on The Power of God
The God kind of Faith always relies on God’s Omnipotent Power, instead of natural human abilities, for the performance of the promises in the Word of God. This is why it can steadfastly believe and expect to miraculously receive from God things that look naturally impossible. It simply believes that “with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37; Mark 9:23), and it is always “fully persuaded that God is able to perform whatever He has promised.” (Romans 4:21).
The God kind of Faith Always Magnifies God’s Word Above All Things
The God kind of Faith always magnifies the Word of God above everything else, and is never discouraged by the magnitude of the circumstance. As far as it is concerned, the Word of God created all things (Psalm 33:6; John 1:1-3; Hebrews 11:3) therefore, all things are subject to the authority of the Word of God! As it is written, “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” (Ecclesiastes 8:4). This is the fundamental truth that undergirds the solid believe and expectation of the God kind of faith in every circumstance. Nothing can resist the authority of the Word of God, therefore nothing can resist the God kind of Faith! Hallelujah!
Finally, the way you develop the God kind of Faith is by spending quality time to diligently study and meditate on the Word of God until your mind becomes so renewed that your thoughts and the Word of God become one. When your heart and mind get in total agreement with God’s Word, you will be able to walk in full assurance of faith, which is the key to being a doer of the Word of God. In other words, you will be able to do exactly as God would do in the circumstance because your thoughts and His Thoughts are now the same. You will be walking in the God kind of faith, and you will be a doer of the perfect will of God! (Joshua 1:8; Romans 12:2).
