Reference: Romans 10:17
According to what the Bible tells us, Godhas given to every man the measure of faith. This faith that God has given ispure in its sense, but is of course not a faith that has been developed andbecome perfect. A perfect faith is a faith that has been strengthened to such apoint that nothing can cause you to waver or doubt no matter what situation youmay find yourself in.
When Jesus was teaching his disciples wefind that these disciples manifested many different and varying degrees offaith. Jesus had confronted them on many occasions as to why their faith was soweak. In one instance where we find faith being put to the test is found in thefourteenth chapter of Matthew where Peter was told to walk on the water and go to Jesus.As Peter went forth being instructed by Jesus himself, we find that Peter beganto waver in his faith and he began to sink.
When Peter began to sink he cried outasking Jesus to save him. The Bible tells us that Jesus immediately stretchedforth his hand and caught him. As Jesus caught Peter he said, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thoudoubt?" Here is oneinstance where Jesus called faith a little faith meaning that Peter's faith wasvery weak. The faith that Peter had was pure, but it was not very strong. Themany places in the Bible where faith is being manifested and put to the test,we find that each place reveals a faith that is pure, but with each placerevealing a different degree of strength. The faith that God has given to uscan be strengthened and made perfect, but how this can be brought about hasbeen distorted by the many false preachers and teachers in the world today. Iwould say that every preacher in the world today who is preaching what theycall the gospel is full aware of the fact that faith can come only by hearingthe word of God, but this in itself cannot increase your faith by just knowingthis fact.
All religious organizations may teach thistruth, but this does not mean that what they are proclaiming will increase thefaith of their converts. Only the truth of God's holy and righteous word willincrease the faith of the believer as they hear and obey what it says. I knowfor a fact that many people are hearing what the Bible says in many places, buttheir faith is absolutely not being increased no matter how much they say thatthey believe it.
The apostle Paul tells us that many hasmade shipwreck concerning faith. Many people has made shipwreck of faith simplybecause they don't know what it is and how it can be made strong. Paul tells usin I Timothy 1:5-6 that the end of the commandment is charity out of a pureheart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some havingswerved have turned aside unto vain jangling... Paul is telling us in thesescriptures that some swerved from faith and has turned unto what he calls vainjangling.
The definition for vain jangling means tospeak out harshly or out of discord. Speaking out of discord is much easierthan speaking in the way of truth. If you will listen to the average preachertoday you will find that they may be excellant speakers, but what they preachdoes not and cannot increase your faith. The average preacher today may be ableto tell you exactly what the Bible says word for word, but this form ofpreaching is not what increases one's faith.
We are told that faith comes by hearingthe word of God, but what ninety some percent of today's preachers arepreaching is absolutely not the revealed word of God. There is a greatdifference between the revealed word of God and the written wordof God. I don't care how much of the Bible a preacher can quote and I don'tcare how much of it you may believe, but if that preacher is not preaching therevealed word of truth then it will never have an increasing effect on yourfaith no matter how much you may believe what he is saying.
If you will listen to the averageconfessing so-called evangelist today you will hear them say what the Biblesays in certain verses of scripture. The most common of the verses they willtell you about will deal with God's power to work miracles etc. They will bodlystand and cry aloud that God's word says this or that God's word says that, butfriend just because they can tell you what the Bible says is in no wise provingthat they are preaching the truth of the matter.
Friend I don't care how much you say thatyou believe what the Bible says, if you are not hearing the revealed truth ofit then your faith will never increase in strength. Your faith is strengthenednot by believing a verse of scripture that says God can heal, but rather byyour obedience to him by keeping his word. To think your faith is beingincreased by believing the verses of scriptures that tells us what God can dohas no more faith building ingredients than thinking your faith can beincreased by seeing miracles manifested.
Your faith cannot be increased and made togrow just by seeing a miracle performed. Faith can only come and grow strong byhearing the word of God that will have a cleansing effect on your whole being.Our faith grows in a progressive manner as we walk in and obey truth. Strong infaith is a state of mind and not seeing miracles and believing the verses ofscriptures that tells us what God is able to do. The Pentecostal movements oftoday all stress their belief in the power of God as the Bible has recorded it,but just believing this does not make you a strong faith filled person. Manypeople may say that they believe that the Bible is God's inspired word, but tosay that you believe in miracles does not prove that you have strong faith tobelieve God for something. The Pentecostals of today are living in a world ofstrong delusion thinking they are manifesting the great miracle working powerof God. They have failed to come to the knowledge of the truth that God's wordare words of instruction to instruct us in righteousness that will place us inheavenly places with Christ Jesus.
Very few people can see the truth of thegospel today. The preachers today are proclaiming what God's word says only asso far as the natural eye can see and what the natural mind can understand.They can boldly tell you what the Bible says in reguards to what God can do,but I will guarantee that they won't tell you the revealed truth of the matter.If you will listen to the average preacher today you will hear them say thatall that is necessary is to believe. By this they mean that all you have to dois believe what God has said in his word in order to receive your miracle.
If many of these people do not receivetheir miracle then the preacher will tell you that you are not truly believingwhat God has said in his word. Most people are not receiving from God and thereason is simply because they have not been taught the truth about faith andhow it can be increased. We can only have perfect faith before God by our obedienceto his word that will have a transforming effect on our whole being. God'srevealed word is what transforms our life making us new creations in Christ.This is a progressive work that takes time and patience, but most people todaywant the things that God can do for them in the realm of miracles.
Our faith grows as our minds are beingrenewed by the truth of Gods revealed word. The crucifying of the fleshly deedsis also part of this. This is why so few will walk in the truth....