There is a lot of emphasis on faith in many Christian circles. Hardly any discussion about Jesus or the scriptures at all can be had without the mentioning of faith, and indeed faith is very important. The scripture states that without faith it is impossible to please God. Yet it seems that in all of the focus on faith, many believers have forgotten a very simple yet powerful truth in the Bible, and that truth is that faith is a gift from God.

 

Today we will be looking at faith, particularly the fact that it is a gift, how it is given, and how we receive it; because in this, a great burden can be lifted and a deadly trap can be avoided.

 

The danger comes from the fact that when we focus on our own faith, and in-particular our own faith level, we are no longer focused on Jesus. The enemy has very cleverly shifted our focus from Christ back to an object or aspect of ourselves, and we oftentimes do not even realize it. In-fact we quite commonly think that it is okay because after all, faith is something good and holy, and so then there can be nothing wrong with focusing on faith right?

 

My friends, there is a very real danger when anything steals the focus away from Jesus Christ. If even an angel comes and steals our focus from Christ then it is still just a deadly.

 

Now one of the traps that many believers fall into, is the ever-present quest to “get more faith”. We are under the impression that the more faith we have, then the closer to God we are, the more He will like us and the more we will get from Him. Well, I’m here to tell you today that this is nothing but another clever scheme from the enemy, and in-fact the Bible states that idea is completely untrue.

 

Let’s take a look at Luke 17:6:

 

“And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this sycamine tree, Be you plucked up by the root, and be you planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

 

Take note that in several places in scripture, the mustard seed is referred to as “the least of all seeds”. So if we understand that in the context of Luke 17:6, what is Jesus actually saying here? Honestly, it would seem that the size and measure of a persons faith is not very important to the level of what they can accomplish.

 

Now it is also true that a mustard seed starts small and grows very large, but the key here is that it does start! Many times I have talked with believers who say that they feel as though they do not have enough faith to pray for a certain thing, and so they never pray. My friends, that is exactly what the enemy wants.

 

Another matter that I need to touch on here is the word “say” in the verse which we just read. In the Greek text, the word “say” is not a one-time thing, but a continual saying. So often I have heard Christians tell me “well I spoke something and it didn’t happen.” Well I usually respond by asking them why they gave up. You see, continually speaking is not a lack of faith, actually it is a show of faith in what the Bible says!

 

Finally my friends, I would like us to look at two more scriptures today. The first is Ephesians 2:8-9:

 

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

 

Most of us understand this scripture to be talking about salvation, but how many of us also see here that faith is a gift from God as well? Look at Galatians 5:22:

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”

 

Do you see that faith is there? Do you see that it is a fruit of the Spirit? Fruits are not produced by our efforts, they grow as we simply rest in Jesus and allow His Spirit to effortlessly work in us and in our lives.

 

The more we try to work at it, the more the flow of blessings is actually cut-off, but the more we rest in Him, then the blessings flow freely.

 

I’ll bring this to a close by saying: Don’t focus on your circumstances, your merits, your demerits, or even your faith. Focus on Jesus Christ, His finished work for you, and all of the blessings and promises in Him, and you will truly discover the gifts – faith included – that He has given to you.