HOW FAITH GROWS

“…it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

Luke 18:8b NKJV

“…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Luke 17:19 NKJV

And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

-FAITH is a confidence grounded in reality

-FAITH contrary to popular belief is not a blind leap into the dark

-FAITH is not believing in something that there’s no evidence but believing the evidence before you

-FAITH is not a feeling, though it does have emotional components to it

-FAITH is an action. It is something that you do.

- FAITH is not belief without proof but trust without reservations

-FAITH IS PROGRESSIVE

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

Romans 10:17 NKJV

“…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

MATTHEW 17:14-21 MARK 9:14-29

Matthew 17:14-16 NKJV

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

Mark 9:17-18 NKJV

Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

Luke 9:38 NKJV

“…Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.”

PIC

Matthew 17:17 NKJV

 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”

Mark 9:20-24 NKJV

Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Matthew 17:18 NKJV

And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Mark 9:25-27 NKJV

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

Matthew 17:19 NKJV

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

Matthew 17:20 NKJV

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:21 NKJV

 “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

PRAYER & FASTING

Prayer attaches us to the heart of God

Fasting detaches us from the flesh of man

James 5:13-16 NKJV

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Romans 10:10-13 NKJV

“…with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”