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1 Cor. 12:8-10 – “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, and to another faith by the same Spirit…”
There are two principle kinds of faith:
- Natural faith
- Supernatural faith
The gift of faith is not natural faith. The gift of faith is supernatural faith.
Natural faith is much like the faith a farmer has when he sows seed into the soil of a freshly plowed field. He plants a seed of corn believing it will produce corn.
Natural faith is faith that we put into action on a daily basis without even realizing it. Example: When we sit down at the breakfast table to eat, we usually sit down in a chair. We have faith that the chair we are sitting in will hold us up and not crash beneath our body weight.
Supernatural faith is faith that comes from the Lord in a supernatural way. It extends exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond natural faith.
There are different kinds of faith:
- Saving faith:
Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved by faith….”
Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God.”
- Fruit of the Spirit faith:
Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness….”
- Gift of faith:
Mark 11:22: “So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”
Jesus was not speaking about natural faith. He was speaking about the
gift of faith (supernatural faith).
Saving faith (general faith) comes before salvation.
Fruit of faith or faithfulness comes after salvation.
The gift of faith (special faith) generally comes after the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
What is the gift of faith?
The gift of faith is the God-given ability to believe for the impossible to come to pass at your word and to impart that faith to others.
When I look at the lives of some of the healing evangelists in the past century, such as Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman, A. A. Allen, Jack Coe, John G. Lake and countless others, it causes my heart and spirit to leap up knowing that the gift of faith is still in operation today. It didn’t pass away with the apostles. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that gives the gift of faith to those who ask Him for it.
Our Father God in heaven has placed a beautifully arranged banqueting table, full of luscious spiritual food, right before our very eyes. From the moment we give our lives to Jesus, He offers us a place to sit at His table so that we can dine with Him and partake freely of every good and perfect gift from heaven. What I see happening in the body of Christ today is basically a lack of knowledge on our part regarding the gifts of the Spirit. Most of us have decided to pick and choose the gifts that we want from God’s table. We don’t believe in speaking in tongues, so we choose the working of miracles instead. We shove the unwanted gifts away, therefore cutting off the blessings of God from our lives. It’s not His will that we pick and choose only those gifts that seem good and pleasing to us. It’s His will that we accept all that He has made available to us. As Christians, we must all learn to walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t, we will be a weak, powerless, handicapped church. What good is a church without power?
I’m looking forward to the day when Christians will be true followers of Christ and imitate Him. I’m looking forward to the day when I will see missing legs grow back to their normal position right before my natural eyes. I’m looking forward to the day when I will be preaching from the pulpit and people will get out of their wheelchairs and start running around the church leaping and dancing with joy because the Lord just gave them a miracle.
When was the last time you raised someone from the dead? Is even the very thought of this too much for your finite mind to comprehend or imagine? Of course it is! What we must understand is that our God is a supernatural God who enjoys doing supernatural things through a people who are operating in His supernatural miracle working power. He’s the same God today that He was yesterday. He never changes. What He did yesterday, He will also do today. Will we have the faith to believe God to use us in ‘greater’ ways?
All three of the power gifts (gift of faith, gifts of healings and working of miracles) work together when raising someone from the dead:
- Gift of faith – it takes faith to speak to a dead man.
- Gifts of healings – if they aren’t healed when you raise them up, they will die again.
- Working of miracles – if someone is raised from the dead, it is a miracle.
Some Scriptural examples of the gift of faith in action:
1) Mark 11:14-24 – Jesus curses the fig tree.
Nothing happened at that particular moment, but the next day when they
passed the fig tree again, it was withered away. There are times when no
physical evidence will be seen when the gift of faith is in operation.
- 1 Kings 18:33-35 – Elijah on Mt. Carmel.
There’s absolutely nothing too difficult for our God! I believe that the church needs to repent because of our lack of faith, doubt and unbelief. He has called us into His Kingdom for such a time as this.
Will we pass up the opportunities that He will place before us, or will we “go for it” in the power of His Spirit? Will we pull our chairs up to the banqueting table and partake of everything that He has placed before us or will we just pick and choose only those things that we would like to have? If we partake and eat, we will be transformed and changed. We will be filled with the fullness of the glory of the Lord and we will do “greater” works that will bring Him “greater” glory.
Copyright 2001 by Donna Kazenske
