HOW TO RELEASE YOUR FAITH
Faith must be released for it to be effective. Unless you act on your faith it’s not going to be any good to you. Faith is released by acting on it.
A few years ago they introduced new hand basins at our local airport. I didn’t think twice about it on my way into the bathroom. There were a few guys washing their hands- always a good sign! However, on the way out I was faced with a conundrum. I stood in front of the water faucet and there were no taps to turn on the water. I knew there had to be water in there somewhere but no matter how long I looked at the faucets, and looked for some taps- no water came out. Thankfully a more experienced traveller happened alongside me, waved his hands under the faucet and ‘hey presto’, water flowed. The faucets were motion activated!
Walking in faith is more about what you do with your faith than how big your faith is. Faith will do you no good until it is released. In the book of James, God says that faith without corresponding actions is dead.
'What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.' James 2:14-17 ESV
The word 'dead' in this verse does not mean that faith without works doesn't exist. It means it may as well not exist, for all the good it will do you. This doesn't only apply to good works. It also applies to faith for any of God's promises. We can believe God's will, we can be sure that God is able- but unless we release our faith, our lives will stay the same.
James goes on to describe the number one way of releasing our faith- through our words. Our tongue directs our life the same way a rudder directs a ship. The words we speak will direct the course of our life.
Acting on your faith, and in particular speaking your faith, takes the spiritual reality of what you believe and applies it directly to your circumstances. This can sound a lot like 'blab it and grab it' teaching. However, we're not talking about aimlessly blabbing for any selfish reason. We're talking about being fully convinced of God's will for our lives and lining up our words with His Word! Possibly the most explicit teaching on the subject of faith comes from Jesus himself.
Jesus answered, saying to them, "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he SAYS is going to happen, it will be granted him. Mark 11:22-23 NASB
Jesus illustrated how to apply faith, and in doing so, he emphasised speaking at least as much as he emphasised believing. In fact, Jesus doesn't say you will have what you believe. Look at the scripture carefully. He says if you believe what you say is going to happen, you will have what you say! Our faith is only released when our actions and our words line up with our beliefs. Once we start to get some light on this, we can see it all throughout the Bible.
Faith acted upon brings results. The lepers were healed as they went. The cripple was healed as he stretched out his hand. The woman with the issue of blood said “If I but touch His cloak, I shall be healed” and she received power for healing as she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Every Christian needs to ask, “How would I act, if what I believe was absolutely true?" Too often we’d like to believe something, we kind of believe it, but we act as though we’re not sure. Often people ‘hedge their bets’ by praying one way, but acting another.
Faith is released when we speak and act in line with what we believe.
