The Power of Faith -Archbishop Benson Idahosa

Mark 11:23-24

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

God has given faith a very high priority. All His blessings are not received by paying a fee, doing some great exploit for Him, or earning His favor in any way, but by simply trusting Him. We are saved from sin by faith. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Salvation by faith is clearly stated in the Bible. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas how to be saved, their answer was very clear: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

 God asks only one thing of those who would return to His fold and be restored as a member of His family: “Trust Me, believe what I say and rely on My faithfulness.”

Physical healing, the wonderful blessing that has transformed the lives of so many people, is received by faith. The bible in Mark 10:52 says, “And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

 The manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit and the various ministries, the evidence of the power of God's Spirit in our lives, is both received by faith and exercised by faith. Also our prayers are answered based on the faith we exhibit when we pray, Mark 11:24b says, “What things soever ye desire, when ye ray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Nothing could be clearer. “Ye shall have them.” Whatever you have been believing God for is on the way. While you are praying, God is already responding! Sometimes we don't even have to pray about a situation. Jesus said we can just speak to a situation and it will be removed. Just believing and acting on our belief brings us the victory.

Use your mouth to command faith to come in, healing to come in, miracles to come in, signs and wonders to come in. Decree a thing today and it shall be done. Let the word come from your mouth. The Lord shall honour it.

Say something now and God will do it in Jesus' name. Faith takes the limitations from our lives and creates new potential and a wonderful tomorrow for us. We can do everything through faith.

Jesus in Mark 9:23 said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” What a powerful promise! All things are possible to them that believe-all things! Also, Jesus said that signs would follow those who believe, Mark 16:17-18 says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Our potential in faith, goes far beyond our personal needs. Through faith, we both receive God's blessings for our lives and pass on His blessing to others. In essence, we receive not only all that we require to meet our needs but also a portion of what others can receive from God to live in His blessings. Faith enables us to look beyond our own problems to the larger challenges that face the world, and to change our world for the Lord.

Jesus is our example. He was human. He encountered problems, suffered temptations, and endured life's struggles. Yet, He refused to be tied down by the enemy. He overcame His own problems by clinging to His faith in His heavenly Father. Then He moved out to help other people overcome their problems as well.

As believers, we are vested with power to heal the sick, to cast out devils, to bring deliverance to the oppressed, and in countless other ways to bring change to the lives of those who are bound by the devil. We have the responsibility to assist those who are suffering under the devil's oppression. We have the obligation to change our world.

Why did Jesus come to our world? Did He come to struggle endlessly with the trials of life, to spend all His time wrestling with His own problems? I don’t think so! Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”

Jesus knew that God's purpose for His life went far beyond Himself-beyond the problems, needs, struggles, and tests He would endure. He came to change His world!

 When Jesus found people in need, He didn't say, "I don't have time for that." "I have enough problems of My own to deal with." "I can't help anyone else; I'm struggling to stay afloat, Myself." By faith, Jesus overcame personal difficulties and reached out to others. He tried to change His world, regardless of the circumstances He encountered.

God is calling you today. There are no bonds that faith cannot break, no fetters it cannot sever, no dungeons it cannot open, no diseases it cannot heal, and no victories it cannot win. Faith puts you directly into the hands of a limitless God who is able to do  “... exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think, according to [His] power that worketh in [you].”

You can change your world. I challenge 'you to believe the promises of God and to act in faith, because all things are possible when you believe God's word to you. The Lord shall accomplish for you all that you set your heart to do in faith. The power of Almighty God shall stand by you, and whatsoever you set your hand to do shall prosper.

You can have faith in many things and many people. For example, you can have faith in the postal system, that when you drop your letter in the box it will be delivered safely. You can have faith in a chair, that it will hold you when you sit on it. You can have faith in a friend, that he or she will not betray your confidence. You can have faith in a business associate, that he will not cheat you and steal your money. But Jesus said: "Have faith in God."

Our faith in God is based on who He is. It is based on His goodness and His unchanging faithfulness. Faith in God cannot fail because God Himself cannot fail.

Your letter may be lost or delayed if the postal system fails you. You may fall to the floor when a chair fails you and breaks. You may be hurt when a friend fails you by betraying your confidence or a business associate is dishonest and steals your money, but you will not suffer from God's unfaithfulness. God cannot fail. His inability to fail is based upon His unchanging character.

Our faith is based on the great I AM of the Bible. Who is this great I AM? He is whatever you need Him to be. He is God's great blank check for your need, the inexhaustible and eternal Source of all things. He is your Peace, your Strength, your Hope, your Wisdom, your Light, your Life-and a million things more. When your faith is based on Him, you cannot lose.

 When Moses had been rejected by his own people and he feared to face them again, God told him to say that I AM had sent him, “He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14). With I AM by his side, Moses conquered every fear and every enemy-and there were many.

Trials and temptations (we call them "problems") are inevitable. This is our lot in life. Don't think that you can avoid them, because you can't. Without trials, there are no triumphs; without tests, there are no testimonies. We must all face our share of life's hardships, but that doesn't matter when we have faith in God.

Nothing else matters when faith in God is the foundation of our lives. Nothing can turn us aside, nothing can force us to turn back and nothing can discourage us. I AM is with us. What more do we need?

God is good. Nothing that satan can do will ever change that. God is good. Nothing that man can do will ever change that. Indeed, unlike man, God cannot change. The writer to the Hebrews declares this truth in Hebrew 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

God's love for us will never fail. He will not allow problems to crush us, nor will He allow trials to over-whelm us. He is by our side. We need not be afraid.

David showed us that trusting God is wise. He said in Psalm 118:8-9, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”

Throughout my ministry, I have experienced great trials. Often, at the onset of those trials, I have wondered if there was a way out of my troubles. In the end, however, I have repeatedly seen the foolishness of such thinking. God has always been with me through my trials; He has shown me how to turn them into great victories.

God has not changed because we are facing some crisis. Neither is He dead or even sleeping when we experience hardships or difficulties-He never sleeps. The bible in Psalm 121:3-4 says, “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”

The knowledge of God's goodness produces faith. The more I know about Him, the greater my faith is. The closer I get to Him, the greater my faith is. My faith is based on who He is and on nothing else.