In I Thessalonians 3:10, Paul writes, “Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might PERFECT that which is LACKING in your faith?”

     If our faith is lacking, our life will be lacking. It’s by faith that we conduct business with Heaven, and if our faith is lacking, we won’t be able to conduct business with Heaven as we ought – we won’t be able to receive all that Heaven has made ours. If our faith is imperfect, our results will be imperfect, and God intends that we receive every time.

     Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith comes by hearing – hearing from God – hearing what He is saying to you about your specific need.

     The Word is God’s general instructions to all of His people, but the Spirit gives us specific instructions for our lives. God’s Word tells us that He will supply our every need, but it’s the Spirit who tells us which home, which job, which pastor, which spouse – the Spirit gives us the specifics we need in life. That’s why we must be people of the Word AND people of the Spirit – we must know the Word, but we must also know how to follow the Spirit.

     The Spirit is that divine Genius in us that will lead us through the inward witness; He will lead us in the specifics of God’s plan for our life, and He will lead us into success – but we must be good followers. Those who follow best finish best.

     If we don’t recognize how the Spirit is leading us, our faith is not going to work right – it will be imperfect and lacking. Faith works right when people know what God is saying to them about their specific need. If we are needing specifics, we can’t just “throw more faith confessions” at our need when we lack hearing what He’s saying to us about our situation. We must take time to hear from God if our faith is going to work right. If we are going to get results with our faith every time, then we must hear from Him. Faith requires revelation to work – we have to know what He is saying to us.

     When I have a need, I don’t just randomly select a Bible verse to confess. I look to my spirit to know which verse the Spirit will quicken to me. When a verse is quickened to me by the Spirit, it comes alive to me and my faith is quickened. 

     If we “lack hearing,” we will become weary in exercising faith by just throwing random confessions at our need, and we will get little results. If you’re feeding on the Word and confessing the Word, but nothing is changing, you need to hear. Presumption in faith is trying to exercise faith without knowing what God is saying to you.

     As a minister, I endeavor to take time to hear from God. I don’t just form a plan, but I need to hear His plan. I move slowly, because my success is in my hearing – for when I hear right, my faith will work right. I don’t just duplicate what others are doing in ministry; I purpose to do what God tells me to do in ministry. I purpose to seek Him and hear what He says.

     Take time to hear from God. Feed on the Word, but also listen to what God would say to you by His Spirit. When facing a test of any kind, don’t just start throwing confessions at it – take time to hear how the Spirit would lead you to address that test.

     We must learn to recognize His leadings. We become more sensitive to the Spirit as we take time to speak in tongues. Praying in the Spirit doesn’t earn the leading of the Spirit for your life, but it does make you more sensitive to the Spirit of God so that it’s easier for you to recognize His leading.

     When we know how the Spirit is leading us, then we can exercise faith accurately and skillfully.