"Properly Define Faith" by Nancy Dufresne

Romans 12:3 tells us, “…God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” So, every believer has a measure of the faith of God. Paul wrote, “Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is LACKING IN YOUR FAITH” (1 Thess. 3:10). The Common English Bible reads, “…to see all of you in person and to complete whatever you still need for your faith. The Complete Jewish Bible reads, “…that we will be able to see you face to face and supply whatever shortcomings there may be in your trust.”

     We are to have a faith that receives every time. If we aren’t receiving the answer, it’s not because we don’t have faith, but our faith may be lacking something.

     Matthew 8:1-3 reads, “When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

     This man had faith enough to come to Jesus and to worship Him, but he lacked correct knowledge. This man believed Jesus could heal him, but he didn’t know if it was Jesus’ will for him to have healing. Jesus corrected this man’s thinking when He said, “I will.”

     When Jesus answered this man, He answered for every man. Man no longer needs to ask, “Will God heal me?” Jesus answered every man when He answered this man.

     Jesus corrected the man’s thinking. Wrong thinking was keeping this man’s faith imperfect. He wouldn’t be able to receive healing until his wrong thinking was addressed. The man believed Jesus could, but until he also believed He would, he wasn’t healed.

     For our faith to work right, we must properly define faith. Until we properly define faith, we will be tripped up and not able to receive.

     Matthew 8:17 tells us, “…Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Ephesians 1:3 also tells us that God has already, “…blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Healing and all the blessings of God have already been made ours – He already provided it for us! Faith believes this, for faith believes what God says.

     To believe that God is going to heal me sometime – that’s not faith. Faith is not believing that God can. This leper believed Jesus could, but that wasn’t the proper definition of faith. Faith is not defined as believing that God can heal me or is going to heal me. Faith believes: “God has already done it, and I receive it NOW!” I have it now regardless of what I see or feel – that’s faith! Faith believes what it doesn’t yet see, for faith is always dealing with the unseen.

     Mark 11:24 reads, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, WHEN YE PRAY, BELIEVE YE RECEIVE THEM, and ye shall have them.” We are to believe we receive at the time we pray, and we shall have it. That’s faith!

     Many misunderstand faith at this point. “…When ye pray, believe ye RECEIVE them, and ye shall have them.” Some think that God is asking people to believe it’s manifested before it’s manifested. That’s not what the Word is saying.

Receiving Vs. Manifestation

     Receiving and manifestation are 2 different things. “Receiving” is dealing with your spirit – “manifestation” is dealing with the natural realm. “Receiving” is something you do with your spirit, your heart. Before something from God manifests in the natural realm, it must FIRST be received with your spirit.

     God is a Spirit, and He deals with us through our spirit. When we receive something from God, we receive it with our spirit first – then it will manifest in the natural realm. That’s why we can know on the inside of us that we have something before there’s evidence of it in the natural realm.

     The truth of God’s Word must dawn on your spirit first; that’s when you believe it. Manifestation comes after you first receive it with your spirit. Your faith is in your spirit, and your hand of faith lays hold of it first.

     When you believe something, you are to then SPEAK and ACT what you believe – this is what transfers it from the “unseen realm” to the “seen realm.”

     Our answer exists in two forms: in its invisible form and in its visible form. Mark 11:24 is telling us to believe the answer is ours or belongs to us while it is in its invisible form, and when we do, God will cause it to come into its visible form. We could read Mark 11:24 as, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe you receive it (while it’s in its invisible form), and you shall have it (in its visible form).”

Perform the Act of Receiving

     Before we receive what we need from God, we must “perform the act of receiving.” What is the act of receiving? Saying, “I believe I receive it now!” Many are waiting for God to drop their answer on them, and He is waiting for them to perform the act of receiving so He can cause it to manifest.

     Our part is to believe it with our hearts and confess it, then God’s part is to manifest it. We can’t manifest our answer, only God can do that. Our part is to believe that at the time we prayed He heard us and that our answer started moving toward us.

     If you start asking, “When is it going to come? How is God going to do it?” you are getting into God’s part. Get out of God’s part. Anything to do with the manifestation is God’s part. Don’t even touch His part (the manifestation) in your thought life. Our part is to believe we receive it. As we do our part, God will always do His part. Instead of asking, “When is it going to manifest? How is God going to do it?” just go back to doing your part, which is to say, “I believe I receive it.”

     When we believe, “God does it for me now,” that’s faith at work – that’s a faith that receives!