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Secrets
to Breakthrough Faith
by Ben Cerullo
“Faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1
The Bible
says “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith has “substance”
and provides a confident assurance of God’s unseen reality.
I’ve heard
some people say, “I don’t have faith,” or “I wish I had faith,”
or “I wish I had more faith.”
But Romans
12:3 tells us God has given every person “the measure of faith.”
So, it’s not
really a matter of having more or less faith. Faith is something you already
have — but there’s quite a difference between having something and actually
using it.
The Bible is
full of stories about people who used their faith to see God move in their
lives in miraculous ways.
Over and
over, the Bible speaks of the breakthrough power of faith:
“Your faith
has made you well” (Mark 5:34) …
“According to
your faith be it done unto you” (Mathew 9:29)
…
“Have faith
in God” (Mark 11:22) …
“He had the
faith to be healed” (Acts 14:9) …
“He did not
waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith” (Romans 4:20)
…
“I live by
the faith in the Son of God” (Galatians
2:20)…
and this is
just a small sample!
We’re told
that our faith should not rest on the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1
Corinthians 2:5).
It’s not
about what we know — in fact, it’s not about us at all.
It’s about
God’s power and what He can do… if we know how to release our faith.
Mustard Seed
Faith
Jesus gave us
a vital key to unlock our faith and release God’s miracle-working power in our
lives: If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move
from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to
you (Matthew 17:20).
Whether you
need a breakthrough in your finances, marriage, children, health, peace of
mind, or spiritual life, Jesus is revealing an amazing message of hope and
encouragement for you!
If you apply
the life-changing principles in this verse, Jesus promises… “NOTHING will be
impossible to you!”
What a
fantastic statement! It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed or what
gloom and doom you see in today’s headlines… Jesus says “NOTHING” can
stand in your way when you have faith.
Are You
Exercising Your Faith?
If faith has
substance… and if it rests on a confident assurance of God’s promises, then why
doesn’t it always seem to work?
My friend,
faith does always work — but not necessarily on our timetable or according to
our wishes.
God IS always
faithful, and He wants us to trust Him with all our heart (Proverbs
3:5), even when we don’t fully understand His purposes.
Often the
problem in not receiving from God is simply that we haven’t exercised our
faith.
Perhaps we’ve
given mental assent to the Lord’s promises, but we aren’t really trusting Him
to do the impossible in our lives.
Remember… Faith
remains lifeless, useless, and powerless until it’s exercised!
So if you are
puzzled about why your prayers aren’t being answered, perhaps you’ve had a
shortage of confident assurance — really believing God to do what He says He
will do.
Confronting
Your Unbelief
Breakthroughs
from God are the result of bold, obedient faith — the exact opposite of fear,
doubt, and passivity.
Instead of
being afraid or timid, we must release our faith and boldly confront the mountains
in our lives.
We need to
cry out, “Lord, with You all things are possible. If Your Word says it, then
I believe it!”
When we cry
out to God in this way, our faith will rise up to overcome the obstacles
standing in the way of our destiny.
Jesus tells
us to speak to the mountains in our way and expect them to move! He doesn’t
just say here to “watch and pray” — He tells us to take action and confront our
spiritual enemies with confident declarations of faith.
Sometimes we
must acknowledge areas of unbelief that have been hindering our breakthrough.
In Mark 9, a
man brought his son to Jesus to be healed. The boy was demon-possessed and
unable to speak.
The root of
his speechlessness was not physical but spiritual.
Jesus said to
the boy’s father, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who
believes” (verse 23).
With tears
streaming down his face, the father replied, “Lord, I believe; help my
unbelief!” (verse 24).
Today, Satan
is launching a major assault against people’s faith, trying to instill fear and
get us to waver in our trust in the Lord.
He wants us
to put our eyes on our circumstances rather than on God’s faithfulness to His
Word.
If you keep
your eyes focused on your problems and the “mountains” in your way — whether
they are financial, physical, or relational — the enemy will use your
circumstances to plant fear and doubt in your heart.
He will use
your circumstances to accuse God and try to discredit His Word.
Instead of
listening to the enemy’s lies, keep your eyes focused on the Lord, on His Word,
and on His ability to do ANYTHING!
Faith comes
by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and the Lord has
already put His Word in your mouth and heart (Romans 10:8).
As you speak
God’s Word, He will intervene on your behalf.
You can unleash
breakthrough faith by boldly declaring God’s promises over your life, your
circumstances, the mountains you face, and the barriers that have kept you from
receiving your Heavenly Father’s best for you.
When you put
your faith into action, your breakthrough is sure to come!
Ben Cerullo has
been named by Charisma Magazine as one of the “30 Emerging Voices” who will
lead the church in the next decade. His ministry carries a powerful anointing and
prophetic message. Traveling extensively, both domestically and
internationally, he has spoken in more than 27 nations. God continues to use
him to reach people with the Gospel, confirming His Word with signs following.
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