Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22)

Jesus referred to faith as a topic in itself. He made it a subject of study. He was explicit about it. He was deliberate in teaching about it. He said to his disciples, “Have faith in God.” In other places, he said things like, “Fear not, only believe,” and “All things are possible to the one who believes,” and “According to your faith be it unto you.” Each of these statements is a sermon in itself. Think about what he said.

God wants us to live life thinking that there is no reason to fear, but that we should have faith only. God wants us to live life thinking that all things are possible to the one who has faith. And when Jesus said that, he was referring to a miracle, to something superhuman and supernatural. If someone disagrees with this, he disagrees with Jesus Christ. He disagrees with a central and obvious doctrine of the gospel. Take notice of him, because this person is a servant of the Faithless. Remove him from your life.

And God wants us to live life thinking that we can have whatever we believe that he will do for us. We cannot use God as an excuse for our failures and our sicknesses. We cannot claim to be victims of some unknown decree of God. No, Jesus said, what you believe God will do to you is what he will do to you. This is God’s will. This is God’s decree. When he said this, he was referring to miracles, to supernatural blessings and events. What you believe that God will do for you, even if it is a miracle, God will do it for you. This is the assumption by which we should look at the world and live our life.

You are never a victim. You are never limited. You are never doomed. You are never desperate. You are never alone. God will come to you. God will answer you. God will rescue you. God will heal you and prosper you. God will increase your spiritual power and fruit. God is the answer to all your problems. And beyond your problems, God will give you the desires of your heart. How can you know? Faith! The faith in your heart is God’s answer.

John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then he said, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and “he has made him known.” Jesus was the Word of God who had been with the Father since the beginning. Jesus, who was with God and was God himself, became human and lived with us, and he made God known to us by word and deed. He knew God and how we ought to relate to God. And what did he teach? Faith.

This is not a faith that tolerates disappointments from God and then spins out religious theories to romanticize the disappointments. This is not a faith that accepts suffering and that is overpowered by circumstances. This would not be faith, but mere human piety that puts up an appearance of godliness. When someone does not have faith, he tends to redefine faith to this counterfeit version, so that he does not become totally devastated, and so that he is not exposed as faithless and worthless.

Jesus insisted on the kind of faith that receives whatever it wants from God. Faith is not disappointed. Faith is not afraid. It is a faith that overcomes suffering and that overpowers all circumstances. It is not a faith that assumes God wants to limit you, that he wants you to have less and expect less. No, this is a faith that believes God wants you to have more and to do more. Hold on to this idea of faith. It is the way to a better life, and to genuine service toward God. This is the faith that will heal the sick, reverse poverty, repair relationships, and uphold truth and godliness. This is the faith that will save the world.