"For we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]"

2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP)

 

In that Scripture, apostle Paul made it clear that as believers, we walk by faith and not by sight. To walk, in the Scriptures often denotes to live, to act, to conduct in a certain way. One of the challenges many people face today in the body of Christ is on how they can release their faith to get what they want. Many don't have struggles with believing, but the struggle comes in them trying to put to use what they have believed.

 

Faith is a supernatural force that can journey with us into the unknown and this evening, through the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to show us how we can journey into the new year and throughout the new year engaging this powerful force of faith. I want to quickly share with us 3 Steps To Releasing Your Faith For The New Year.

 

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV)

 

The starting point to releasing our faith is first and foremost KNOWING WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS. Ephesians 5:18 (NIV) says "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." That means it is foolishness, Scripturally, if you don't know what God's will for you per time is. And it even goes beyond knowing it, you must fully understand it too.

 

Then I began to wonder: Why is it even important to know the will of God and to understand it? See the reason here: Ephesians 1:11 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,"

 

Someone may be tempted to ask: Does it then mean God wills evil for His children according to Ephesians 1:11? The answer is No! The fact that God works all things according to the counsel of His will does not mean He "WILLS EVIL" TO HAPPEN TO YOU. The Bible says God is not an author of confusion! But believers could go through certain unpalatable experiences, and God may permit those experiences to happen, especially if the end of that experience would justify the means. 1Peter 3:17-18 (NIV) tells us something related to this. It says: "For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit."

 

In John 9:1-3 (NIV), the disciples asked Jesus a question about a man who was born blind. The Bible says: "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." So, sometimes when we suffer affliction, it is not because God hates us or has forgotten us. It is because at times, He wants to glorify Himself through those afflictions and that is why it is important that you understand His will concerning you.

 

Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NIV) concerning his affliction. He said "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." It was obvious, apostle Paul didn't like what was afflicting him. He begged and pleaded with God to take the affliction away, but God refused. So, the man concluded that he would boast all the more about his affliction so that the power of Christ may rest upon him the more.

 

So, when believer suffers affliction, that is not when to begin to query God and tell Him how unfaithful He has been for allowing you to go through such an unpalatable experience. But rather, ask Him what He wants you to understand in the experience. That is why we read Ephesians 5:18 on understanding what the will of God is.

 

So, it is easy to release faith, when one knows what the will of God is. So, when you read the Scripture above, in Hebrews 11:8, the Bible says Abraham departed in faith to go search for the place he would receive as an inheritance. It was not difficult for Abraham to depart because God had told him to leave his country, his father's house unto a place where He would show him.

 

Abraham's departure is premised on what God has said to him and not how is he was feeling and so, it was not difficult for him to stay in faith. Don't step into the new year with your feeling, step into the new year with God's will for your life and family, and everything that pertains to you.

 

If you read further to verse 11, it says "And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise." The latter part of that scripture is very instructive when it comes to the will of God and faith. It says "she considered him faithful who had made the promise." In other words, she considered God faithful who had revealed His will to her and Abraham that they were going to have a child.

 

In Matthew 26:38-39, if Jesus had no idea of what God's will is for Him, He would have thought He was suffering in vain. That shows us that even the best of men could cave in under intense pressure of going through life and destiny. He said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” ³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

 

Jesus could have caved in, in fact, that was the point His natural humaneness came into fruition. He could have decided He does not want to proceed any longer with the assignment. But He understood what the Will of God is, and so, that encouraged Him to complete the assignment.

 

So, the first question you want to ask yourself is this: WHAT IS GOD'S WILL FOR MY LIFE AS I APPROACH THE NEW YEAR? WHAT EXACTLY WOULD GOD HAVE ME DO? Not the things that you want to do now. Your plans and goals and all that you have set to accomplish for yourself, they are good. But have you been prayerfully inquiring from God what He would have you do in the new year? Have you started inquiring about His will for your life? This is the starting point to engaging the force of faith, the will of God must be known.

 

Secondly, YOU MUST ARM YOURSELF WITH THE WORD OF GOD.

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)

 

The Bible refers to the word of God as the sword of the Spirit. A sword is a weapon for battle, which then means that the word of God is a weapon that you can arm yourself with. How do you then arm yourself with the word of God? Romans 10:17 says "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." If you really wants to engage the force of faith in the new year, you must pay attention to what you hear. What you hear has the capacity to accomplish two things in your life. They can either minister FAITH to you or they minister FEAR.

 

You must understand that it is not everything you hear that have the capacity to build faith in you, it is only the word of God that has that capacity to inspire faith in us. God says He has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind. So, His word cannot minister fear, but faith.

 

In Acts 20:32, the Bible says "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." Isn't it funny that there was no other thing apostle Paul could have commended the brethren to other than to God and to His word? That shows how powerful and important the word of God is. When the word of God inspires faith in you, what it does is that it builds you up.

 

One of the things that you must be deliberate about as you go into the new year is the things you listen to; the words of people you allow to get into you. How can you avoid this? See what Ecclesiastes 7:21(NIV) says regarding this: "Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you." You cannot dwell on every negativity around you. It saps you of every spiritual energy that you possess. Don't allow anyone or anything to minister junk into your life, especially that which is able to deplete your faith. Don't dwell so much on negative news around, but arm yourself with the word of God that is able to inspire faith into your life.

 

Listen To Podcast: 3 Steps To Releasing Your Faith For The New Year

 

Thirdly, WHATEVER YOUR EXPERIENCE WOULD BE IN THE NEW YEAR WOULD BE ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH.

 

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

Ephesians 3:20

 

There is a power in us that makes things happen. This power the Bible calls the power of the gospel. Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16 that "for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes." So, the gospel of Christ is the power of God, and this power is resident in us. But this power would only work to the degree of our faith. In Matthew 9:29, the Bible says "Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith, let it be to you." How much of the blessings of God that you would have access to would be according to your faith.

 

If you are trusting God to get married, it would be according to your faith. If you are trusting God for the fruit of the womb or whatever it is, as long as your faith can be released for it, then you would have it.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!