In this article, we will be looking at something very interesting and common, I used the word common because it's something that we've heard over and over and over again. But, what the Holy Spirit is posing before us; is that, how can we make this thing that we have so heard about, we have so known in the kingdom of God to become something that we actually walk in. For many people, you agree with me that we are tired of just reading the Bible. I don't know, if you are like me; you want to experience God. And for the last few months of my life, that has been my craving, that has been my desire. Lord, I want to experience you, people have been talking about you. We must come to a point where we are no longer relating with God because of what we have heard people say, not by the hearings of the ear, but seeing Him.

Can we get to that point where our desire as believers is not by carrying the Bible or reading it from Genesis to Revelation, but you are having an experience with the God that wrote the Scriptures. Because, that's why I said what we are looking at is something that is common, the foundation of it is common. But the Holy Spirit wants to draw our attention to how it is possible for us to experience God practically, Every day of your life. You are not a believer by mouth, you are a believer by experience. You are not a believer by nomenclature, by label, you are a believer by your life, your life is showing it. So, that's what the Holy Spirit is going to be dealing with us on. So, we are looking at “the challenge of giving in the kingdom of God”. What is challenge? Because that's like the focal word, that's the focus. I'm going to give us three definitions of challenge, which we're going to ride on as we go into the Scriptures. Challenge number one; is a call to prove or justify something

So, if I say I'm inviting you to a challenge or I'm challenging you, what am I saying? I'm calling you to prove or justify something. I'm sure many of us have come to different points in our lives where people challenge our faith, our belief, what are they doing? They are saying justify, prove that this that you believe in; is true. So, as you are living your life on a daily basis, you are challenged on your faith. How do you justify or prove that what you have been holding on to for the last ten years, what you have been holding on to for the last five years, what you have been holding on to for the last twenty, thirty years of your life is not a scam? It's not fluke? How do you prove? Those are the things the Holy Spirit will be dealing with us on. Number two; Challenge is a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation. Number one challenge is a call for you to prove or justify something. Let me say it again; Challenge is a call for someone to participate in a competitive situation or a fight. It could be a competitive situation, or a fight to decide whether you are superior or not.

So, number one; challenge is a call for you to prove something, or justify something. Number two; Challenge is a call for you to come and participate in a competitive situation or a fight to decide who is superior. Number three; challenge is the disputes for the validity of the truth. When you are invited to a challenge, you are invited to come and prove and justify something; you are invited to come and participate in a competitive situation to fight for a superior stand or position. Therefore, you are called to a challenge to dispute the validity of the truth. So, is it true or not? You are called to come and defend and decide whatever this that you are holding on to, is it a lie or the truth? So, based on these three definitions, I want us to go to Mark chapter 9:23, “Jesus said to him, if you can believe; all things are possible to him who believes”. What's Jesus saying here? This was a man, that had an issue that came to Jesus, and Jesus said to him, that this is a challenge, but if you can believe; what are you going to believe on? If you can believe the truth, if you can believe the word, if you can believe God, Jesus said, all things are possible.

What is possibility? Possibility talks about the fact that every time a challenge shows up, the answer is a yes. Every time a challenge shows up, the answer is victory. Every time a battle shows up, then you are certain of victory in that battle. All things are possible. It's like you're saying, the answer is always yes, that's possibility. If it is impossible, then it is a no. But if you believe the answer will always be yes, that's possibility. Possibility means there is an open door, possibility means that you will always find a way out, possibility means that you will always get what you desire; that's what Jesus is saying to this man. If you believe; what's the precondition, if you believe; what are you believing on? If you believe on the word, if you believe the truth; He said all things are possible to him who believes.

So, the challenge is; what do you believe? We would be looking through a lot of Scriptures, but it is important for us to build this foundation. Hebrews chapter 11:1,6 and11, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” But how do we experience it practically? How do we experience God practically in our faith? It said, Now Faith is the substance, meaning faith is not empty. When you have faith, there is a substance to faith- when you have faith. Faith is not existing in vacuum. Faith has a basis, faith has a substance. And he said, faith is the substance of things that you are hoping for. So, the question is: as a child of God, are you hoping for something? No matter how much you desire for God to bless you, if you are not hoping for it there's no substance to your faith.

The substance of things hoped for, why did the Bible say that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all you ask; when you ask, what you do? You say it, you verbalize it. Did it stop there? The Bible says and think. So, God is able to bless your thoughts. Are you thinking about something? Are you hoping in your mind for something great to happen? It is the substance of your faith. Many believers are still wallowing in the letters “I believe God can do it, God will do it” there is no doubt you are speaking the truth. But will He do it for you; is the question. Is He able? Yes. Is He able to do it for you? Yes. But are you playing your parts? Are you asking? Are you thinking? What is the substance of your faith? So, it says, now faith is the substance. So you can't say you have faith without the substance. Number two, “things hoped for”; the evidence, results. If evidence is a big word, another word to replace it is results. Evidence talks about results; what is the evidence that you went to school? You bring out your certificates. What is your certificate? The result, the prove. Now the challenge of your faith is that there must be Evidence. What is the evidence? Faith is the substance; you are asking for something, you are thinking of something that the Lord will and can do for you; then you have results, evidence of things that you have not seen.

 How can you have evidence of things you have not seen? That's why faith is spiritual. What is the evidence that God can turn the economy of Nigeria around? What is the reason? What is the prove? If you are challenged and you're saying; there's nothing God cannot do, with God all things are possible. What is the evidence that God can turn the economy of Nigeria around, in spite this galloping inflation? Your evidence is the word then you will turn to the Scripture, where Elisha prophesied; He said, by this time tomorrow, a measure of wheat or barley will be sold for two shekels, and it came to pass; that is what? Evidence. Have you seen it? No. But it is in the Word.

That's why faith and the Word are like siamese twins, faith cannot operate outside Word because the evidence of faith is the Word. So, when your faith is being challenged, there are two things that are being challenged. Number one, your substance; Number two, your evidence. When we say we are fighting the fight of faith, what are we fighting for? What are we trying to prove? What are we trying to justify? What is that competitive situation we are participating in, that we have a substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen? And the two must marry. Let's see Hebrews chapter 11:6, “but without faith, it is impossible; what did we call possibility, possibility means victory, answer, you have a way. But when it is impossible, what does it mean? No, no way, no answer, no results. So without faith, you cannot have results.

Without faith, there can be no way. Without faith, the answer cannot be Yes. Without faith, it is not possible to make a head-way, it is not possible to receive. So, the Bible says in verse 6 of Hebrews chapter 11, “but without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe” Is it might believe? Must! Must talks about a categorical statement, no other condition. Must believe that He is; He is what? The truth. He that comes to God must believe that He is the Truth, He is the Word, so that you can have evidence, because if you don't believe that He is, you cannot prove and have validity for your evidence. So, when you go through the Scriptures and go through the word, do you see lies or the truth? When you go through the pages of the Scripture, and you listen to the Holy Spirit, are you listening to lies, or the truth? Must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

How do you seek Him? You seek Him by pursuing faith. Without faith, it is impossible. He is a rewarder of those that pants after Him in faith who has substance of things hoped for, and evidence of things not seen. Let's see verse 11 of that Hebrews chapter 11; an example, by faith, Sarah herself also received strength; who is Sarah? Sarah is the wife of Abraham, that when God visited her, she had passed childbearing. Sarah was that woman that was holding on to the promises of God, and was challenged on her faith, in fact at a time when the Lord visited her, and her husband, and the angels declared, they said, according to the time of life, Sarah will bear a son and Sarah laughed (really, will it happen). And they asked her, Sarah you laughed and she said no that she did not laugh that it is just a mystery.

And that's how some of are, God is speaking to you and you are laughing. How can these things be, the physical conditions are not adding up. What you are going through is not adding up. What is happening in the nation is contrary, what is happening in your family is not favorable. And God is saying this to you; how will this things be? And the Bible says and by faith, Sarah had the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen; that is faith. That if God said, no one shall be barren, I believe it; even though I'm ninety-nine, if God said that He is going to bless the fruit of my womb: yes, I believe it. And by faith, Sarah herself, not Abraham, Sarah herself, also receive strength to conceive; meaning that there was an experience that shifted from the Sarah that laughed to the Sarah that received strength to conceive. It was not the same Sarah that laughed in doubt and unbelief that received the seed. Sarah shifted, the Bible says and Sarah herself; because faith is personal.

People cannot have faith for you. People can encourage you to have faith for yourself, but you need that faith by yourself. And that's why you will see through the pages of Scripture; Jesus made us understand, He will always point to the faith of people; why is it vital, why is it important, because that's the challenge; when Jesus was going, He said when He comes back, what did He say He will like to find when he comes back? Did He say will He find human beings? Will He find food? Will He find shoes? What was Jesus saying that might be lacking when He comes back? Faith, because faith is important. He said when I come back, will I find faith on the earth, will I find people that still have the substance of things hoped for; evidence of things not seen. And you know what that showed me? It showed me that people have not started getting wearied of the second coming of Jesus Christ; its like we just started.

Because it will get to a time people will no longer have faith for the second coming of Jesus Christ. People would have been weary and be tired, the substance and the evidence will be going low and that's why Jesus said when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith? So, whatever it is; that looks as if people are not having faith for anymore, is what you; as a child of God must start building your faith for: because for everything that is counterfeit that the devil throws around, there is the original in God. When it looks as if it is only the devil that can give prosperity and wealth, then as a child of God, you sit down and say, Lord, I have faith for this thing; I know it is possible in the kingdom: You said, You died to receive for us riches, it is not in heaven, even on earth; He died to receive for us, and He knows where we are.

So, Sarah herself by faith received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age. (How can a woman give birth at ninety-nine, let's say the menopause that time was very long). Let's even think about it now; how can a 60 year old woman give birth to a child? It's a mystery, she's past the childbearing age. Meaning that God went into her system, altered the natural reproductive cycle and put a seed there: in that weak uterus. Let’s read the concluding part of verse 11, because she judged Him faithful; he that comes to God must believe that He is and He is a rewarder, how do you know that He is a rewarder? The Bible says, this is how Sarah knew that He was a rewarder; she judged Him faithful who has promised. How do you judge God? Do you judge Him wicked? Do you judge Him insensitive? You know there are some of us that say, if God is sensitive to my needs, He will show up now; if God is sensitive and He loves me the way He says, He should have showed up twenty years ago. If God is a good God, like He said, by now I should be leaving in my own house. But at ninety-nine, the Bible says Sarah judged Him faithful that promised.

So, faith is the substance of things hoped for,Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Lara Gboyega Adedeji!

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