“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”—Hebrews 11:1
The above opening text is the most popular scriptural verse that gives the most accurate definition of Christian faith. It says faith is the substance (concrete essence or abstract assurance) of things not seen.
Now inasmuch as the above scriptural definition of faith in the opening text is impeccably correct, it requires expounding for better understanding of the Christian faith. In summary, the definition says faith is the concrete essence or assurance of things we hope for or expect to get from God.
Then the second part of the definition says faith is the proof or conviction of things not seen – that is, the things we expect, that we are yet to see or perceive with our physical senses. With this definition of faith above, the very next question that comes to mind is “how can I be assured of an expectation I am yet to receive?” or “how can I have the proof or conviction of an expectation I have not yet seen or gotten a physical perception of?”
This question above is what this particular post sets out to answer scripturally.
In this post, I share with you the four scriptural steps to walking in the Christian faith that gives you triumphant results every time. These four steps I will be sharing with you here are basically an expansion of the definition of faith in our opening text.
The 4 Steps To A Winning Faith
Like I already mentioned above, the four steps of a Winning Faith I will be sharing with you here are basically the expansion or elaboration of the definition of faith in our opening text (Hebrews 11:1). And more interestingly, these four steps are also revealed in the same chapter as our opening text.
These four steps to a winning Christian faith can be found in Hebrews 11:13. And it reads; “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”.
From the above scriptural text, the four steps to a winning scriptural faith are as follows:
- See It Afar Off: The definition of faith in our opening text says, faith is the substance of things hoped for. So the first step to a winning faith is a clear vision or picture of the thing you want from God. For instance, if you desire a child from God, your first step of faith, should be a clear vision of the kind of child you want from God.
You need to clearly, with your eyes of faith, catch a clear vision or picture of the kind of child you want. If it is a male child you want, you specify it before God. Then you can even go ahead and even pick a name for the male child. I have used a child’s example for this first step, but this can be applied to anything whatsoever you desire from God. The emphasis here is in clear vision or picture of what you want from God, with detailed specification and description, with your eyes of faith.
- Be Persuaded Of It: Once you have clearly envisioned and specified what you want from God, the very next thing you need for your faith to produce is persuasion. And of course, you cannot persuade yourself. Persuasion in this context is the same thing as the substance and evidence as used in our opening text.
Persuasion is the spiritual assurance, proof or conviction in the heart that you have what you desire from God, even when you have not received it physically. And this spiritual persuasion, substance, assurance, proof or conviction in the heart is the work of the Holy Spirit.
So how do you get persuaded that you have what you desire of God? The answer is prayer. Having specified what you desire from God, you earnestly go to God in prayer asking the Lord for your desire. As you pray, you study the word of God concerning what you’re asking for to know if it is in line with the word of God.
As you pray earnestly and study the word of God, and you’re not yet persuaded of your answer from God, you can also add fasting to your prayer. You pray, asking the Lord for your heart desire until the Lord gives you assurance in your heart that your desire has been granted. Don’t give up or stop praying until you receive definite assurance or conviction in your heart from the Holy Spirit that your request has been granted.
As you receive the evidence or conviction in your heart from the Lord, give thanks and celebrate him for the answer to your prayer and move to the third step of faith below. - Embrace It: Once you’re fully persuaded in your heart that God has granted your heart desire, the next step of a winning faith is for you to embrace your answer. Yes, the answer may not have appeared physically, but since you’ve already received the assurance of the Holy Spirit in your heart, you go ahead and embrace the answer in faith.
By embracing, it means you start walking in the reality of your answer as if you already have it. For instance, if you requested the Lord for a child and received the assurance that God has granted it to you, you begin to see yourself as a pregnant woman.
You can even go a step further to start acting as a pregnant woman. Then to embrace it much more, you can go ahead and start shopping for the baby things as a proof of your faith in God’s assurance. That is an example of how to embrace your desire after being persuaded by the Holy Spirit in your heart. When you do that, you affirm that God is reliable, faithful and dependable, and your miracle will be on its way to physical manifestation. - Confess It: As you embrace your desire by faith, in the final step, you begin to confess it. You begin to say to yourself and others that God has finally granted your heart desire. For instance, continuing with the child example, as you embrace your gift of a child, through your acts of faith, you begin to confess or say to yourself and others continually that you have finally taken in.
As you say it, you thank God sincerely for it continually. Then you also say it with all boldness and conviction. Never mind any unbelieving thoughts or words the devil or people will say to you. Never mind any mockery you may receive from people, just go on acting and confessing what you believe with patience and persistence. And before long, if you do not give up for any reason, you will see the practical manifestation of your miracle to the glory of God.
So that is it. Those are the four steps to a winning Christian faith. I always practice what I have shared here continually and I can tell you the result is always miraculous and awesome. Then apart from me, several other Christians who also practice the above 4 steps have also been enjoying miraculous interventions from God. For the Lord says if thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.
If you do have any question or comment concerning this post, please feel free to leave them at the comment section below and I’ll reply as soon as possible.
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