Faith Is God’s Word Activated

In Romans 10:17 I read, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (NIV)

God promises thousands of times in the Bible that he will act on our behalf if we obey him. When I read those promises, it should give me confidence. I know that if I do what God asks of me, he has promised a certain result.  

Here is a verse that can really assist in activating my faith: “But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:29-30 NIV).

In Exodus 23:29-30, God essentially says to the Israelites, “You know these enemies? They’re bigger than you. But I’m not going to give you the whole land in the first year. You’re going to take it over a little bit at a time—one battle at a time. So in time I’m growing stronger. And when I’m strong enough to handle it all, I’ll get it all.” 

When I read those verses, it's like a promise coming directly to me. I realized I don’t have to accomplish it all in the first year. I can spend the rest of my life serving Jesus Christ, and I do it on his timetable and at his pace. 

That understanding gives me confidence to take on enormous goals. The Word will activate my faith. God’s Word can activate the faith of others as well.

Like me, most of us aren’t confident or courageous. In fact, we’re often scared to death! We’re afraid to take risks, afraid of failure, and afraid of dying. But a person of faith should walk confidently through life. 

To be a person of faith, the Bible says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (NIV).

God’s Word not only tells me what to do. It also gives me the power to do it and increases my faith as you do it.

In summary, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ. I am to take God's great message of salvation to others so that they can respond to the Good News. How will others hear it unless someone tells them? All that God wants to do in my life, he does on the basis of faith. It's a matter of what I put my faith in and the amount of faith I have. I get faith by listening to the Word of God. Faith determines what God can do in my life. It's the key that unlocks promises in his Word. If I believe, I will receive whatever I ask for in prayer. When I put a little of it in a big God, I get big results. It becomes the basis for miracles which God does through people and prayer. Faith will give me the confidence to move ahead, which produces success.