ICS Daily Devotions
The Spirit of Faith
2 Corinthians 4:13 (NKJV) And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,
The people in the world live in hopelessness because they do not know God neither are they familiar with the covenant of God. We enter into a covenant relationship with God the moment we accept Christ as our Savior. We have a living hope and worship a living God. Therefore, the way we deal with suffering in regard to our outlook and the patience shown in the whole process should be very different from the people of the world.
It is the spirit of faith that sets us apart from everyone else who might be going through similar difficulties. The reference to the spirit is not talking about the Holy Spirit, but something that refers to an attitude or an exceptional faith in God to believe that all things are possible with Him. It is similar to a “can do” spirit but it is anchored in the abilities of God and therefore it is phrased as “the spirit of faith”.
How do we position ourselves sufficiently in faith as we go through the tribulations? We should develop our faith in God and His word long before any kind of tribulation hits us. Once the tribulation comes to our doorstep, we should engage the faith without a shadow of doubt to believe that God will see us through it.
We will speak very differently when we are in faith.
Numbers 14:24(NKJV) But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
We have read about how Caleb along with Joshua were the two spies out of the twelve who came back with good reports regarding the Promised Land. The rest of the spies concentrated on the giants in the land saw themselves as grasshoppers compared with those giants. They were already defeated even before the fight began. They were speaking out of their concerns, fears and also the convictions that they would fail! Likewise, Caleb and Joshua were also speaking out of their convictions, but they were speaking in faith! They were speaking about how BIG God is. Each had their own response based on the convictions of their hearts, which couldn’t be hidden or contained because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak!
Numbers 13:30(NKJV) Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Caleb wasn’t speaking out of pride but a deep conviction that God is well able to perform what He had promised. He was convinced that God was able to deliver the enemies into their hands. It was the spirit of faith speaking despite the impossible situation. It really depends on how one views God. If God is viewed and known as omnipotent, Almighty, El Shaddai and a covenant-keeping God then the answer or the conviction spoken from the heart will be very different. It also has to do with our experience and walk with God. And how much we know and trust Him as we walk with Him. Daniel 11:32 says that those who know their God will carry out great exploits.
Sermon Series: I Believe Therefore I Speak
