Speak by Faith
ICS Daily Devotions

Romans 4:17 (NKJV): (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Like God, we should speak in accordance with our faith regarding our convictions about what will happen.

Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was about 90. Both were past childbearing age and in an impossible situation. Nevertheless, God had promised them that Sarah would bear a child and Abraham would be a father of many nations! As far as God was concerned, Isaac would be born even though it had been 25 years since God had given them the promise.

Abram was renamed Abraham after the covenant ritual since Abraham had asked God how it would happen since they were childless. The name Abraham means “the father of a multitude”; Sarah means “to be a royal princess and a mother of nations and kings”. God addressed him as “the father of a multitude” from that day onwards. Likewise, Sarah started to call her husband “the father of a multitude”, and Abraham called his wife “royal princess and a mother of nations and kings” though they were childless. They addressed each other the same way God addressed them. God calls those things which do not exist as though they did. Likewise, they began to call each other in line with their faith that they would have descendants. Faith received the promise “now”.

2 Corinthians 4:13-14 (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, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

We believe, and therefore, we speak! You and I believe our body is temporal, but we will have a glorified body one day. This is our conviction, spoken out of faith, that it will happen, even though we don’t have a glorified body yet. We also talk about how we will worship in heaven, about heaven and our names written in the Book of Life. We talk about the righteousness imputed to us through our acceptance of Christ. We speak of our spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We believe that one day, the corruptible will put on incorruption, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and we will be raised one day when the last trumpet sounds and be caught up in the air with Jesus. There is a spirit of faith that believes and speaks with conviction.

We cannot simultaneously have faith and speak doubt and unbelief. We are either in faith or in doubt—we cannot have both at the same time. God talks about Abraham as “the father of a multitude”. Therefore, Sarah also addressed Abraham as such even though Isaac hadn’t been born yet. Likewise, we are to speak faith instead of doubt and unbelief.

Sermon Series: The Walk of Faith