April 18: The God-Kind of Faith

By Bassey Ekong

In Romans 10:8, The Apostle Paul gave a qualification: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming.” The word he wanted to plant in believers’ heart is the word of faith he was preaching, the one given by God. One of the most important illustrations in the Bible concerning faith and prayer is found in Mark 11: 12-14: The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in a distance, a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

What did Jesus do? He used words. What kind of words? Words of faith. Remember that faith is active belief. When He spoke to the tree, He actively believed the tree would die. What happened to the tree Jesus addressed? “In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” (Mark 11: 20-21.

Most translations give Jesus’
reply as, “Have faith in God” (v. 22). Yet this is not the way it was written in the original Greek. Its literal translation is, “Have the God kind of faith.” It’s only the faith that comes with God’s Word that matters in prayer. Note: The Lord wants to plant His Word of faith in each believer’s heart, in your heart. Open your heart to receive it.

Let’s pray: Father, I want Gods' kind of faith. I want to walk in faith as Jesus did, to speak words of faith and believe in my heart. Please Lord, show me the way to achieve this, in Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 3-5; Luke 14: 25-35

Faith and Love Go Together to Work.