The Power of Faith
‘And Jesus said unto them... for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder Place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.’ See Matthew 17: 22 (all Bible references are from the King James Version).
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen and by it the elders obtain good report. See Hebrews 11: 1-2. Faith is the unshakable or undoubtful believe in the reality and manifestation of a person’s decree(s) and/or mental picture(s). It is the live-wire of all reality.
Wherever great result or outstanding feat is accomplished, you will find faith lurking behind such accomplishment. Even before the coming of Christ, the power of faith was used by enlightened men of old to perform wonders.
The recorded account of a shepherd boy in 1 Samuel 17 revealed how the boy confronted a giant master of war. The boy was so full of faith that he went to fight the well armed warrior with a sling (catapult) and stones. Read his fierce reply speech to that of the dreadful opponent and you will realize that the Shepherd had no instrument of war but faith. Thus:
’45. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defiled.
46. This day will the lord deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fouls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth...’
The battle ensued and the shepherd boy, David emerged victorious as he shut a stone to the forehead of his opponent and beheaded the fallen giant warlord.
At the coming of Christ, the master taught his followers the power of faith. He made them to understand that anything and everything can be accomplished through faith. Thus:
’22. And Jesus answering said unto them, have faith in God.
23. For verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea: and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he said.’ See Mark 11: 22-23.
After his teachings, the teacher proceeded and demonstrated the power of faith to his followers. Thus, Jesus walked on water. See Matthew 14: 22-34 and John 6: 16-21. Also, he fed about five thousand men to satisfaction with just five loaves of bread and 2 fishes. See Matthew 14: 15-20 and Luke 9: 12-17. He even raised the dead to life by faith.Thus:
’41. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth.
44. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him and let him go.’ See John 11: 41-44.
The law of faith has universal application and it is non discriminatory. Both believers and unbelievers will perform signs and wonders as long as they practice the principle of faith. Just like the laws of gravity, day and night and other laws of God, everyone can exercise the power of faith.
‘Let us consider the power of faith as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi of India. Gandhi accomplished the outstanding feat of influencing two million minds to coalesce and move in unison as a single mind’ to secure the independence of their country. See page 40 of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill as Published by Rhema Research Institute for Successful Living.
Prophet Mohammed (Peace be Upon Him) was the founder of the Islamic religion. When he announced that he was the messanger of God who had brought the true religion, he was ridiculed, branded a lunatic and banished from his native city, Mecca. And when he had been preaching for ten years, he had nothing to show for it but banishment; however, before another ten years passed, he was dictator of all Arabia, ruler of Mecca and head of a new world religion. See page 144 of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ cited earlier. The Prophet was able to achieve this great feat of propagating Islam and gaining so much followers as a result of his unshakable believe in his ability to realize his purpose.
For any human being to progress in life, he/she must possess some measure of faith. For instance, before a child who is learning how to walk can successfully do so, he/she must first develop the faith/belief in his/her ability to walk. The moment one starts doubting , one begins to lose one’s ability. See Matthew 14: 28-31.
It should be noted that one can develop faith where it is lacking. To do this, one should simply convey a concise message of the subject of faith to one’s mind by repetition. Thus, ‘repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith.’ See page 32 of ‘Think and Grow Rich,’ cited earlier. This is because faith comes through hearing. See Romans 10: 17.
A great determinant of one’s accomplishment in life is one’s faith. So, if you are in search of a way to make an impact in the world, become great, popular, rich and/or gain followers in any area of your preference, then look at the way of faith. Through faith, you can rule the world. By faith, you can move mountains. Whoever applies the power of faith will surely accomplish his/her purpose.
Akogwu Egene, Esq. is a legal practitioner, writer and motivational speaker from Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached at [email protected]