sundayword:BY PROSPER TINGINI
Faith is positivity in action. It is an element of the mind that can spiritually drive things to fruition. Some seemingly improbable happenings have occurred when faith was fully at play. Believing strongly that something wished for will happen even in the absence of any proof of possibility can foster a spirit of actual realisation. The conviction and focus of the mind, i.e faith, can be an engine for the fulfilment of desired obsessions.
The insulation of faith is trust. There has to be something trusted upon for the faith to abound. It may manifest itself through an inner belief in oneself. Sometimes a confidence cultivated from within can propel the attainment of goals way beyond the imaginations of others. Believing without question is to trust unconditionally. In the absence of a self-trust, you can still put your trust in someone else to give you the faith for materialisation of things hoped for. In this instance, the faith is based on the belief that someone very trusted in your life will make what you can’t make happen. Thus the faith is attached to someone, or on something else.
Incredible things have happened through the power faith based on the trust in God, as per numerous examples written in our scriptures. Jesus Christ performed many miracles using faith as a tool. Faith based on other entities outside of the divine realm could also seemingly bring about results in equal measure. Even the occult world uses the element of faith to lure and retain followers. Faith is a spiritual medium for the fulfilment of things hoped for.
The supernatural thrives where faith flourishes.
The first two books of the Bible, Genesis and Exodus, carry many examples at play. Initially the faith was based on spoken promises from the Lord, which were then fulfilled later. God made a promise to Abraham, that he would bear children even when he was beyond child-bearing age. That spoken promise was fulfilled. The Lord made another spoken promise to Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations, and the promise came into being. Spoken promises were also made to Jacob. In one of them (Genesis 46:3-4) He spoke, “Jacob, Jacob, I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again.” Jacob complied because he had faith in the Lord’s spoken promises. There was a maturity to all the spoken promises, which in turn planted the trust in the Lord our God. Henceforth people began to believe that they could rely on the Creator to make things happen. In the beginning, he had to make known through messages of His assurances.
At the time of the Exodus from Egypt, the trust in the Lord by the children of Israel had blossomed to a level where the unimaginable things became a possibility, and the unthinkable began to happen. In their faith they were freed from the shackles of over 400 years of slavery. In their trust in God they headed towards the impassable Red Sea, and in their faith the waters of the sea were separated to give them passage — a supernatural event. Even without adequate food provisions, they trekked towards the Promised Land banking on their faith. God then provided them with the manna from the Heavens, a supernatural phenomenon. Faith became the cornerstone for their survival. It provided for all their needs.
Faith breeds miracles. Many things that are thought impossible can happen. Among the many other spheres of our faith are also the faith healings which have brought about miracle cures too numerous to mention. These are more pronounced in the New Testament era as exemplified by Jesus Christ. To be healed of anything that has defied modern medicine, one has to first put trust and belief in the Lord to provide the cure. Regrettably most people don’t have the full direct faith in the Lord our God or in His Son, Jesus Christ, to seek a divine relief for incurable ailments. Instead they often channel their faith through the faith healers of all kinds. In this instance, the faith is directed towards the “healers”. This trust is thus centred on the healer and not necessarily to the Lord. It is then the healer who uses his faith to try to bring about a cessation of the ailment.
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Spiritual healings take many dimensions in terms of their source. Some of the healers derive their powers from the magical world of sorcerers, witchcraft, “black” spirits and from other imagined gods. A very strong belief in any of these is also perceived to bring positive results to the beholder. Again it is all a matter of faith, in whatever direction it is applied, if the hope is focused on it. Any sustained belief brings a positivity of mind that could yield some desired result. I have read medical experiments in which some patients were misled into believing that whatever prescription they were getting as a treatment would cure them when it was known that it was just a bluff. Those that really believed in what they were told actually got better in health than those who were pessimistic. Some of the ones with the total faith to believe it recovered completely. This goes to show what faith can accomplish. It can penetrate the mind and work through the flesh to bring positive outcomes. Such is the power of faith.
Jesus Christ tried his level best to educate people on the supernatural power of faith, as a source of salvation. He often castigated mankind for their lack of faith. On one occasion, Matthew 8:23-26, Jesus got into a boat and his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing”. And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, oh men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was great calm. And the men marvelled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him.” It also goes to show that Christ was indeed the embodiment of faith itself.
l Prosper Tingini is the President of the Children of God Missionary Assembly. Registration in progress for those who wish to undertake Bible Studies or train as Ministers of Religion. Contact 0771 260 195 or email: [email protected]
