Central Truth: The kind of faith that spoke the universe into existence is dealt to our hearts.

jesus-cursingfigtree-webThere are two things to notice about the God kind of faith. First, a man believes with his heart. Second, he believes with his words. It isn’t enough just to believe in your heart. In order to get God to work for you, you must believe with your words also. Jesus said, “Whosoever shall say … 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 saith” (Mark 11:23). This is the unalterable law of faith.

And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursed is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 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 saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:12-14, 20-24

Let us focus our attention on the statement, “Have faith in God,” or as the margin reads, “Have the faith of God.” Greek scholars tell us this should be translated, “Have the God kind of faith.” Jesus demonstrated that He had the God kind of faith. While He was afar off, He saw that the fig tree had leaves. But as He approached it, looking for fruit, He saw that it was barren. Some have questioned why Jesus looked for figs on this tree when it was not time for them to be ripe; it was not their season. However, in that country trees that retained their leaves usually had figs also.

Finding no fruit on the tree, Jesus said, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.”

The next day when Jesus and His disciples passed by again they found the tree dried up from the roots. Amazed, Peter said, “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursed is withered away.”

It was then that Jesus made the statement, “Have faith in God (have the faith of God, or the God kind of faith). 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 saith.”

After telling His disciples in verse 22 to have the God kind of faith, Jesus went on to explain in verse 23 what this meant: The God kind of faith is the kind of faith in which a man believes with his heart and says with his mouth that which he believes in his heart, and it comes to pass.

Jesus showed that He had that kind of faith, for He believed that what He said would come to pass. He said to the tree, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.”

This is the kind of faith that spoke the world into existence. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3). How did He do it? God believed that what He said would come to pass. He spoke the word and there was an earth. He spoke into existence the vegetable kingdom. He spoke into existence the animal kingdom. He spoke into existence the heavens as well as the earth, the moon, the sun, the stars and the universe. He said it and it was so. That is the God kind of faith. He believed what He said would come to pass and it did.

The Measure of Faith

Jesus demonstrated the God kind of faith to His disciples, and then He told them that they too had that kind of faith – the faith that a man believes with his heart, says with his mouth what he believes, and it comes to pass.

Someone might say, “I want that kind of faith. I am going to pray that God will give it to me.” However, you don’t need to pray for it – you already have it. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Notice that Paul wrote this to believers, for he says, “to every man that is among you.” The epistle of Romans was not written to the sinners in the world; it was a letter to Christians. He addresses this letter “to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints …” (Romans 1:7). And in it he tells them that God has given to “every man the measure of faith.”

Paul also said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Paul is saying here that this faith is not of yourself. He was not referring to grace, for everyone knows that grace is of God. He is saying that the faith by which we are saved is not of ourselves. It is not a natural, human faith. It was given to sinners by God. And how did God give the sinner faith to be saved? Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” In these verses Paul has said that faith (1) is given, (2) is dealt, and (3) cometh.

Romans 10:8 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” The Bible, this message of God, is called the word of faith. Why is it called the word of faith? Because it causes faith to come even into the heart of the unsaved. It causes the kind of faith that spoke the universe into existence to be dealt to our hearts. Faith is given to us through the Word.

Believing and Saying – the Key to Faith

Notice again the words of Romans 10:8, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” How does this compare with the words of Jesus in Mark 11:23? Paul’s writings to the Romans agree exactly with what Jesus told His disciples when He said, “Whosoever shall say … and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe … shall have whatsoever he saith.” We see here the basic principle inherent in the God kind of faith: believing with the heart and saying it with the mouth. Jesus believed it and He said it. God believed it and He said it, speaking the earth into existence.

Verses 9 and 10 of this same tenth chapter of Romans say, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” A measure of faith is dealt to the sinner through hearing the Word. Then he uses it to create the reality of salvation in his own life.

When Christians are asked, “When were you saved?” They often answer by saying something like, “About nine on the night of July tenth.” They are mistaken, however, for God saved them nearly two thousand years ago. It only became a reality to them when they believed it and confessed it. Salvation belongs to everyone. Every man and woman in this world has a legal right to salvation. Jesus died for the whole world, not just for you and me.

When the truth is preached to the sinner it causes faith to come. When he believes and confesses, he creates the reality of it in his own life by his faith.

Romans 10:13, 14, 17

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Just as faith comes from hearing the Word of God, so does anything that we receive from God. The God kind of faith comes by hearing God’s Word. In other words, God causes the God kind of faith to come into the hearts of those who hear. No wonder Jesus said, “take heed therefore how you hear” (Luke 8:18). You cannot let it go in one ear and out the other because that won’t do any good. Faith won’t come. If you act as if the Word of God were some fairy tale, faith will not come. But when you accept it reverently and sincerely, when you act upon it, faith comes.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak” (II Corinthians 4:13). Paul said that we have the same spirit of faith. And what belonged to the church at Corinth belongs to the church today. On no occasion did Paul or any of the apostles ever write to encourage the people to believe; never did they tell them to have faith. Our having to encourage believers to believe or have faith is a result of the Word of God’s having lost its reality to us. We are believers! When our children are away, we don’t have to write to them and say, “Be sure to keep breathing.” They will continue to breathe as long as they are alive. Neither do we have to encourage believers to believe because that is what they are – believers.

How many of us realize that our words dominate us? “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth …” (Proverbs 6:2). Another version says, “Thou art taken captive with the words of thy mouth.” A young man once told me that he was never whipped until he confessed that he was whipped. One writer put it this way, “You said you could not, and the moment you said it you were whipped.” You said you did not have faith and doubt rose up like a giant and bound you. You are imprisoned with your own words. You talk failure and failure holds you in bondage.

Defeat and failure do not belong to the child of God. God never made a failure. God made us new creatures. We are not born of the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of the will of God. We are created in Christ Jesus. Failures are man-made. They are made by wrong believing and wrong thinking. I John 4:4 says, “… Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Learn to trust the Greater One that is in you. He is mightier than anything in the world.

God created the universe with words. Words filled with faith are the most powerful things in all the world.

The key to the God kind of faith is believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth. Our lips can make us millionaires or keep us paupers. Our lips can make us victors or keep us captives. We can fill our words with faith or we can fill our words with doubt. We can fill our words with love that will melt the coldest heart, or we can fill our words with hate and poison. We can fill our words with love that will help the discouraged and broken-hearted, with faith that will stir heaven. We can make our words breathe the very atmosphere of heaven.

Our faith will never rise above the words of our lips. Jesus told the woman with the issue of blood that her faith had made her whole. Thoughts may come and they may persist in staying. But if we refuse to put those thoughts into words, they die unborn. Cultivate the habit of thinking big things. Learn to use words that will react upon your own spirit. Faith’s confessions create realities. Realization follows the confession. Confession precedes possession.

Memory Text: “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith which we preach” (Romans 10:8).
Faith in Action: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only ….” (James 1:22).

Previous Lesson – Kenneth Hagin – Six Enemies to Faith
Next Lesson – Kenneth Hagin – Actions That Correspond With Faith

Comments

    1. I am blessed. Thanks be God who has used you to meet my spiritual need.

    2. Bless the Lord
      I am delivered from negative self talk. I lived a defeated life but today and moving forward the devil has to pay back double, without delay because I shall be what Jesus has destined me to be IJMN

    3. I am blessed my heart is rejoicing at the words of faith Thank you Jesus thank you Lord.

  1. The God kind of faith is the talking faith. We shouldn’t be passive or quiet. Faith is not for whisperers but for talkers. The phrase “AND GOD SAID”appeaedr about ten times in the book of Genesis. Here GOD is giving us an example to follow..Who soever shall say… What are you saying? The three Hebrew boys said ” Our God is able to deliver us…They were not quiet about it. Kingsley Akuete

  2. Your Comment Sorry sir I think I will really love to see how you explained the gift of faith in 1cor.12:9 thanks.

    1. The gift of mention in 1st Cor 12:9 is a special kind of faith operated as the Holy Spirit at His will, 1 Cor 12:11. Whereas regular faith comes by hearing the word of God.

  3. Faith in God makes you as invisible as God Himself. It puts you above situations and circumstances no matter how contradictory they may seem. Thank God for these lessons

  4. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This scripture is about Jesus, but Jesus is telling us that our words become flesh and dwell among us, too. Glory to God!

  5. This is powerful, the heart and the mouth is needed for faith to materialise.

  6. God bless this ministry for the WORD OF LIFE.

  7. I have been studying two hours!! I love all your lessons. My spirit is happy because finally I understand some things, especially about faith. Thank you!

    1. Author

      Chatisha – Keep reading! God bless you. We love you. Rex

  8. The ability to believe and to have the measure of faith is of God-He enabled us. So, God is the author and finisher of everything through Jesus Christ. Like stephanie had rightly said, I don’t believe God have faith on any other authority on the cause of creation. that is why He is God-The highest of all and the Almighty. I learned much though from your teaching sir. Thanks.

  9. Faith works by love……Galatians 5:6…….but Hebrews 11:6 says that w/o faith we can’t please him. Love love love this teaching and it IS scriptural. Jesus IS the word…..John 1:1,14

  10. It is an amazing statement. Its really a faith chapter taught in the Bible.

    I have almost memorized it.

  11. Stephanie Bulger as a fellow believer in Jesus Christ I respect your opinion. By your comment you make yourself Judge and we both know that God is the only Righteous Judge. When I read this teaching on faith and your response to this good word I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul who says that “some eat meat and some eat vegetables” and “to his own master he stands or falls”. I see your zeal for the things of God but be careful to not be wise in your own opinion. Personally, I sit in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus as an heir to the throne and desire to use all the priveliges I am entitled to through Christ and that includes the God kind of faith that moves mountains. Everything Jesus did on this earth was to show us how to invoke the supernatural over a fallen world with faith which works by love. I love you sis and I understand that iron sharpens iron and man sharpens man but be ever so careful to not blaspheme the Holy Spirit by declaring something not of God or false doctrine but allow the Holy Spirit to teach you something you may not know. We are just mere men and to say that we have attained it all, we have been utterly deceived.
    Proverbs 13:2–A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, but the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.

  12. This is heretical teaching. God does not need “faith”. He is GOD. Faith is not a “force” it is a disposition of TRUST and ACTION. Which is the LITERAL meaning of FAITH. Trust that Jesus is ABLE to perform the Word he spoke to you, what you have asked for in prayer. Look unto JESUS who is the author and finisher of YOUR Faith. You can confess the “Word of God” alllllllllll day long, but until God sends his SPIRIT upon those words: NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

    Word of Faith teaching provides methods and formulas that cause man to look unto their own ability vs. directing their faith in God who is able. THEY PUT FAITH IN THEIR “FAITH”. This is why so many people in the WOF are the most fearful and legalistic people in the Church today. It is designed to get your heart and mind off of JESUS, off of the Kingdom of God and onto YOUR WORDS. Be careful that you don’t take a “kernel of truth” and turn it into a whole other doctrine. Of course words are “powerful”, why? Because the COMMUNICATE and communication is powerful. Study E.W. Kenyon for yourself. The idea that faith is an indwelling creative power released by words is a belief that is foreign to the Bible.

    1. Author

      Stephanie – Thank you for your comment. Let me respond to it:

      1. This is heretical teaching. God does not need “faith”. He is GOD. Faith is not a necessity of God but it is a requirement of God – “If thou can believe, all things are possible to them who believe.” God does not need our help or anybody’s help, but He demands that we believe Him for Him to act. He set it up that way.
      2. Faith is not a “force” it is a disposition of TRUST and ACTION. I agree that faith is not a force. The power behind faith is the power of God – Ephesians 1:19, 20.
      3. Which is the LITERAL meaning of FAITH. Faith is a noun and believing is the verb form of the same Greek word. Hebrews 11:1 is the best definition of faith. We have an article on it – Faith Is ‘hupostasis’ – Hebrews 11:1.
      4. Trust that Jesus is ABLE to perform the Word he spoke to you, what you have asked for in prayer. Look unto JESUS who is the author and finisher of YOUR Faith. You have to trust, or believe, more than just than whether Jesus is able. Sure He is able but is He willing. You have to go to the word of God to know what He is willing to do. And then you have to seek Him for it.
      5. You can confess the “Word of God” alllllllllll day long, but until God sends his SPIRIT upon those words: NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. You confess the word of God to plant it in your heart. It is like the Parable of the Sower. Once the harvest comes, the faith comes. The Bible speaks a lot about confession.
      6. Word of Faith teaching provides methods and formulas that cause man to look unto their own ability vs. directing their faith in God who is able. THEY PUT FAITH IN THEIR “FAITH”. It is not our ability but we must ‘do something’ to receive God’s answer. God says, in effect, “If you will do this I will do that.”
      7. This is why so many people in the WOF are the most fearful and legalistic people in the Church today. Maybe, maybe not, I do not think so. Besides, it is irrelevant.
      8. It is designed to get your heart and mind off of JESUS, off of the Kingdom of God and onto YOUR WORDS. This is nuts.
      9. Be careful that you don’t take a “kernel of truth” and turn it into a whole other doctrine. Of course words are “powerful”, why? Because the COMMUNICATE and communication is powerful. Faith and believing God is the most important concept in the New Testament next to the love of God. We are to speak faith – Philemon 1:6-8
      10. Study E.W. Kenyon for yourself. The idea that faith is an indwelling creative power released by words is a belief that is foreign to the Bible. I have studied E.W. Kenyon. The indwelling power is the power of God. Just like He indwells us and endues us with power. Sorry Stephanie, it is all over the Bible. In Mark 11:23, believing is mentioned once and speaking is mentioned three times. You must believe with your heart and speak it with your mouth – “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

    1. So True!….Faith Works By Love…..Galatians 5:6. If we are not walking in love, Our Faith Isn’t Going To Amount To Anything.

  13. wow! Failure are man-made but faith is God…dis is a great lesson 2 beleive with faith nd act with it…i get 2 understand here dat our words are like seed 2 d ground but faith make it bear good thing…tanks 4 dis vision

  14. am inspired by this word on faith by great grand father. this teahing on faith has increased my faith.

  15. Dear Bro.Hagin
    I really appreciate this lesson it encourages me to meditate, study love to confess the very precious WORD of God.This is the kind of teaching of faith I find.God bless,more power and may God give you more anointing to prophesy and to teach.

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