What does faith look like?
It is hard
It is easy if you
are following the Holy Ghost.
One word of advice: If you want to exercise faith in God, be prepared to believe God against all odds. Be prepared to let go of common sense and yet hold on to it.
PS. In case you do
not understand many of the terms that I use, I have a glossary at the end of
the article to help you understand the meaning of some words.
On
faith and believing God – A testimony
I will start with a
testimony.
I am still a work in
progress and I do not know everything. What I do know is what I have touched,
tasted, and handled.
Before I had faith
for healing, I needed to exercise faith to believe in Holy Spirit. I started
like everyone who grew up in a Christian background; (I love testimonies of Muslims
being saved and their unique perspectives though) I started with a whole lot of knowledge of God but not much experience.
So I was the typical
baby girl in unilag being supported by her dad and so I was balling. No stress
and all I had to do was read my book. So coming from this spoilt brat getting
to know Holy Spirit, it was tough.
I was dependent on
my father financially, morally and in every possible way so in a manner of
speaking I did not need a real Jesus. The one I relegated to the pages of the
bible was good enough for me. I had a balanced family and so did not really
need God.
Yet because of all
the prophecies of my mom’s aged pastor, I felt the need to go to a fellowship
like other good children in the university. I did not crave a double life nor
want anything financially.
On faith and believing in God –
First Encounter with Holy Spirit
In my first encounter
with Holy Spirit, I was surprised. A dude was standing next to me and I was in
my school fellowship. We were watching a stage play. In the middle of the stage
play, the pastor, a medium-height man who looked non-threatening climbed on the
stage and said, let us give honor to the King of kings. The choir team was on
stage and began a worship song. Although I had not made a commitment to God, I
loved the worship and so I began to sing along.
Shortly after, I heard
a thud beside me. At the risk of being irreverent, I opened my eyes to see this
stout thuggish guy on the floor.
Was he the one who
hit the floor?
I closed my eyes
only to open them again when he got up and hit the floor two more times.
What must be
happening to him?
The fellow got up
and fled even though the sets of ushers manning the door tried to stop him. This
was my first introduction to Holy Spirit and I was very curious about him. I
had received the sacrament of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church but I did
not know a Holy Spirit who could “arrest” unbelievers so to speak.
A year and a half
after I would finally surrender my heart to the Lord at home on one of the days in
March 2001 and become filled with the Holy Ghost but I recognized a baptism of
the Holy Ghost on the 4th of September 2001. This changed my life, my
prayer, and how I viewed God forever.
On faith and believing in God –
Growing in intimacy with Holy Spirit
My experience is not the only way to salvation or to
receive Holy Spirit. Jesus is the way but I believe that God encounters when
relived sparks faith in others.
For a long time, I resisted speaking because I thought
that the Holy Spirit had to say the words for me. Receiving and growing in the
Holy Spirit needs the guidance of a teacher who believes in Holy Spirit and His
operations. I have had many teachers and I could recommend them in a breath but
let me start with one of them that changed my life in a specific way.
I have read Kenneth Hagin’s books, many of them. I had a
hunger to read his literature because I was searching for an explanation for
how the Holy Spirit operated in me.
While most people went under the power of the Spirit of
God (I have been slain in the Holy Spirit
a time or two) as a sign that the Holy Spirit was in the room, I just cried.
I am a crier in the presence of God. After I got baptized
in the Holy Spirit, I spent most of my time in fellowship or any Christian
gathering in tears. I would cry and cry and cry and so I was never preoccupied
during a service, the Holy Spirit had me constantly engaged.
Did I feel special for the way that the Spirit of God
manifested through me?
No. I was a teenager.
I felt embarrassed. I wanted to be like other teenagers
but I could not. I would be dressed in jeans and a shirt and during prayer and worship,
I would cry enough that I would be solemn all through the word.
Faith and Believing God - Holy Spirit Going
With Me Everywhere I Went
In addition, words of knowledge dogged my footsteps and
followed me anywhere I went. I would never respond to any of the words of
knowledge because I was also painfully shy. I would be speaking in my heart and
saying, “Lord, you know I can’t come out but you know I love you, I am
committed to you.”
So from fellowship to fellowship, if I went to my sister’s
college, NYSC, changed churches, yet the Spirit of God would be with me,
filling my fellowship days, anywhere a meeting was held with more words of
knowledge.
Soon I started writing it down when a dear old lady who
had a teen fellowship in my neighborhood gave the advice. I still could not
make sense of it all. I would be speaking in tongues daily and fast when the
church was fasting.
I can’t say exactly what made God mark me but I will say
this if you take any little step toward God, He will take larger steps
toward you. If you honor Him, He would honor you.
On Faith and believing God: So what is faith?
Faith is your day-to-day conversations with God and the
steps that you take because of the instructions that He gives to you via His
Word and the inward witness.
Because I was such a doubter, God would speak to me in
dreams and encourage me for ages to follow His instruction. Each time I followed
His instruction, it would yield a miracle.
Christianity or walking by faith does not happen too
slowly or too quickly. It happens in God’s time and He is always on time. God’s
Spirit is the biggest cheerleader you will ever have. You cannot go wrong in
obeying His instruction.
·
You
need to walk hand in hand with God knowing that He loves you deeply and
forever. He is always for you.
·
God is in you. God is for you. God is with you.
·
In
Christ Jesus, you are accepted
·
God’s
word is your shield of faith, study it daily to change your language and give
the paradigm shifts that you need.
·
Romans
12:2 is an important key to help you know that although you look like everyone
else in the world, you are not. You are different. You belong to God and you
are a citizen of Zion, God’s kingdom.
·
Getting
to know about God’s kingdom is your right, always ask the Lord to teach you
what you need to know.
On Faith and Believing God – The Role of
Intercessors
Intercessors are the best kingdom partners you can ever
have. Every believer should have one intercessor. Pray and ask God to give you
prayer partners. Nothing happens on earth without the influence of the
spiritual realm.
Everything happens first in the spiritual realm before it
happens in the physical.
No matter how many intercessors you have you need to
learn how to pray and how to fast. You need to learn how to put aside your
needs and obey God first before anything else. Seek God’s kingdom first.
You need to invest in a bible, faith-filled messages, and good books by ministers who exercise faith daily in all areas. You need to
invest in books, tapes, and messages.
My sister’s pastor had them read one Christian book
and one motivational book weekly. They were developing their spirit and their
soul – intellect.
God wants you to grow spiritually, in your soul, and
physically. As a man, you are made of three parts and all those parts of you
need to be developed. You need to intentionally develop yourself. It will not
happen unless you make a quality decision to invest in yourself.
Lastly, if you want strong faith, you must make a habit
of talking to God daily and obeying His instructions. It is a lifelong process.
Your life will change. It will change for the better.
PS
I wrote something on faith. I will post it next week. I think
this week’s message is more important to God.
Shalom family.
Love, Tessa.
Glossary
Shalom – Nothing missing, nothing broken
Slain in the Spirit – When you fall under the power of the
Spirit not from a push from anything or anyone physical
Holy Spirit – The 3rd person of the trinity. God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
Worship – Singing songs in reverence to God the Father
Intercessor – One who prays to the father and stands in the gap
for one unsaved to guide them via prayer into God’s kingdom or stands in the
gap to obtain answers from God for the one being prayed for (Every Christian
should be an intercessor).
Prayer – Talking to God in accordance with God’s will which is
found in His word
Bible – The word of God
Believer – One who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
the living God.
If there is anything else you do not understand, leave a comment
or send me an email at tessadoghor@gmail.com
Tools
to help build your faith daily
-
Read the bible daily
-
Ask God to speak to you
- Watch Believers Voice of Victory, it is for 30 minutes every day
Watch your first one here. The subscribe.
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