One of the most discussed yet most misunderstood topics in the body of Christ is faith. You will rarely hear a sermon in the Christian world today without hearing that word being mentioned one or more times. Many times it becomes another term in the Christian jargon which flies by your ears or rather into one ear and out the other. In this publication we shall examine what faith really is, how it can be acquired and how it can be released to work in your life.
            The scriptures distinctly speak about four types of faith:
(i) Faith for salvation: This is the faith you used when you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and confessed Him as the Lord of your life. This is defined in Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
(ii) The gift of faith: This is imparted by the Holy Spirit as one of His nine manifestations. This is special faith or wonder-working faith to receive supernatural results in naturally impossible situations. This is the faith required to walk on water, receive deliverance from lions and pass through fire without being burned. It is listed among the other nine gifts of the Holy Spirit and it operates as the Spirit wills, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another FAITH by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit” (1Co 12:7-9).
(iii) The fruit of faith: this is the fruit or character of the regenerated human spirit and is defined as faithfulness or loyal commitment. This fruit is spoken about in Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH” (Gal 5:22).
(iv) The measure of faith: this is a deposit of faith made in every believer and includes apprehending as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses. This is given to every born again believer in a specific quantity, “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” (Rom 12:3).
            The last type of faith is what we shall thoroughly examine and study in detail. This faith is defined for us in the book of Hebrews, “Now faith is  the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality – faith PERCEIVING AS REAL FACT WHAT IS NOT REVEALED TO THE SENSES” (Heb 11:1 AMP). Faith is revealed when we take hold of the unseen and glorify God like we already have it physically. God created all things in heaven and earth by faith and He expects us to use faith to accomplish His purposes on earth.
            Let’s examine an interesting statement made by Jesus when questioned about faith by His Apostles. “And the apostles said unto the Lord, INCREASE OUR FAITH. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and IT SHOULD OBEY YOU. But which of you, having a SERVANT plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and SERVE ME, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not” (Luk 17:5-9). The Apostles made a correct statement when they said “Increase our faith” since they did not ask Jesus to give them faith. Many believers have made prayers to God out of His will when they ask Him to give them faith. Those are prayers prayed out of His will and they will not receive any answer from God (1Jn 5:14,15). God has already made Himself clear in stating that He has imparted to every man the measure of faith (Rom 12:3). God has no faith in heaven to give you, neither has he any to add to the measure He has bestowed upon you. All the facilities for using and growing in faith have been availed to us here on earth. Jesus told the Apostles that faith can be compared to a mustard seed which is sown into the ground as the smallest of seeds but with the right conditions can grow into the biggest tree. Jesus even reveled the way in which this faith can be planted and the secret lies in this statement, “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, YE MIGHT SAY unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you”(Luk 17:6). Here Jesus gives us a specific means of planting this seed into the ground and it is by speaking to the sycamine or mulberry tree. Faith is released by speaking words and then faith begins to work as your servant. There is an interesting phrase at the end of Lk 17:6 stating that, “it should obey you”, which could be referring to the servant in verses 7-9. Jesus again refers to faith as a servant who is plowing or feeding cattle or going about his daily routine. This servant being referred to is your faith, he is the servant God has given you to overcome the world with (1Jn5:4). Victory can only be achieved in your life when you engage this servant called faith. The servant is not supposed to do what he desires but is at your beck and call to fulfill you desires. The servant is not supposed to serve himself until you have eaten and drunk to your satisfaction,  “Suppose someone has a SERVANT who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field, ‘Have something to eat’? No. Instead, he tells his servant, ‘GET DINNER READY FOR ME! After you serve me my dinner, you can eat yours.’ He doesn’t thank the servant for FOLLOWING ORDERS” (Luk 17:7-9 GW). Faith is the servant given to you who will prepare your dinner without you having to lift a finger. But this servant can not do his work until you command him to do it. The servant has to be commanded by speaking to him and giving him specific orders. That is how faith operates and it will do anything you apply it to because it is your servant or slave.