Are You a “Stephen”? (4)

“Stephen, a man full of faith” Ac 6:5 NIV

Another quality that opened the door to leadership in the church for Stephen was: faith. Oswald Chambers said, “Faith that is sure of God, is the only kind of faith there is.” When drought hit some farming communities, faith made a little girl take her umbrella to a prayer meeting called especially to pray for rain while all the grownups wore sunglasses. Faith isn’t just what you say, it’s what you do. And it’s not just about what you can do, but what you can trust God to do. When it comes to faith you must: (1) Feed your faith. The Bible is faith food. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Ro 10:17). Note the word “hearing.” When you read God’s Word out loud it enters your spirit through both the eye-gate and ear-gate, doubling its impact. (2) Protect your faith. When terrorists attack, they have more in mind than just blowing up a few buildings and killing some people. Their goal is to strike fear into your heart and cause you to capitulate. Jesus warned Peter that his faith was about to come under attack (See Lk 22:31-32). It’s not just your finances or your health or your relationships that are under attack; it’s your faith! (3) Use your faith. Faith is like money; it’s the currency of God’s kingdom. You must have it in order to do business with God. When Christ encountered someone who demonstrated real faith, He was ecstatic. And He always responded to them. So you must “exercise” your faith daily until it becomes your “reflex action” in any given situation.

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