The power of faith

Luke 22:31–32 NKJV

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

The devil is always after our faith. He wants our faith to fail.

He know the power of faith.

Because the Lord prayed for Peter, his faith was preservered.

Today we will learn about the power of faith, so that we may take care to guard our faith with all diligence.

1. Faith enables us to please God.

Hebrews 10:5–8 NKJV

5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ” 8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law),

Enoch walked with God for 300 hundred years Genesis 5:24.

Enoch pleased God for 300 hundred years which was a testimony of his faith.

Faith enables us to walk with God by pleasing him for an extended period of time.

2 Corinthians 5:7–9 NKJV

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

Satan inorder to cause us to displease God, he has to destroy our faith because without it we cannot please God.

By destroying our faith he will cause us to cease walking with God,

Hebrews 3:12 NKJV

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

the people of israel died in the wilderness because they did not please God, because of their unbelief.

Guard your faith, it is what causes you to walk with God pleasing him.

2. Faith enables us to seek God.

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith enables us to diligently seek the Lord, that is, be diligent in prayers.

Luke 18:1–8 NKJV

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Jesus was first acknowleding through this parable that they will be many things that will try to discourage you from persistantly praying.

The constant spiteful rejection by the unjust judge could have caused the widow to give up and stop seeking justice.

yet she persisted because of her unwavering faith.

If we have faith, that faith will enable us inspite of the many disouragements to persist in prayer until the day of retribution (recompence).

The enemy knows what kind of work God will do through our prayer, therefore knowing that faith is what fuels our prayer he will come to destroy it.

Let us guard our faith.

3. Faith is strength

Romans 4:17–20 (NKJV)

17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

What kept Abraham going?

In spited of the hopelessness of his situation seeing the deadness of his body and his wife’s womb what kept him perserving him?

Why did he not give up, what was the source of his strength?

Faith.

Psalm 27:13 NKJV

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

Conclusion

Let us pray that God would preserve our faith from all the wiles of the devil