Misappropriated Faith

Misappropriated Faith

Misappropriated Faith: Who Has Your Trust?

Primary Texts: Hebrews 11:1; Mark 11:22; John 8:44; Job 3:25; James 4:7

Key Truth: Faith always exists — it is never absent, only misplaced.

Introduction: Faith Is Not Optional (4–5 minutes)

Church, faith is not something only religious people have.

Every human being lives by faith.

You sat in that chair tonight by faith.

You drove here trusting brakes you didn’t design.

You plan tomorrow believing it will come.

The question is not whether you have faith.

The question is:

Who or what has your faith?

Jesus said plainly:

“Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22)

If faith can be placed in God, it can also be placed somewhere else.

And this morning , we’re confronting a hard truth:

Much of what cripples believers is not a lack of faith—but faith placed in the enemy’s voice.

I. What Is Faith? (5 minutes)

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith:

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Faith operates in the unseen realm.

That means it is spiritual in nature.

And it means it always responds to a voice.

Key Principle

Faith is your agreement with a word you believe to be true.

Romans 10:17 says:

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

But Scripture also makes it clear:

There is another voice speaking.

Jesus said in John 8:44:

“He is a liar and the father of lies.”

Faith grows in whichever voice you agree with.

Illustration: Two Radio Stations

Faith is like tuning a radio.

Two stations are always broadcasting:

• God’s truth

• The enemy’s lies

You don’t create the signal.

You choose which one you receive.

What you listen to long enough—you eventually believe.

II. Faith in the Enemy Often Looks Like Fear (6 minutes)

Fear is not the absence of faith.

Fear is faith placed in the enemy’s version of the future.

Job said:

“For the thing that I fear comes upon me.” (Job 3:25)

Fear says:

• “God won’t come through.”

• “You’re going to lose everything.”

• “This is never going to change.”

• “You are too broken to be used.”

That is faith—but it is faith in a lie.

Jesus said- I am the way, the Truth, and the life

2 Timothy 1:7 says:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Fear magnifies the enemy’s power and minimizes God’s sovereignty.

Illustration: Goliath’s Voice

Goliath never touched Israel for 40 days.

He only spoke.

His weapon was not a sword—it was intimidation.

The army believed his words.

David believed God’s promise.

Same giant.

Same battlefield.

Different faith.

III. Misappropriated Faith Submits to Lies Instead of Truth (6 minutes)

The first sin in the Bible was misappropriated faith.

Genesis 3:

Eve trusted the serpent’s word over God’s command.

The enemy didn’t remove God’s word.

He questioned it.

“Did God actually say…?”

Every time we trust:

• Our anxiety over God’s peace

• Our shame over God’s grace

• Our past over God’s promises

We are placing faith in the wrong voice.

James 4:7 says:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

You cannot resist the devil while believing his narrative.

Illustration: The Courtroom

The enemy is an accuser.

He presents evidence of your past.

Jesus is your advocate.

He presents His blood.

Faith decides whose argument you believe.

IV. Faith in God Aligns You With His Authority (5 minutes)

Faith is alignment.

When you place faith in God:

• You align with His power

• You stand under His authority

• You walk in His promises

Romans 8:31 says:

“If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Faith does not deny reality.

Faith declares that God has the final word.

Abraham believed God when nothing in the natural made sense.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God even when facing the fire.

Faith in God says:

“Even if He doesn’t do what I want, I trust who He is.”

V. The Battle Is for Your Faith (4 minutes)

The enemy cannot steal your salvation—but he will try to steal your faith.

Luke 22:31, Jesus says:

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.”

My friends:

The battlefield is your trust.

The prize is your obedience.

Where your faith goes—your life follows.

Conclusion: Where Is Your Faith Placed? (Altar Call – 6–7 minutes)

Church, this is a moment of truth.

Some of us have not stopped believing.

We’ve just started believing the wrong voice.

We have placed faith in:

• Fear instead of promise

• Control instead of surrender

• Shame instead of grace

• The enemy’s lies instead of God’s truth

Tonight, God is calling His people to reclaim their faith.

Strong Altar Call

If you are here and:

• You’ve been living under fear

• You’ve believed lies about yourself or God

• You’ve trusted outcomes more than obedience

• You’ve placed faith in the enemy’s voice—even unknowingly

• Or you’ve never placed saving faith in Jesus Christ

This altar is open right now.

Come and repent of misplaced faith.

Come and declare, “I trust God again.”

Come and shift your faith back where it belongs.

Romans 10:11 says:

“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Not faith in fear.

Not faith in lies.

Not faith in self.

Faith in God alone.

Come.

Let today be the day your faith changes hands.