Faith has its origin not in man, but in God. It is an aspect of God’s own eternal nature. Through the gift of faith, the Holy Spirit imparts a portion of God’s own faith, directly and supernaturally, to the believer.
In Matthew 21 and in Mark 11, we read that Jesus came to a fig tree by the wayside. When he found that the tree contained only leaves, but no fruit, He pronounced a curse upon it, saying, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” (Mark 11:14). The next day the disciples were astonished to see that within twenty-four hours it had withered from the roots up. Peter commented, “the fig tree which You cursed has withered” (verse 21).
To Peter’s comment, Jesus replied, “Have faith in God” (verse 22). This is how it has been translated into English. However, what Jesus actually said, in its most literal form, was, “Have God’s faith.”
In saying, “Have God’s faith,” Jesus challenged His disciples to receive and exercise this kind of faith, just as He himself had done. He went on to tell them that with faith of this kind they would not only be able to do what they had seen Him do to the fig tree, but they would be able to move a mountain by simply speaking. Jesus was not speaking merely to the disciples for we see in Mark 11:23 that He used the word whoever, extending His promise to all believers:
“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen; it shall be granted him.”
Jesus set no limit to the scope of this kind of faith. The phrases He used are all-inclusive: “Whoever says.. what he says… shall be granted him.” There is no restriction concerning the person who speaks or the words that are spoken. When the gift of faith is in operation, a man becomes, for a time, the channel of God’s own faith. The person who speaks is no longer important, but only the faith that is expressed.
Prayer Response:
‘Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of faith. Help me to receive your faith and to express it in a way that serves your purposes and your glory. Amen.’
