The Antidote for Anxiety and Depression: Trust in Abba Father’s Care – Pt 40
The God Kind of Faith!
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
– Romans 10:17
When I was a teenager I discovered a lump in my breast. I remember how scared I was so I checked every minute to see if it was growing. I kept it to myself for a long time because I didn’t know how to tell anyone about it. One day I heard a lady talking about breast cancer and she said a woman can know if she has breast cancer once she has a lump under her arm. From that moment I consistently checked under my arm for lumps every day. I was paranoid. The devil had sown a seed of fear in my heart. Then I couldn’t bear the fear anymore so I told my mother about the lump in my breast. She couldn’t afford to take me to a doctor. However, at that time there were Methodist missionaries from the USA who were having various clinics in Georgetown at the hospital so my mother took me there to see a doctor and I had a surgery to remove the lump. Nevertheless, that was not the end of that issue as I later discovered several more lumps in my breasts. By then I was already struggling with anxiety disorder and depression which got worst. Anyway, as a young adult when I was able to afford it, I went to see a doctor who told me that I had lumpy breast and it wasn’t anything to worry about. She sent me to do the necessary medical examinations to confirm her diagnosis and indeed the results showed that she was correct. However, the seed of fear that the devil had sown in my heart had already germinated and borne fruits. I didn’t believe the doctor’s report so I continued to look for the lump under my arm, thinking that it would appear someday. Therefore, I had two more surgeries to remove lumps from my breasts. After the third surgery, I learnt that surgeries leave scar tissues on the inside which can hide potential dangerous lumps so I decided then that I will not have another surgery.
As if that was not enough, as a young adult I went to a doctor because I was having severe problems with my stomach. The doctor sent me to do several medical examinations and blood tests. One of the blood tests result came back positive for H Pie Laurie bacteria. When I went back to the doctor for the results, she told me about the H Pie Laurie bacteria and explained to me what it was. In her explanation she mentioned that it is a bacteria in the stomach that causes stomach ulcer and eventually cancer in the stomach. I looked at her with frightening eyes at the mentioned of the “C” word that I was already paranoid about. She assured me that I may not get cancer in my stomach at that point in time but it’s possible when I get older. Again, the devil sowed more seeds of fear in my heart. The issue with my stomach only got worst over the years and I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome.
The words of the lady and doctor reverberated in my ears day and night. The seeds of fear and anxiety that the enemy sowed from hearing those words plagued my mind. I didn’t have the faith to believe for anything positive and good. I needed to let the Word of God stir up my faith but even when I tried to read or listen to God’s Words, they seemed to have gotten drowned out by the lies of the enemy.
In Romans 10:17, the Apostle Paul tells us that “…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
The word “faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis which means a force that is forward-directed and aggressive – never passive or backward-reaching, but always reaching forward to obtain or achieve a specific target or goal. (Renner, 2003)
This tells me that even in the midst of hardship or challenges or difficulties a believer living by faith never draws back or retreats but is continually propelled by a tenacious and relentless attitude in his or her pursuit of God’s promises for his or her life until they are reached or he or she grabs hold of them.
This kind of tenacity in reaching forward to attain all that is God ordained only comes “…by hearing the word of God.” This is real faith. It is truly having the God kind of faith that Jesus encouraged His disciples to possess when He told them “…Have faith in God (Mark 11:22). To have the God kind of faith is possible because God has already given it to us, it is there for the taking. The Apostle Paul states in Romans 12:3 that “…God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
I believe that your measure of faith is enough to manifest the greatness of God in the earth. Therefore, I encourage you to dress yourself with your faith as a mighty shield to protect your life from the assaults of the enemy. It is having faith that pleases God for “…without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Would you seek Him diligently today and let His Word increase and stir up your faith?
God Bless you!
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father I worship You alone for You alone are worthy of my worship. It is to worship You I live. Thank You for giving me the measure of faith. I declare that I shall live by faith. I declare that I will not measure my belief by what I am experiencing, relinquish my position of faith and succumb to doubt and unbelief but I will steadfastly, continuously and permanently abide in my place of faith against ALL problems. I declare that I will stand rooted, unmoving and stable in my faith in God because God already has a plan of victory for my life. I declare that I will give my faith time to work for me regardless of the challenges I face or how long it takes for my breakthrough. I declare that I will have an attitude that never gives up. I declare that by my faith I triumph over the enemy’s game and successfully fulfil my purpose for which God has called me. I declare that I know assuredly that my victory is sure because of my faith and it is only a matter of time before I receive my breakthroughs. I pray this by faith in Jesus’ name with thanksgiving. Amen!
