Did you know God can add to your faith?
One time, I had a dream where I saw what was like spoonfuls of faith. The Lord was showing me several spoons that had faith in different amounts. It was a picture of how different people have different amounts of faith.
The beautiful thing about this was as I continued to look at these spoonfuls, God would just add more substance to that faith, filling in what was missing. After seeing this, there was joy and laughter over the goodness of God!
This was very encouraging to see; that no matter where people were in “their faith” God was adding His contribution making their faith complete. It was such a beautiful picture of how the grace of God works in our lives as we lean into God in all things.
He truly is the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
“Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith … “ (Heb. 12:2a).
Sometimes we start thinking we need to do more to “get more faith.” But really this works just the opposite way. You see, this is a “rest of faith” not a “work of faith.”
“Let us labor therefore to enter that rest, lest anyone fall by the same pattern of unbelief” (Heb. 4:11).
God wants us to enter His rest, taking His yoke upon our lives. There was a time when Jesus asked the disciples, “Where is your faith?” The issue was not the lack of faith, but the lack of using what they already had. Everyone has been given the measure or amount of faith that is sufficient.
In whatever case where it seems more faith is needed, God adds to our faith. His river is never-ending. His supply never runs out. We cannot take credit for His work through us because it is His grace that enables us. When we feel depleted or we have run out of what we need, all we have to do is stop and access the grace of God that will give us what we need to accomplish His will. The Lord is perfect in all of His ways and will help us if we only ask.
There have been many times when I wonder how this will happen or how will that happen, but somehow God makes a way for things to work out.
“For in the wilderness waters shall break out and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water” (Is. 35:6-7b).
This is why Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow but to seek Him first (Matt. 6:33-34). He knows worry won’t help us get to where we need to go but only make things worse. An important key in our walk with God is when we learn how to “cast all [our] care upon Him” (1 Pet. 5:7).
When we release our burden to the Lord, then it gives Him room to fill that place with the right stuff, the stuff of faith. As it was in the dream, I noticed that although the spoons had different amounts of faith, God filled up what was lacking. God is faithful and knows what we need.
One day He went into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. Then a wind storm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in danger. They came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:22-25).
Jesus and the disciples needed to get to the other side of the lake. In the midst of their travel, a storm suddenly came upon them. The disciples were frantic and worried about the situation. Of course, Jesus was asleep in the boat, just resting through the storm. The disciples woke Him up, thinking He didn’t care what happened. But Jesus stood up and rebuked the storm, then asked them, “Where is your faith?” Jesus was giving them an opportunity to use the faith they already had. They just needed to activate it.
It was not the first plan for Jesus to rebuke the storm; rather, Jesus was providing this opportunity for His disciples to believe everything would be OK. The Lord was looking for one of those disciples to step up in faith believing in the midst of that storm.
In the same way, we are given these opportunities to activate what God has supplied for us in this measure of faith He has given to us. God gives us the supply of faith we need for anything we encounter in life. If we feel lacking we ask for His grace. He graciously responds, adding to our faith what is lacking.
Although our faith is not about our works, faith is completed by our actions. There is a place where we step out in faith in an area that could be foreign territory to us. Many times, these opportunities happen when we are not looking for them. In these times, we need to be ready and actively engage our faith so God can show Himself strong on our behalf. In this our faith increases and He is glorified. It always takes stepping out of the comforts and limitations of the natural mind to see God do something extraordinary.
Have you ever been challenged like this? If a dream or vision is easily attainable in your own strength, you will not need God’s help to fulfill it. If the dream you have is beyond your natural capability or comprehension, it will not happen without Him. More important than dreaming big, we need to get tuned into God’s dream for our lives. This will only happen through intimate relationship with Him.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
He is the Vine and we are the branches, apart from Him we cannot do anything of eternal value. What is the dream He wants to manifest through us?
As we dream with our lives intimately connected to Him, He brings forth the dream He has already intended and planted in our hearts before the foundation of the world.
He knows us from the beginning. When we connect with Him Who is from the beginning, He brings everything in us into divine synchronicity with His bigger dream and plan. Our dream plugs into His greater dream. Here we find the true dreams that concern our lives. Then we can step out in faith, without presumption, knowing that He is all for it and in it to fulfill the desires of our hearts that were purposed in us through Jesus Christ.
In the place of intimacy with God, the divine seeds in our hearts will grow and blossom into dreams fulfilled as we continually step into that supernatural dimension of faith and promise. {eoa}
John Belt helps people discover abundant life in God’s presence through intimacy and breakthrough. He is co-founder, along with his wife, Brandi, of Overflow Global Ministries and travels itinerantly through speaking and worship in the U.S. and abroad. John has produced over 30 instrumental and worship albums that create an atmosphere for encounters with heaven and can be found around the world in places such as Bethel Redding, 24/7 Burns, Catch the Fire Toronto, XPMedia, International Houses of Prayer and people’s living rooms. He the author of Overflowing in His Presence, to be released later this year. Please visit John’s website at overflowglobal.com.
