Everywhere you see faith expressed in the Bible you see action. In fact, faith is an action. It's acting on what you believe. Many people confuse belief or believing with faith. Believing is a starting point, but if you stop there, you'll wind up with nothing.

I often use the example of a starving man being placed where food is and being asked if he believes that if he eats the food he will live. The man replies: "Do you think I am some kind of fool? Do you think I'm stupid or dumb? Certainly I believe that if I eat this food it will keep me from starving to death."

But he never lifts a hand to eat and dies on the spot. What the man believed was true. If he had eaten, it would have kept him from starving. But he died from starvation. Why? Because he never acted on what he believed. Believing is right, but it will never change the circumstances. Faith will change the circumstances.

Now let's consider the centurion solider who Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, actually encountered.

Matthew 8:5-10: Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"

Notice how faith was activated-by doing something, not only by believing something. If you have authority you have to exercise it. You cannot sit in an office with authority and just think. You have to actually do something, say something, write something, or send something before any orders will be followed. That is action.

The centurion recognized that Jesus was a man of authority. Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." The centurion said in essence, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof, but speak a word and that will be the same as you coming."

In faith, action must be involved. Jesus said, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" That great faith was demonstrated by what the centurion said about his authority to command someone to go and come and do. If the centurion had just believed that Jesus could do something and yet never came to Jesus and appealed to Him, his servant would not have been healed.  The healing resulted from the centurion's faith action.

This is where people are missing it concerning faith. All over the world they are missing it, and what is so tragic is that some people act as if they know and won't receive any instruction. I can see in their eyes that they don't know. I see it because they do not have the results in their lives.

Faith will produce results over time. Anything of value takes time, and so it is with the principles of faith. It produces results over time. It is not an instant panacea. It is not a ripcord that you pull to bail you out of a problem. It is not an Aladdin's lamp that you can stroke and say, "Genie, Genie, come out and give me a new yacht."

You have to stay with faith. You have to make a commitment to the point that you burn all the bridges down behind you, and many people do not do that. They are trying faith. They want to see if it's going to work. Right there is doubt, and it has already crippled them. You have to be completely sold out. You have to be absolutely convinced that acting on the Word will produce results given time and commitment.
 
For more information on faith, please reference Dr. Price's book, "How Faith Works." You may call us at (800) 927-3436 or visit our website: www.faithdome.org for a complete list of his products.

Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan.  To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit www.faithdome.org. Click here to browse and purchase MP3 sermons by Dr. Frederick K.C. Price!

© Dr. Frederick K. C. Price all rights reserved.