So this got me thinking: our faith is like that, the more we use it, the more confidence we gain to move on to greater challenges.

A couple of years ago spent a day with a spiritual giant: this man, by an ones measure, operated as the gift of an apostle. During his decades of ministry he had seen thousands filled with the spirit and many miraculous events including the dead brought back to life. In our discussion of faith he commented that God will usually start you with small things to pray for then build you up to the bigger things. If you don’t have faith for a headache, how will you have faith for cancer?

When I travel ministering the principles of apostolic authority of the believer, I do what I call a faith test. I ask by show of hands, how many people believe God can heal: most raise their hands. Then I ask how many want to be used by God to heal someone? This time many lift their hands, but it is noticeably less. Then I ask how many are actually laying hands on people, praying for them? Usually, only a handful will raise their hands. Most believer God heals, many want to be used by God, but only a few are exercising their faith.

Our faith comes because of a relationship with Jesus and his word (faith comes by hearing). But I believe our faith is developed by application. The more I step out by faith, using the authority I have been given, the more of His power I see demonstrated. Each time, my faith is increased to step out further.

Today, begin to exercise your faith. Step out on a limb (for you). Pray for the coworkers headache, the students fever, the seniors arthritic pain: watch God begin to move in their lives. The results will increase your faith for bigger things.

It is amazing how two people can look at the same thing and both see something different. Look at the two pictures below and tell me what you see? Now look again, maybe study for a minute.

What about this picture below: I’ll give you a hint – what animal do you see? What about duck? Maybe a rabbit?

The point of these pictures is: what you see is based on what you focus on. Once this happens, many times it is hard to re-focus and see the other view.

It is much the same way in life, what we each see in any given situation is based on what we are focusing on. Once we have a mental “picture” it can be hard to change what we see. This principle is evidenced in our spiritual lives as it relates to our demonstration of faith: what we are focusing on determines if we respond in faith.

In Mark 11, Jesus is entering Jerusalem with his disciples and curses a fig tree for not being fruitful (maybe another message here). He makes the declaration and then walks on without anything apparently happening.

Later, as they leave Jerusalem, Peter sees the dead tree and exclaims with excitement – “Look the fig tree!” I wonder if Jesus rolled his eyes and thought “Well duh! That is what I expected.” The issue I am attempting to point out here: When Jesus spoke it, he saw it, Peter did not.

Jesus response to Peter was in verse 22, he said: “Have faith in God.” On the surface this sounds good, but let me point out something deeper. The literal translation of this verse should be “have faith of God.” A semantic difference? I don’t thinks so.

Almost every one believes in a god; the result is the different religions we have. The scriptures tell us even the devils believe in God. So the idea of believing in God or having faith in God is very diffuse and general. It is the type of faith that does not translate into significant action.

Most believe in a god
Most do not have the faith of God

On the other hand, to have the faith of God means I see things as he does and then act upon it, just as Jesus did. Hebrews 11:1 is a common text: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” The word substance here means existence or reality. So faith is the reality or existence of things hoped for. Notice it does not say things unseen: Why? Because faith sees them in the Spirit.

Now because they are “seen” as reality in the Spirit, faith now becomes the evidence or proof of what is unseen: unseen by who? Those who are looking only in the natural.

Jesus comments in verse 23 & 24 of speaking to mountains should be viewed in this perspective; what is impossible to the natural eye becomes possible if you see it as God views it! So I ask:

What You Lookin’ At?

This is what I am ruminating about. Why? Does God favor one person more than the other? I do not think so. I am reminded of some things I believe the Lord revealed to me 2-3 years ago when He began to show me how to operate in apostolic authority. There are actually quite a few reasons why people do not receive a miracle. In the next couple of Apostolic Notes, I will discuss some of them.

Why we do not receive our miracles

When we discuss the miraculous, obviously the first issue we should address is the faith issue.  I could spend time discussing what faith actually is, but for this article I will use it in a common understanding of believing and trusting that God will keep his word.

Lack of faith is probably the most obvious reason people do not receive miracles. There are three areas where faith can be lacking:

1. The individuals do not have faith themselves.

There was a man who brought his possessed son to Jesus disciples and they could not deliver him. The man replied to Jesus comments regarding faith with “I do believe, but help me not to doubt.” (Mk  9:24 NLT emphasis added).

On another occasion, two blind men appealed to Jesus for healing and he asked them: “Do you believe that I can make you see?” (Mat 9:28 NLT emphasis added).

Having faith that God is able and willing is the first requirement to receiving the miraculous.

2. Those ministering do not have faith

Once again, the story of the man with the possessed boy; the disciples could not cast him out. (Mk 9:18)

Another instance that implies a lack of faith is the sons of Sceva. They attempted to cast out a demon by “Jesus whom Paul preacheth” in Acts 19:13. To me, in this instance, they did not have faith; they were exorcists trying to use the name of Jesus as some spell or incantation.

3. Sometimes the environment is not conducive for faith.

In Luke 4:24-27, Jesus rebukes the peoples lack of faith by comparing them to the history of Israel. He gives examples where there were numerous needs, yet only a handful received a miracle

In Mark 8:23, Jesus leads a blind man out of Bethsaida to heal him. The text is not clear why, yet I wonder could it be because of a lack of faith in the city?

There are many things that can affect the faith of a group of people or culture. Such things include: large unemployment in an area, a catastrophic natural disaster or a repressive social caste system.

Sometimes the church is too familiar with the word of God regarding the miraculous. It is a lot like revival – have heard it preached so many times, in some places it is hard to motivate the people to respond.

Many times when I minister, I go thru the following to test the faith level of people. I will ask congregation three questions and look for a show of hand as a response. These questions are:

“How many of you believe God is a healer?” – most if not all raise their hands.

“How many of you want God to use you to heal someone?” – a majority, but not as many raise their hands.

“How many of you are laying hands on people and praying for them?” – only a handful or one or two now raise their hands.

The point of this exercise is that it reveals the overall level of faith of the assembly. They say they believe He is a healer, yet their actions reveal otherwise.

The lack of faith is probably the number one reason we do not see the miraculous. In the following Apostolic Notes I will present more reasons.