1 John 4:4

Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have (already) overcome them (the agents of the antichrist); because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world (of sinful mankind).

We must study until we believe. Our minds are exposed to negative bombardments every day until it wears our faith down. The Word builds us back up to carry our sword daily.  If the devil can get us to not stand on the authority of our word we will be defeated in doubt. We have the power of God living on the inside of us and can flatten the opposition of the enemy. Are we using it?

James 4:7

So submit to (the authority of) God. Resist the devil (stand firm against him) and he will flee from you.

We will never have to wrestle against a thought we don’t think. If we resist thinking negative, self-limiting lies from the devil we will never get into doubt. When we resist the devil we don’t allow him to park thoughts in our brain-whether fear, doubt, lack, sickness- whatever is contrary to what is provided for us through Jesus Christ. Resist the devil in the name of Jesus and he will flee from you. 

Matthew 18:18

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind (forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth shall have (already) been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose (permit, declare lawful) on earth shall have (already) been loosed in heaven.

We cannot be silent Christians and overcome the attacks on the enemy. When we are active in our believing and speaking, we will be actively removing the barriers to whatever is coming against us in our life. The enemy is afraid of us using our authority and tearing down the strongholds. We cannot give up or give in but stand on the word of God. 

Matthew 28:18

Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and earth has been given to me.

Jesus transferred His authority to us here on this earth. Most of us still see ourselves as below and not above our circumstance. We don’t speak our authority but allow the devil to lie, cheat and steal from us. The Word says we have power to overcome the world through Jesus Christ. Unless we use the power of our authority our circumstances won’t change. 

Luke 10:19

Listen carefully: I have given you authority (that you now possess) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and (the ability to exercise authority) over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will (in any way) harm you.

Jesus gave us the authority to speak to our mountain whatever the mountain in our life be.  We don’t have to quote scripture to it but use Jesus’s name and tell it to go. We are to be specific and not general and talk to it and use our God given authority through Jesus to rule and reign on this earth as He did. 

Mark 9:23

Jesus said to him, (You say to Me), If You can? All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts (in Me)!

Without faith we can’t please God and receive His promises. Yet we can struggle through lack of knowledge of the promises, not asking according to His word and asking in doubt. When we build ourselves up in the scripture and speak the word, we will build up our faith. Don’t give up but keep studying the word until you are fully convinced!

Mark 5:34

Then He said to her, “Daughter your faith (your personal trust and confidence in Me) has restored you to health; go in peace and be (permanently) healed from your suffering.”

The Woman knew that she would be healed. No doubt existed in her mind-fully convinced and ready to receive her healing. Faith and doubt are opposite forces. The one is positive outcome the other a negative outcome, but it is a sweet victory for us when we believe and receive in faith. 

Matthew 9:2

They brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a stretcher. Seeing their (active) faith (springing from confidence in Him), Jesus said to the paralytic, “Do not be afraid, son; your sins are forgiven (the penalty is paid, the guilt is removed, and you are declared to be in right standing with God)”

Active faith is confidence in the authority given to us by Jesus Christ for healing, finances, wisdom, reconciliation-whatever it may be. Active faith takes practice, study, patience and above all believing that what Jesus said is true without compromise. As we keep pressing into to Jesus, we will find the answers to what we need.

Hebrews 11:1

Now Faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen (the conviction of their reality-faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by physical senses).

Have you ever heard people say, “I just knew that it was going to happen!” They don’t have any proof in the physical sense but in their spirits, they know that they have the answer. That is what faith is- “knowing” that based on the word of Jesus we have what we say according to His word. It is an assurance that cannot be shaken because the answer comes from Jesus. 

1John 5:14

This is the (remarkable degree of) confidence which we (as believers are entitled to) have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, (that is consistent with His plan and purpose) He hears us. 

Are we praying according to God’s will in faith or do we ask according to our own desires. Is the prayer coming from fear, complaining, doubt? When we know what scripture, we are standing on to back up our prayer we pray in faith. We have authority as Christians given to us by Jesus’s death on the cross-are we praying using that authority?