Faith is indispensable for a believer’s growth and maturity.

It is indispensable if we want to bring glory

to God. Also, there are a lot of things that faith do:

1. Answers prayer
2. “Moves mountains”
3. It makes the impossible possible.

In sum, faith makes the hand of God moves. Can you imagine that- tapping unlimited power of
God…if you have faith

Specifically, the Bible reveals the role of faith:

 In salvation- by faith in Christ-eph 2:8-9, Jn 3:16, Acts 16:31

 In healing- your faith has made you well
 In forgiving of our sins- Mark 2 – “seeing their faith, Son your sins are forgiven”
 In seeing the power of God- Jn11- “did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory
of God”

There are several more things which faith does:

Stan Coffey in his article WHAT FAITH CAN DO listed several things:

I. FAITH DETERMINES WHAT GOD CAN DO IN MY LIFE

II. FAITH CAN SOLVE IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEMS
III. FAITH IS THE KEY TO ANSWERED PRAYER
IV. FAITH IS THE SECRET TO GREAT ACHIEVEMENT
V. FAITH IS THE BASIS FOR MIRACLES
VI. FAITH PRODUCES SUCCESS IN LIVING

Well, faith does that, nobody denies that. But we must remember that faith is not used as instrument to
get what want. Because we live in this world not to get what we want but to do his will.

Take note that our relationship with the Lord is not the means to an end, it is the end itself. Hindi ito
paraan para matamo ang nais makamtan; hindi ito dahilan para makuha ang inaasam-----ito na ang
inaasam!! Ito ang nais makamtan!

So ultimately, the point is, our faith is not meant to serve us, but to serve him.

 God bless us, answers our prayers, heals our diseases so that he will be glorified.—our personal
benefits are merely incidental and not main point. They serve to glorify the one who is the
source of the blessing and the healer of our diseases.
 Kaya nga ang tawag stewards, not owners. “Not lording over”- God blessed you with a new job,
or a promotion, or finances--- how should one respond?
  Kaya nga kapag pinapagaling ano ang tugon? In relation doon sa isang taong pinagaling ni
Hesus---ipamalita mo ang mabuting ginawa ng Diyos sa iyo.
 Kapag usapin naman ng pagpapatawad ng kasalanan—ano ang sabi ng Panginoon? Doon sa
babaing nahuli sa pangangalunya-nais batuhin hanggang mamatay ng mga “matutuwid”---Sin no
more. ----kaninong glory?

So ultimately, can we say that the function of our faith is to glorify him?

So when hardship comes, how do you respond? Can you respond also in faith? The same faith that we
use to receive God’s blessings is the same faith that we must also use to brave the hardships of life. I am
saying this because- when we need something, we want something-we use our faith, but when trouble
comes we don’t use our faith.

 We don’t stand against the storms of our lives as we should.

 We don’t stick to the fight when were hardest hit
 At kung hihiramin ko yung mga salita doon sa piyesang Don’t Quit- at gamitan ng wordplay-
when things seem worst, why do you quit?

It is very disappointing when we see people of God, fellow believers who easily give up and don’t
give their best kapag nahihirapan. Kapag may kailangan may faith, pero kapag dumating ang
problema walang faith; bigay agad, suko sagad.

Bakit ang layo ng hagip- kapag dumating ang problema o pangamba--- bakit hindi lumaban at kumasa?-
nagsisimula pa nga lang, bumigay na; ika nga sa jeep---hindi pa nga pumapasada gumarahe na.

Ilaban mo muna. Dumulog at umasa. Dahil siya ang pag-asa.

Huwag kang bumigay may lakas kang taglay

Gamitin mo ang pananampalatayang bigay, upang maranasan mo ang tunay na tagumpay.

Baka nakakalimutan natin:

Ang faith ay shield.  (Armor of God) Eph 6:11- “take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

--  so that you can take your stand against the devil’s scheme

Take up-command, something one can do, and one can only do (walang pwedeng mag take up
ng shield mo (faith mo maliban sa iyo)

Amp is very instructive:

16 
Above all, lift up the [protective]  shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming
[d]

arrows of the evil one

Among the armors discussed by Paul, all are for offense but only 1 is for defense.

Defense- when you say defense- you stand your ground---you don’t run or flee!

In his book, Six Hours One Friday, (pg. 15, Multnohmah Books, 1989) Max
Lucado tells the story of how he and his boat survived a hurricane. An old sea
man gave Max the advice to take his boat to deep water, drop four anchors off
each corner of the boat, and pray that the anchors held. Max survived that
storm, but he says that he learned an important lesson, all of us need an
anchor that will hold during the storms of life.

The question is not if we have faith, every one has faith. The atheist has faith
that his rational reasoning has removed the possibility of God. He has faith in
his intellectual ability. Others have faith in their abilities, skills, connections,
friends, family and themselves. Everyone has faith. The question is where is
your faith anchored?

Sooner or later the storms of life will begin to blow and then the question
becomes will the anchor of faith hold.

When bad things happen to you:

1. Define you,
2. destroy you or
3. strengthen you