God’s Holy Spirit is constantly at work in the church. There are many things this Holy Spirit does, mostly things in us. However, there are also things that He does in the church, affecting the church at large. Ever since the beginning of the Reformation, back in the early 1500s, part of this has been to increase revelatory knowledge of the Word of God. We have seen movement after movement or revival after revival, each bringing new understanding and knowledge to the church. Some have accepted what the Holy Spirit has brought, with joy, while others have rejected it.
One of the more movements that has come in roughly the last half-century was the “word of faith” movement. This started with the teachings of Kenneth Hagin, who focused on using our faith to receive healing from God. Those who followed Hagan added to his teaching, mostly focusing on using faith to receive from God, specifically to receive material blessing from Him.
There was a great need for the church to learn faith, even though a large portion of Christians did not receive this revelation. Even so, I say there was a need, because many believers did not believe that God would move on their behalf. They believed that Jesus performed miracles in the Bible, but did not believe that God would perform miracles on their own behalf, in modern times.
Let me say that like any other teaching in the Body of Christ, there have been those who have taught the truth, as given in the Bible and others who have gone to excess. I have no intention of pointing anyone out as being a false teacher, or saying that their teaching is wrong. On the other hand, I have no intention of calling out those who have rejected this teaching, saying that they are wrong. Threading the needle between the extremes and sticking with the truth of God’s Word, on such an issue as this, which can be controversial, is difficult; yet that is exactly what I intend to do.
We Must Live By Faith
Perhaps the most iconic chapter about faith is found in Hebrews, chapter 11. This chapter is sometimes referred to as the “Great Hall of Faith” for the way it memorializes some of the great heroes of faith who are mentioned in the Bible. The Bible tells us, in both the Old and New Testaments, that “The Just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; & Hebrews 10:38). The Basis of understanding just what this faith is, can also be found within that same chapter.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6
All Christians are in agreement with the middle part of that verse, where it says “he who comes to God must believe that He is.” Obviously, going to God in prayer, or in any other way, without believing that He is, would be ludicrous. There are probably those throughout history who have done so, either with our God or with some false god, but they would have had to be doing so due to social pressure, not because of any true faith. As such, they probably didn’t receive anything for their efforts, unless it was social acceptance within a small group of people.
The first part of that verse is critical, in that we must have faith in God… in His existence, in order to please God. This is so obvious as to be overlooked. Yet there are many millions of people who do not believe in His existence. That won’t stop them for asking for prayer when they need it; but it is likely to stop them from receiving any answer to that prayer. We can’t really receive based on the faith of another, no matter who we are.
This last statement can seem contrary to the way the church operates, as most believes will go to a pastor, evangelist, healing evangelist or some other minister, seeking prayer for their needs, rather than praying themselves. What those people are doing is asking for help in prayer, because they don’t believe that they can pray effectively themselves. They are still looking for God to do the healing or perform whatever other miracle they need, not the minister. They just think they need the assistance of that minister, because that minister has a reputation for praying for people and they don’t have that reputation themselves.
Of course, we must take into account in any prayer, regardless of who prays it, that God is sovereign. That means that He makes up His own mind, rather than just doing what we tell Him to. If we go to Him, asking for healing for ourselves or a sick loved one, there is no guarantee that we will see that person get out of their bed. There may very well be reasons why they can’t be healed, including consequences for their own actions. It is also possible that it is time for that person to go, for reasons that we cannot see, but God knows.
God is a Rewarder
Going back to the verse above, it is the last part of that verse that has caused the greatest amount of controversy within the Body of Christ. The part that says that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Does He actually do that and if so, just how does He do it?
There have been those who have focused on this part, seeking how to receive those rewards and there have been those who have referred to those who believe that way as the “name it and claim it crowd.” It is possible that neither group is totally correct and that the truth which God wants us to understand is somewhere in-between those extremes.
Is God a rewarder? He most certainly is. This verse alone proves that, although there is other evidence in the Bible. Can we just ask for anything we want, expecting to receive it? I suppose we can; but that doesn’t mean that God will give it to us. While He does reward those who serve Him and is pleased at the prosperity of those who serve Him (Psalms 35:27), that is not the same as Him giving us whatever we ask for.
The key here is serving. Both Hebrews 11:6 and Psalms 35:27 talk about God blessing those who are His servants. Even the idea of Him blessing those who seek Him is the idea of blessing His servants; because that is one of the most basic parts of our service to Him. But that is a far cry from us trying to turn Him into a servant, giving us whatever we ask of Him. God is not our celestial vending machine, passing out blessings to those who put an offering in and push the right buttons.
At the same time, we see many examples of Jesus doing miraculous things for people who sought Him, mostly healing them. People came from far around, seeking healing from Jesus. There are at least eight places in the Gospels, where it says “He healed all” (Matthew 8:16; 12:15; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:40; 6:19 and others). Therefore, we have ample grounds to expect God to be willing to move on our behalf, when we ask.
It is germane to note that asking the Lord for healing and asking Him for a new car are not one in the same. There isn’t a single case in the Gospels of people asking Him to solve their financial problems or give them financial prosperity. Even so, somehow the faith movement morphed into the prosperity movement, which focused on using faith to get things from God, rather than having Him move in ways to heal and bless us.
We live in a very materialistic society, so it is not surprising that there are believers who have turned faith into a materialistic message. We tend to measure our “blessing” by financial blessing, rather than in other ways. But God tends to measure our blessing by how good a life we have, not necessarily financially, but in all the other areas of our lives.
It helps us to understand this, when we gain a more biblical understanding of the word “prosperity.” In modern western culture, that word almost always refers to finances. But in the Bible, it is better described as “a good road.” One who has millions of dollars of wealth, but is dying of cancer, doesn’t have a good road. His money can’t necessarily buy him prosperity. So, while others may think of that person as prosperous, they know that they truly are not.
God is willing to help us find that good road and even provide for it. But that doesn’t mean that He is equally willing to provide us with financial or material riches. Too many believers are asking Him for the big house and fancy car; not because they need it, but to impress others. God’s not about to stroke our ego, considering that pride is considered to be one of the seven deadly sins. If you have a big family and therefore need a big house, that’s another thing; but even that doesn’t mean a big, fancy house.
What is Faith For, if Not to Ask for Things?
If we want to understand anything about the Bible, we must seek an answer in the context of the Bible. This goes for faith, just as much as anything else. So, if faith is to be used to get things from God, we should find examples in the Bible of people doing that. But, while there are instances of people praying to God to receive things, it isn’t material things. It’s more like Samuel’s mother, Hanah, asking God to give her a son.
Then she (Hannah) made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” – 1 Samuel 1:11
God heard that prayer, which we must assume was made in faith, and answered it, giving Hannah a son, who became the very same Samuel who wrote both the First and Second books of Samuel in our Bibles. He was a servant of God, who ultimately anointed David to be king over Israel.
But this example is the exception and not the rule. Even though we tend to think of faith in terms of asking God for things, the Bible shows faith through people using their faith to obey God. Nowhere is this more obvious than Hebrews, chapter 11, which is commonly known of as the “Great Hall of Faith.” To avoid quoting the whole chapter, allow me to summarize the examples of faith given in this chapter.
- Vs. 4 – By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice
- Vs. 5 – By faith Enoch was taken from this life – because he pleased God
- Vs. 7 – By faith Noah built the ark
- Vs. 8 – By faith Abraham went to the promised land, even though he didn’t know where God was taking him
- Vs. 17 – By faith Abraham offered Isaac on the altar
- Vs. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future
- Vs. 21 – By faith Jacob blessed Joseph’s children (his grandchildren)
- Vs. 22 – By faith Joseph gave instructions for his bones to be taken, when Israel left Egypt
- Vs. 23 – By faith Moses’ parents hide him, rather than allow their infant son to be killed
- Vs. 24 – By faith Moses refused to be known as Pharoah’s grandson, but rather chose to join the Israeli slaves
- Vs. 30 – By faith the walls of Jericho fell
- Vs. 31 – By faith Rahab (the prostitute in Jericho who hid the Israeli spies) and her family were saved, even though Jericho was destroyed
Many of these people are widely recognized as great heroes of the faith, yet I don’t see one of them who prayed for a new chariot or camel and received it. Even the summary at the end of the chapter, which talks in general about those not mentioned by specific reference, doesn’t talk about them receiving physical gifts from God, unless it is in the phrase “Women received their dead raised to life again” (Hebrews 11:35). That same verse goes on to talk about others being tortured. Now that’s something that would really require faith!
Does This Mean We Can’t Ask?
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that we can never ask for anything or that God will never give us a material blessing. That is far from the truth. God can and does provide material blessings. We can even find places in the Bible where He did so.
The prophet Elijah had a true adversary in King Ahab, the most evil king of Israel, the northern kingdom after the nation divided. His wife, Jezebel, was an even greater adversary to Elijah, promising to have him killed (1 Kings 19:2). But before this happened, there was a time when God directed Elijah to hide by a brook named Cherith, for Elijah had prophesied to Ahab that there would be a time of drought. While it is possible that God told Elijah to hide for his own protection; but I think it’s more likely that God told him to hide, so that the king could not try to force him to pray for rain.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded ravens to feed you there. – 1 Kings 17:2-4
While I am not sure that the idea of ravens bringing me food sounds all that appetizing, it was clearly miraculous. Ravens aren’t known for bringing food anywhere, to anyone. They eat it themselves. Yet in this case, God commanded them to feed Elijah and they did so, twice a day. That probably required a fair-sized flock of ravens, as each bird can’t carry a whole lot. Later, the brook dried up, for there was drought in the land, so God told Elijah to go to the town of Zarephath, which is in modern-day Lebanon.
Then the word of the Lord came to him (Elijah)2, saying, 9 Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you. – 1 Kings 17:8-9
Elijah obeyed, and went to the city, even though it was not in Israel. There he encountered a widow, who apparently didn’t know a thing about his coming. Not only that, but she was a poor woman, who literally was about to use her last little bit of flour and oil to bake bread for herself and her son, with the expectation that once they had consumed it, they would starve to death (1 Kings 17:12). The prophet, being a prophet, seemingly ignored her plight, directing her to make him a loaf of bread first, before making bread for herself and her son. He told her, “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth” (1 Kings 17:14)
This statement by the Prophet Elijah was clearly a statement of faith. We do not know if God had told him that or he had surmised it on his own and declared it by faith, knowing that God was fully able to do what he said. Either way, the widow obeyed the prophet and made bread first for him, and then went back to bake bread for herself and her son. Somehow, the flour and oil were enough to do so. Not only that, but the flour and oil didn’t run out, until the drought was over.
That’s not to say that a wagon pulled up at her home the next day, delivering bags of flour and jars of oil. Rather, she probably looked in that flour bin every time that it was time to bake bread and saw just enough for one loaf. Yet, once she used that little bit, she’d find it there again, when she went to bake the next one. God clearly multiplied that flour and oil, perhaps as a preview of Jesus multiplying the fish and the loaves to feed the five thousand.
I can personally testify to God’s provision. For several years, I traveled full-time in an old Winnebago with my family, ministering wherever the Holy Spirit led. During that time, I was not allowed by God to ask the pastors of the churches we visited to allow us to minister, nor was I allowed to ask for an offering. Yet the Holy Spirit opened the door for me to minister in over 85% of the churches we visited and moved through many people to provide for our financial and material needs. We didn’t have a lot. We weren’t wealthy. But we had our needs met.
God is a God of provision, who delights in the prosperity of his servants, as we saw earlier. But He is not materialistic; nor does He promote materialistic ideas and attitudes. While there may be times when He gives someone something that looks to others around them like riches, He only does so for a purpose. He gave us that old Winnebago we traveled in and He kept it on the road. That was miraculous enough, especially considering we had over a dozen electrical fires in it. But He didn’t give us a new motorhome, or provide us with luxury. Rather, the motorhome we were given had exactly the equipment that we had determined we would need, in order to have room for our family and our ministry. His provision is real, as I said, I can personally attest to that.