If you’re facing a faith challenge, the very first thing you should do is go to the Word and find the promise of God that covers your situation. Second Peter 1:3-4 is our assurance that there is such a promise for everything.

Once you have found the promise, and have settled it in your heart, focus your attention on it. Keep it in the forefront of your thinking. My children proved the power of this principle years ago when they were very young.

They came to me and told me they wanted a boat, so we could go out on the lake as a family and have some time to ourselves. “That sounds great to me,” I said. “But your mother and I will not use our faith to get it. We’ll agree with you, but you kids will have to get it by using your own faith.”

So, off they went. They opened the Bible and found promises that applied to them. (John was too young to read. He just listened and agreed.) Then they wrote out an agreement, signed it and taped it to the refrigerator door. From that day forward, every time they walked past the refrigerator, they would slap that agreement and say, “Thank God it is done!” In other words, they kept it constantly before their eyes and in their heart.

Every once in a while John would get mad at Kellie and I’d say, “Son, you’d better watch out. You can’t operate in faith without operating in love. And it will take faith to get that boat.”

“Oh!” he’d say. “I repent! I repent!”

To make a long story short, 10 days later, a fellow called me and gave me a fishing boat. Then, another fellow called me and gave me a light cabin cruiser.

“Why two boats?” I asked the Lord.

Go read their agreement, He answered.

Those kids had agreed on the “perfect boat.” To them that meant a boat we could use to fish, water ski and carry the entire family. It took two boats to fill the bill!

Finding the promise of God made faith easy for John and Kellie, and it will make it easy for you too. It’s easy to believe someone will do something for you if you know they’ve already said they would—especially when it’s someone like our loving Heavenly Father.

Speak the Word

« God has given me everything that pertains to life and godliness. »  (2 Peter 1:3)