The engine driving life

Faith, then, is the “engine” which in fact drives all of human life on this planet. When we get into our car and drive down the road, we have “faith” that the other guy will stay on his side of the road. We have “faith” that our car will run and steer properly. The Gutenberg printing press would not have become reality without his faith! His imagination created it. His faith in that creation and his mechanical abilities drove him to undertake the project. Likewise, all of our modern inventions and conveniences can be traced to similar faiths.

The power of that faith derives originally from the authority that God granted to mankind in Genesis 1:28, giving mankind authority (or dominion) over all living things upon earth. What we believe, place our faith in, and act upon affects not only our individual lives, but the affairs of our nation and the world as well. Jesus confirmed the power of “faith” more than once in His ministry. (see Matthew 9:22, Mark 10:52) when He indicated that a person's faith had healed them or made the whole. When His disciples were unable to cast out a demon, He chided them for the lack of faith In Matthew 17:19-20 He explained that even the smallest portion of faith could move mountains! Matthew 13:58 and Mark 6:5-6, indicate that even Jesus' working of miracles was limited by the lack of faith of those in His hometown. James 5:15 reminds us that a prayer offered in “faith” will heal the sick. “Faith” is mentioned as the enabling as well as the limiting factor in these events.

Now, having said all this, we must remind ourselves that faith can be rooted in many things. We can place “faith” in ourselves, our government, our friends, our military, our doctors, that other person on the highway, in God, in Satan, etc. Watchman Nee, in his book “The Latent Power of the Soul” asserts that man possesses the same abilities as Jesus, but that they became latent (or lost or hidden) at the time of “the fall”, due to guilt, shame, and the encroachment of sin. Revelation 13 tells us that the anti-Christ (or beast) will be able to perform miracles. Likewise, the magicians of Pharoah were able to perform certain “miracles” via their own “faith” in their false gods or their “magical” abilities (see Exodus 7:11-12, 22; and Exodus 8:7). I have personally witnessed a warlock (male witch) perform accurate prophetic utterances over members of a college choir while on tour. His faith was certainly NOT in God, but he derived his abilities from somewhere, in which he placed his faith.

The point here being that faith is the “engine” that drives most, if not all of what happens among mankind here on earth. Very little happens without it. The important factor for us all is to place our faith in something that is indeed trustworthy and eternal. There is only one entity that fulfills those requirements.

Nothing on this earth is fully trustworthy. That guy on the highway sometimes strays. Our own abilities sometimes fail us. Man's creations often cause death instead of life. Governments often betray the people they govern. God's promises, however are sacred. They are trustworthy. He will not violate them. THIS is the foundation of OUR faith! He granted all authority on earth over human affairs to man, but He is still able to accomplish His Will through that authority.

Faith being the enabling factor here, however does NOT negate God's power and authority. He is the Creator of all of this! It was He who endowed mankind with this authority. The amazing thing is that our God is able to still accomplish His will without violating His promise and do it through the authority of mankind.