SIX I’s OF FAITH*

We’re talking about Mark 11:22 where Jesus said, “Have faith in God.”
          A number of years ago, I was scheduled to preach the Sunday morning service for Pastor Happy Caldwell in Little Rock, Ark. About 4 a.m., I was awakened suddenly, and had a vision of Jesus standing at the foot of my bed. He was holding a large tray. It was a big, wide serving tray heaped high with cookies. You’d think someone with a huge tray filled with cookies would be smiling, right? He was not. He didn’t look mad, but He did look very stern. He said in a very bold voice,
“HAVE A COOKIE!”
          I just lay there with, I’m sure, a very dumb look on my face. Then He said, Your response is, “I believe. I will. I take it. I have it. I praise You for it, and I forgive.”
          That was it. As I lay there meditating on what I had heard and seen, I saw myself, with a cookie in my hand, in a room full of people who were standing around visiting. Someone came up to me and said, “Would you like a cookie?” I said, “No, thank you. I have one.”
          One of the first things the Holy Spirit revealed to me about all this is that He’s not saying in Mark 11:22 that we should do all we can to have faith. That’s good, and we should, but He was, and still is, impressing on me that He has provided faith for us! He was offering it to me and was obviously upset that I wasn’t coming to Him and praising and thanking Him for it.
          Let’s look at these six statements The LORD spoke to me:
          1. I believe.  
          That is a declaration of faith. Where is faith? It’s a spiritual force born in the heart, or the spirit, of a born-again believer.
          2. I will.
          That’s a statement of the will, bringing it in line with faith.
          3. I take it.
          Remember Mark 11:24:
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
          The Greek word translated receive in that verse is lambano. It means “to take with the hand, lay hold of,” or “to take in order to carry away.” Jesus was saying to me, I’m offering you My faith—TAKE IT, IT’S YOURS!
          4. I have it.
          Jesus is pointing out the importance and the power of have. The definition of the English word have is “to possess, to own.” That’s easy in the natural when, for instance, one has a piece of property with the deed to that property in hand. However, it becomes something else entirely when taking something by faith. I don’t “HAVE,” or “OWN,” sickness. Sickness is part of the curse of the law. Jesus has redeemed me from the curse. Therefore, I “HAVE,” or “OWN,” healing. Take it a step further: I “HAVE,” or I “OWN,” good health. Now that’s THE TRUTH about the matter! The visible fact may be something completely different. But, the TRUTH—GOD’S WORD, will change the facts when it’s mixed with faith.
          5. I thank You for it.
          Praise God, I have it! Think about this: When we pray, we come into His presence. When we praise, He comes into ours! Look at Psalm 22:3:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
          Praise is the big gun of faith! In so many cases, personal praise is the lacking element. Take healing, for instance. After going through the healing scriptures in the Old and New Testaments, begin to praise and thank your heavenly Father who sent Jesus to the cross: “Oh, thank You, Jesus, for bearing my sins in Your own body on the tree. By Your stripes I was, and I am, the healed! It’s so wonderful to be free of all that (not this) pain.” Praise Him! When you can’t sleep because of the pain, praise Him. Praise Him long enough, and the Spirit of worship will come. In that place of praise and worship, great victories are won. Remember, faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
          6. I forgive.
          This one is the most important of all. All the other five statements are dependent on it. Faith will not work in an unforgiving heart. Look at Mark 11:25:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
          Galatians 5:6 says that faith works by Love. No Love, no faith! Why? Because God is Love, and it’s His faith in us that saved us in the first place. The cross reference in my Bible for Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God,” says, “Have the faith of God.” It could have just as easily said, “Have the faith of Jesus.” Wow!
          The light just came on for someone, including me!
          These same six I’s of faith can, and should, be applied to receiving victory over financial problems, family problems or anything else the enemy is trying to steal from you. Meditate on these things. Apply them. The victory is yours. Take it!
          Say: “I believe. I will. I take it. I have it. I thank You for it, Jesus, and I forgive if I have aught against any.”
Contains excerpts by Kenneth Copeland.