Simply put, faith is believing, taking God at His word without reasoning or questioning. When I get ready to sit down in my chair at the office I don't wonder if the chair is going to support me. I sit down **anticipating** that it **will** support me. This is the attitude we must have towards God and the many wonderful promises He has given us.

Here are 9 important facts you need to know about faith:

(1) Faith is a force that will make your prayers a reality (Hebrews 11:1).

(2) Faith is released through words by praying scripture into your life (Romans 10:10). This passage talks about receiving salvation but the same principle of believing and confessing with the mouth can be applied to whatever we need from God.

(3) Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6).

(4) Faith will move mountains (Mark 11:23).

(5) Faith will overcome all of the world's problems (I John 5:4).

(6) Faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).

(7) Faith is what Jesus will look for when He returns (Luke 18:8).

(8) Faith is developed by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

(9) Faith will quench the attacks of the devil (Ephesians 6:16).

Your faith will soar as you fellowship with the Author and Finisher of your faith: Jesus. Earlier, I wrote that I never wonder if my office chair will hold me up. I always expect that it will. That's because of two things:

(1) It's a reliable brand with a wonderful reputation

(2) It has supported me in the past without fail

Jesus has a great reputation, doesn't He? We've only to read the Gospels to know that. While we were at our worse He died for us so that we might become the very best.

Our past experiences reveal God's faithfulness. If He has come through for us in the past, we know that He will once again answer our prayers.

Standing on God's promises is simple:

(1) Find scriptures that address the need.

(2) Pray those verses. As we speak scripture, our faith becomes stronger. The stronger our faith, the more power is released when we pray.

(3) Continue to pray the Word, thanking God for honoring His Word.

(4) Hold fast to the promises of God without wavering.

I said standing on God's promises is simple and it is. We are the ones who make things hard by looking at circumstances, reasoning and listening to our emotions instead of centering on what God has said in His Word. However, God's Word is never complicated. He has made salvation, our greatest gift, available by just believing and saying out loud that we believe God raised Jesus from the dead. It stands to reason that every other thing we need from God can be received just as easily.

I want to emphasize that faith works by love (see Galatians 5:6). We are commanded to love. If there is any bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred or strife in our lives we need to get rid of it. This might involve going to an individual and ask them to forgive us. Or, it might mean just letting go of those negative feelings. And, we can let go. It might be difficult but with God's help it can be accomplished.

When we have to engage in spiritual battle, the Lord wants us to win. We can lift up the shield of faith today to defeat all the lies of the enemy. We can drive him back by speaking the promises of God and expecting them to come to pass.