“. . . if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt 17:20).
I have said elsewhere that faith is the currency of heaven1. God does business with people on the basis of their faith. If you want God to work, you must trust Him. If you don’t trust Him, don’t expect Him to do anything. People with the spiritual gift of faith have a special measure of trust in God. This measure is more than faith for salvation. All Christians have that sort of faith, and salvific faith is not itself the spiritual gift of faith. The spiritual gift of faith trusts God to act when others would not trust Him.
God told Abraham to go to a land that God would show Him. Abraham took his family and went. Later God told Abraham that he would have a son even though he and his wife were too old to have children. Abraham believed God and had Isaac.
God told Elijah to confront the prophets of Baal. Elijah did so, and God rained down fire from heaven.
These are examples of faith. People with the gift of faith take the land because they trust God. They pick up and move. They believe that sickness will be healed. They begin a ministry from scratch. They share the gospel in difficult situations. They trust God. And because they trust God, they attempt great deeds for God.
Those with the gift of faith inspire others to take steps of faith. They tend to be people who pray, who hear from God, and who stand on the promises of God. They know they are forgiven in Christ because God said they are. They know God will go with them as they make disciples because God said He would. They know that all things will work out for their good because God said so. These people see God in the events of life, and they tend to see a good end at the beginning, even though they may not see the details of that end.
These people help the church look past human reasoning and encourage the church to make decisions on the basis of God’s will, which often goes beyond mere reason.
Jesus said that a little faith can move mountains, and people with the gift of faith move mountains.
Faith and Other Gifts
People with the gifts of healing and miracles (I Cor 12:9-10) often have the gift of faith. These gifts have some overlap.
Importance of Faith
People with the gift of faith are an example and inspiration for the church. They push the church to have confidence in God.
Strengths
- Prayer
- Hearing from God
- Confidence in God in the midst of difficulty
- Obedience
- Bold steps of action
- Expectation that God will act
- Standing on God’s promises
Weaknesses
- Can oversimplify complex realities
- Can be overconfident or have false confidence
- Can judge people who lack their level of faith
- Can move before confirming God’s will
- Can take foolish steps if they mishear God
Examples of People with this Gift
Noah, Abraham, Caleb, Elijah, George Mueller, Corrie Ten Boom, Brother Yun
Good Roles for People with this Gift
This gift can apply in virtually any role, but it can be uniquely helpful in the following: church planter, starting a ministry, prayer ministry, healing ministry
- https://www.austinif.org/the-currency-of-heaven/ ↩︎
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