September 28, 2015
Minister Sharon W. Jones
Integrity of Heart Ministries

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17 reveals to us that we receive faith when we hear the Word of God. According to Scripture, without faith it is impossible to please God. So, it is imperative that we understand how and where faith comes from. It's important as Believers to understand that faith comes by hearing and NOT by reading.

It is only when we hear the Word of God, illuminated by the Spirit of God, that our soul is anchored in the truth of the Word that has been revealed to us. This is how faith comes. When pressure comes against your soul, faith gives you the ability to stand on the truth that was spoken to you by the Holy Spirit. God revealed this truth to me when I was studying Matthew 8:13 in the Bible about 10 years ago. I was fascinated by the fact that the centurion soldier had said to Jesus to speak the word only and his servant would be healed. The Scripture says that Jesus marveled at the faith of the centurion and said to him, “As you have believed,so let it be done for you”. I remember staying in this particular verse for weeks asking the Lord “Is this true that you will do whatever I believe you are able to do?”

During this time of my meditation on this Scripture, my husband and I had been prayerfully standing in agreement for a four bedroom home to rent for our family. We were in a situation where we were in the process of a short sale of our home and our credit was not good. In spite of our circumstances, in a moment of divine agreement, we still believed that we would be able to find a 4 bedroom house to rent. So, we began looking in the newspaper almost on a daily basis. My husband looked more often than I did. However, on this one particular day when I was still meditating on Matthew 8:13, I remember my husband, after having looked at the newspaper that day, telling me that there were no four bedroom rental properties listed. After he had gone to work, for some reason, I picked up that newspaper and began looking at it. Surprisingly, I saw a four bedroom rental property and circled it. I remember calling my husband about it and he reminded me that he had looked thoroughly through the newspaper and there were no four bedrooms listed. I told him I was looking at one and gave him the location.

After my phone conversation with my husband, I continued meditating on Matthew 8:13 and to my wonderful surprise I heard the Lord say, “Go lay hands on the house and receive it in Jesus’ Name”. I was amazed that I heard God's voice behind the Word that I was meditating on regarding this particular house that I had just seen in the newspaper. I called my husband back and told him what the Lord had said. He immediately encouraged me to do what I heard the Lord say to me. So, I got up and drove to the house. I looked at the house, walked around the house, and then laid my hands on the house and said, “I receive you in Jesus’ Name”. Immediately, a supernatural peace and a supernatural knowing that the house was mine came into my spirit. There was a joy that I cannot explain other than it was supernatural. I had heard the voice of God and “faith” came. I acted on what I had heard, and “more faith came”. I went home and told my husband and our children that we should get boxes and start packing up because we were moving. I remember my husband looking at me and saying, “You don't even know whether we have the house yet”. I remember saying, “Oh, we have it. It's ours”.

Sure enough, in spite of our credit issues, the owner of the house called us one day and said, “I'm not sure why I'm renting this house to you but I feel like I should give you a second chance.” Glory to God! I knew that we would get that phone call because when I laid hands on that house and received it in Jesus’ Name, as I had been instructed to do, there was a supernatural knowing that the house belonged to us. This was truly a Matthew 8:13 moment for me. The Lord was teaching me that truly whatever I could believe HIM for it would be done for me in His Name.

Scripture Readings: Romans 10:14-17; Hebrews 11:1-6; Matthew 8:5-13