Where do we get faith? Is it just something we have or don’t have? Can we get more faith? Do we need more faith? Those are all question we tend to wrestle with.

In Romans 12:3, the Bible says we have all been given a measure of faith. That measure or portion of faith may differ from person to person, but everyone has a degree of faith, the ability to believe.

When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, He said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6 NKJV)

If you know anything about seeds, you know that a mustard seed is very small. Mark said it was the smallest of all known seeds at that time. (Mark 4:30) I’m told, however, that an orchid seed is actually smaller, but they didn’t know about it. Anyway, I think Jesus was trying to make a point: It’s not the amount of faith we have – but how we use that faith. Maybe we all have enough faith to cast a mulberry tree into the sea! I haven’t tried that, but I do know that faith is quantitative. We have a measure of it, and if it can be measured, it can be increased.

I’m sure the disciples saw Jesus do extraordinary miracles and thought, I can’t do that. I need more faith… I think they were right, because I often feel that way. I read the Bible and think, I don’t have enough faith to walk on water, to heal the sick, and raise the dead. At least I think about it. Many Christians won’t even venture down that road, having been taught miracles ceased long ago. I disagree. God’s Word hasn’t changed, we have. So, maybe our problem is a lack of faith.

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” What if I told you that you could have more faith if you want it? Could it be as simple as Paul just stated? We tend to take that verse and mystify it. Well it’s the rhema word of God, the now spoken word from the lips of God, that gives us faith. That’s true. But then, we relegate it to some rare, unique experience that rarely happens. Maybe it would happen more often, if we were in the Logos more often! Faith is born out of the Word of God; that’s the only place it comes from.

It may help to think about faith like the language or currency of heaven…

Just like euros work in Europe and dollars in America, faith works in heaven. It’s the only currency that works there! Without faith it is impossible to please God. But more than that, faith is the only thing that will bring heaven to earth. Faith enables us to appropriate the treasures of heaven. God honors faith. Without it, I am a pauper in heaven – but with it, all things are possible!

In order to do business in heaven I don’t just need the currency of heaven, I need to know the language of heaven, too. I need to understand God’s ways and how to use the faith I have. I need to know how the author of faith intends for me to use it. Basically, I need His faith, not just my own to be successful there. (Mark 11:22; Galatians 2:20)

So, how do I get it? By hearing the Word of God – like really hearing the Word of God – until it comes alive in me, until it shakes my world, until it reshapes my life.

What if the rhema Word is always there, and it’s just a matter of digging for it? What if it’s lying there, waiting for me to touch it, so it can come alive? Maybe God’s breath is always in the Word, waiting for us to breathe it in? Maybe it’s not some mystical experience we need to wait for. Maybe it’s waiting for us…