Taken by themselves, the words “It is finished” may not mean much, but putting them in the context of what Jesus did on the cross gives them the power to transform our lives. Faith is tremendously important on our Christian walk, but we must know how to use it properly. Many people ask God to do what has already been done, instead of having faith in Jesus’ finished works. Whatever it is we need in our lives, trusting in the power of His actions two thousand years ago opens the door to supernatural responses to our requests.
Through the Holy Spirit, God has deposited everything we will ever need inside of us. We don’t have to work to earn it, because it’s already there. Acknowledging this results in the manifestations of what we prayerfully request. “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 1:6). Our faith starts working when we admit we already have what we ask.
When trouble shows up, faith in what grace has made available prior to our need and independent of our effort should be our response. Our trust that God not only has the ability but also the will to give us exactly what we need when we need it connects us to the finished works of Jesus. Everything has already been done for us. “And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22, AMPC).
We have what is necessary to live a successful, powerful life, and now faith is required to take possession of it. So if our faith is what is required, we need to know exactly what it is. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for” (Hebrews 11:1, 2, NIV). It doesn’t matter what we see or don’t see; faith is pleasing to God and it moves us into a position to receive from Him.
It’s not always easy living in a world that doesn’t understand faith, because our minds will always be under attack in this area. But the hope that we have from this kind of trust in God is real. “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming” (1 Peter 1:13, NIV). Whether we need wisdom, peace, joy, deliverance, healing, prosperity, or anything else grace made available, faith is the substance of those spiritual gifts.
When things happen, we can be tempted by fear to respond through self-effort. This is the natural response the rest of the world accepts as normal, but it gets us zero results. A good example for us is the apostle Paul’s uncommon, supernatural response to a life-threatening situation, and his advice to his fellow shipmates to be joyful (Acts 27:22-25).
Faith is our positive response to God’s grace. Grace has been made available to everyone, but not everyone chooses to respond the same way. Some people doubt this “almost too good to be true” favor God shows toward us, but our trust in Jesus and His finished works is the key to seeing the supernatural manifestations.