The Power of faith for your next level |August | 23

Hebrews 11 gives the picture of Abraham obeying God and going out, not knowing where he was going. Abraham did not have a natural address to plug into a GPS, but he had God’s positioning satellite. God called him forward, and Abraham packed his bags and took steps because God said so. Faith for the next levels is not faith in self. Faith for the next levels is faith in God constantly.

Romans 12 says that God has dealt to every person the measure of faith. Faith is like muscles. Muscles are already in a baby at birth, but those muscles must be exercised to grow strong. Faith is already there for the journey of life, but faith must be exercised. Faith grows when it is used, just as muscles grow when they are worked. The little muscle of faith must not be ignored.

Abraham shows that faith does not mean a journey without twists and turns. Abraham waited for a child, questioned God at times, and saw delays before Isaac came. Faith is not about perfection, but it is about participation. God remained faithful through Abraham’s journey, even when Abraham and Sarah tried to help the promise through Hagar. God’s promise still stood, because Isaac was the child of promise.

Romans 4 says that Abraham believed in the God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they already did. Abraham called himself father of many nations when the physical circumstances said otherwise. Faith sees the end from the beginning. Faith speaks peace in the middle of chaos, healing in the presence of sickness, and provision when resources are not yet visible. Faith is not the absence of doubt. Faith is the means to overcome doubt.

Abraham did not consider his body or the deadness of Sarah’s womb above the promise of God. Abraham grew stronger in faith, gave glory to God, and became fully persuaded that God was able to perform what He promised. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith pleases God because faith takes God at His word.

Genesis 22 brings Abraham’s faith to the altar with Isaac. Abraham believed that God could bring the dead back to life, so he told the servants, “We are going to return.” God provided the ram, and Jesus stands as the substitution sacrifice for sinners. Faith trusts God even at the place where the promise appears to be under pressure.

Jesus says that faith can speak to mountains and see them move. Faith can move mountains, but doubt can create mountains. God calls His people to stretch, create capacity for expansion, speak to the mountain, and step into the next levels.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith must be exercised to grow. Faith is like muscles that become stronger through use. God has already given the measure of faith necessary for the journey, but that measure must be acted upon. Small steps of obedience develop spiritual strength for greater assignments. Faith that is exercised becomes faith that does not easily waver. [15:36]
• 2. God’s promise outruns physical circumstances. Abraham did not allow age, delay, or Sarah’s womb to have the final word over God’s promise. God calls things that do not exist as though they already exist, and faith agrees with God’s word before the evidence appears. Faith does not deny the circumstance, but it refuses to make the circumstance greater than God. [29:25]
• 3. Faith is participation, not perfection. Abraham’s journey had wrong turns, questions, and painful waiting. God did not abandon His covenant purpose because Abraham’s walk was not flawless. Faith keeps returning to God, keeps trusting His word, and keeps moving forward after human weakness has been exposed. [24:35]
• 4. God guides steps without revealing everything. Abraham went out without knowing the destination because God had spoken. God’s positioning satellite does not always provide the whole map, but it gives direction for the next step. Obedience becomes the proof that God’s voice is trusted more than natural certainty. [38:08]
• 5. Faith speaks to mountains without doubt. Jesus gives believers authority to speak to the mountains before them. Mountains of sickness, finances, relationships, and ministry must not become permanent places of residence. Faith speaks God’s word, believes God’s power, and refuses to let doubt create another mountain. [45:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:44] - Faith for Your Next Levels
• [01:27] - Abraham Obeyed Without Knowing
• [04:50] - Faith Moves Mountains
• [07:06] - The Measure of Faith
• [13:32] - Faith Is Like Muscles
• [18:58] - Faith as Incubation
• [22:05] - Faith Overcomes Doubt
• [25:54] - Abraham Fully Persuaded
• [36:41] - God’s Positioning Satellite
• [39:49] - Faith Pleases God
• [41:03] - Abraham and Isaac on the Mountain
• [44:46] - Speaking to the Mountain
• [48:44] - Creating Capacity for Expansion
• [50:07] - Prayer of Salvation

Bible Reading

Hebrews 11:8-10
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” [01:27]

Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” [13:15]

Romans 4:17-21
“as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” [26:03]

Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” [39:53]

Genesis 22:5
“Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’” [43:42]

Observation questions

1. In Hebrews 11:8-10, what did Abraham know, and what did he not know, when he obeyed God’s call? [38:18]
2. According to Romans 4:17-21, what physical circumstances could Abraham and Sarah have focused on, and what did Abraham choose to focus on instead? [30:01]
3. What actions or responses in Romans 4 show that Abraham’s faith grew stronger over time?
4. In Genesis 22:5, what do Abraham’s words, “we will come again,” reveal about what he expected God to do? [43:42]

Interpretation questions

1. Hebrews 11 says Abraham went out without knowing where he was going. What does this show about the difference between trusting God’s direction and having every detail of the plan?
2. Romans 12:3 speaks of the measure of faith God has assigned. How does the picture of faith as a muscle help explain why small acts of obedience matter? [15:36]
3. Abraham and Sarah tried to bring about the promise through Hagar, but Isaac was still the child of promise. What does this part of Abraham’s story show about human impatience, wrong turns, and God’s faithfulness? [24:35]
4. Romans 4 says Abraham gave glory to God while he was still waiting for the promise. How can giving God glory help a believer resist being controlled by discouragement or outward circumstances? [30:38]

Application questions

1. Is there an area of life where God may be asking for a next step, but the whole path is still unclear? What would it look like to take one wise, obedient step while trusting God with the destination? [38:24]
2. What is one “small muscle of faith” that needs exercise right now—consistent prayer, forgiveness, generosity, serving, sharing faith, or obedience in a difficult decision? What is one specific action that could be taken this week? [32:14]
3. Abraham’s journey included waiting, questions, and a wrong turn with Hagar. Where has delay tempted someone in the group to force an answer rather than patiently trust God? How can the group support one another in returning to God’s promise? [25:05]
4. What circumstance has felt bigger than God’s promise lately: sickness, finances, family tension, a relationship, fear, or uncertainty? How can God’s Word be spoken over that situation without pretending the struggle is not real? [27:17]
5. Abraham became fully persuaded that God was able to do what He promised. Where might actions be showing more fear than confidence in God’s ability? What would a faith-filled response look like in that situation? [33:19]
6. Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is the means to overcome doubt. When doubts rise, what practices help bring the heart back to trust in God—prayer, Scripture, worship, remembering past faithfulness, or speaking with another believer? [22:14]
7. What “mountain” needs to be brought before God in prayer this week? What promise of God can be held onto as the group prays with faith rather than giving doubt the final word? [46:16]