A God that can descend as well as ascend can only be grasped by faith. The truth of the persons of our God is held in our heart by the activity of the Holy Spirit. Man was created totally dependent on the Divine. The Bible calls this dependency hope. Hope is the root of faith. Faith flows out of a firm, unmovable hope. He created us in this manner so we are helpless in our effort to disregard Him. Trying to live without God in the spiritual realm is equal to living without oxygen in the natural realm. The entire body shuts down in less than ten minutes. Spiritual saints have learned that a single day without meaningful time in God’s presence is sheer heartrending.

Apostle Paul made this truth unmistakable. “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Romans 8: 20. 24-25). Hope is joyous expectancy. It knows that God has all things in His power and plan, and we are shouting with assurance as we wait on Him.

Great faith grows out of this Biblical dimension of hope. Hope is the utter settling of ourselves in the perfection of God’s Word and His will for us. It requires surrender to His absolute Lordship over our lives. One ounce of resistance to God’s perfect plan breaks the power of Hope in our lives. Then, absence of hope defeats faith. Perfect hope goes hand-in-hand with His mastery of all of our plans. When Jesus Christ is enthroned and everything is released to His design, our future is complete and faith begins to multiply.

Now, we can begin to build a strong life of faith and see the miracles of God. While he experienced unfailing faith in the country of Babylon, Daniel gave us God’s formula, “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32). This man of God turned the captivity of Israel into one of the greatest books in the Holy Bible. Miracle after miracle attended his life. Even the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar from heathenism to faith was recorded. Imagine spending a night with hungry lions and never getting one scratch.

To disregard our Father’s unfailing promises of the supernatural requires a constant pen knifing of Holy Scripture. Ezra wrote of the constant vigil of the Father looking for saints that He could honor with His excellent power. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (II Chronicles 16:9a). We have lived like paupers on the fringes of the supernatural. We have labored to master His kingdom with human powers, while the Holy Father waits to reveal Himself in splendor.

Faith is a principle of God’s divine plan that He will not disregard. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The apostle that gave us those words by the Holy Ghost described the Old Testament saints by their faith in this great chapter when he wrote, “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:33-35).

This incredible faith that will turn the church into a powerhouse for God is waiting for our total surrender. When we rest in the hope of His sufficiency alone and live in the rich graces He has provided, His faith will flood our souls. James, the brother of the Lord and one of His choice servants, gave us His formula, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). The faith of the Lord is so mighty that you only need a mustard seed proportion. Jesus Himself gave us His promise. The disciples were unable to deliver a young of demons. They asked the Lord why they had failed. He told them, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:20-21).

I challenge you to great seasons of prayer where your all is on the altar to His perfect will. Cease all resistance to complete surrender. Allow the Holy Spirit to possess you for Jesus Christ and to enthrone Him on the seat of your heart and will. Perfect hope will produce unwavering faith. Perfect faith will allow God to be manifest.