The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life (3 page)

Read The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life Online

Authors: Casey Treat

2
Faith Is the Muscle
“Y
ou have hepatitis C, and you are going to die in a few years if nothing changes.” At the age of fifty, after over three decades of a strong Christian walk, and feeling like Wendy and I were just on the brink of exploding to a new level of ministry, this was the last thing I wanted to hear the doctor say. He continued to talk about what my options were, what my percentages for remission were (which were close to zero), and exactly what hep C is, but I don’t remember much of what he said. But here’s the interesting thing that I clearly remember: I wasn’t feeling any fear—about
anything
he was saying.
I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to telling Wendy about this, let alone the kids, but I wasn’t afraid. The Treat family has always been one led by faith. Although at first there were a few tears, I knew we would face this battle with our faith. If you want the complete and detailed story of this season in my life, the year of chemotherapy, and how we all walked through it until finally getting a letter from the doctor saying I was completely cured, you can check out my book,
How to Be Your Best When You Feel Your Worst
. But I mention a little of this testimony here to encourage you: when you live your life by faith, with faith, and through faith, no matter what the world throws at you, you never have to feel fear.
For thirty years of my life, I had been speaking His Word and His supernatural healing over my body and my life. Countless times I had confessed Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24: “He was wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities; The chastisement for my peace was upon Him, And by His stripes I am healed.” So, after receiving the prognosis, I didn’t run home to flip through my Bible in order to find scriptures about healing or to see whether or not it was God’s will to heal me. I didn’t need to because by now I had them memorized and they were part of my heart.
I had been applying my faith for healing almost every day of my life, and that didn’t change simply because the words were now
hepatitis C.
As far as I was concerned, headaches, backaches, injuries, pneumonia, hepatitis, these were all the same thing: issues that Jesus had already taken care of for me. All I needed to do was receive my healing by faith. But here’s the deal: if I had waited to use or to grow my faith until the day the doctor told me I had a deadly disease, I probably wouldn’t have been able to write a book testifying about my victory over it just a few years later—I’d probably still be dealing with the sickness.
Faith cannot be something you put on a shelf and then try to find in times of emergency. It’s not a parachute that can suddenly save you once you’ve been thrown out of the airplane of life. If you haven’t taken the time to learn about how that parachute works, how to use it, how to troubleshoot with it, even how to put it on properly, then you’re probably not going to make it through the fall. And if you haven’t performed some test jumps at lower altitudes and perfected the skill of freefalling and landing, you might have a pretty rough go at it.
Faith cannot be something you put on a shelf and then try to find in times of emergency. It’s not a parachute that can suddenly save you once you’ve been thrown out of the airplane of life.
In order to possess the level of faith that is ready for anything, it must be used every day of our lives. It’s like the muscles in our bodies. They’ve been there since the day we were born. They grew as we grew, and how much we stretch and exercise them today is proportionate to exactly how much production we will get out of them. If we keep them active and strong, then we’ll be able to do all kinds of fun and exciting things. But if we never move our muscles and we live a sedate life, then they will become weak and eventually enter into a state of atrophy. Faith is the same way.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Paul writes, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly.” I love this scripture because it teaches us that not only do we have the power to grow our faith, but we can grow it
exceedingly
. This kind of faith can overcome any situation that might arise, no matter how big or how small. Granted, it’s a process that happens over time, but if we will exercise our faith muscles every day of our lives, then there will come a point when we stop and say, “Hey look at that—I have exceeding faith!” Regardless of where you are in your faith walk right now as you read this book, be encouraged: if you will just start to work out your faith muscles daily, you can grow your faith to any degree you desire.
This is a picture of what I’m talking about: Every day, you get up and say something like “Thank you, Father, for protecting me and my family as we go through our day. I’m trusting You will lead and guide me today and will bless and prosper my work. I don’t know exactly what this day will hold, but I do know the Holder of this day! Thank You that I don’t live by the world’s economy, because I’m an ambassador of Heaven, and no matter what’s going on in the world, I live above it. I’m serving You today and will be a light in this world today.”
Regardless of where you are in your faith walk right now as you read this book, be encouraged: if you will just start to work out your faith muscles daily, you can grow your faith to any degree you desire.
So then what happens, when the boss comes and says, “Sorry, we have to lay you off”? Your immediate response is, “Praise God, I walk by faith, and I know You have an even better job waiting for me. This is my opportunity to rise up!” Or when the bank statement shows you are almost out of money? You say, “I tithe, and Your Word promises that You will open up the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that I cannot even contain!” Whatever the situation is, respond in faith, not fear.
This is exactly how Wendy and I have operated ever since the day we got saved. We started our church by faith, we grew in our marriage by faith, we had our babies at our home by faith, we believed God to increase our ministry by faith, we faced every challenge and every sickness by faith, we raised our kids by faith, we gave our finances in faith—everything we did, everything we do, is by faith! So when the doctor came and said to me, “You’re going to die,” we didn’t freak out. We had spent decades of our lives building our faith muscles, stretching our faith muscles, and we were ready for the challenge. We certainly did not rejoice at the battle we were going to have to endure, but we were confident in our ability to walk through it. During the times when our confidence waned, we had plenty of people around us who would lift us up by their strong muscles of faith!
You can have the same kind of faith—exceeding faith. Make a decision to work out your faith muscles every day. Pick an area in which your faith is weak, and start there. Find scriptures that pertain to it, write them down, and begin to speak them over your life. Trust in God’s Word and its power, and you will begin to see amazing results in your life. As you continue reading, I’ll share many other practical truths about how to grow your faith. Use a highlighter, mark up the pages. Use this book as a resource for your growth in your walk with God.
Hearing and Hearing
The only way faith can grow is by hearing and embracing the Word of God. “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17)
.
Many people have bought into the idea that faith is produced when a person goes through tests and trials. But this is not the case. Faith does not grow simply by going through problems or negative circumstances. In fact, I have seen many Christians go through tough situations, and instead of responding with faith, they get bitter and shake their fists at God. I have seen some people get completely wiped out because they had no idea how to walk through the issue by faith, and through the strength and power of God. Problems can definitely become an opportunity to operate in faith and to increase in faith, but this only happens if the person makes a decision to do so
and
if the person understands how to do so.
In the last chapter, I wrote that in order to live by faith, we need to believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:17 explains
what
we need to believe and confess: the Word of God. As we study the Bible and go to church, we learn about God’s promises and God’s ways, and our faith begins to grow. Then, when we use His Word to guide us through the situations we face from day to day, we are exercising our faith muscles and becoming stronger and stronger in our faith. Notice I did not say we become stronger just by learning about God’s Word. We also need to use that Word in our lives—believe it in our hearts and confess it out of our mouths—in order for us to see any results.
Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ ” The gospel of Christ is the power of God, available for any person who will believe it—not the power for everyone, just the ones who will believe it.
The gospel of Christ is the power of God, available for any person who will believe it—not the power for everyone, just the ones who will believe it.
Wendy and I have seen many people throughout the years who have come to church but have never locked in to faith in God. They sat through services but never really believed, went through the religious motions and nodded their heads but never trusted God. Instead, they were trusting in their insurance policy, the stock market, their doctors, and their bank accounts. They never decided to live by faith. Then as the years went by, we would see it show up in their kids, and in their health, and how they would respond when things went wrong in their lives. And every time this happens, we think,
Darn! If only they would have believed God and His Word, and had used all this time to grow their faith. They would have seen such a greater blessing on their lives, such a stronger ability to rise above the storms of life.
Again, the gospel is not the power of God for everybody; it’s the power of God for the one who believes. Let’s be the ones who believe. Let’s operate in the power of God by believing what His Word says!
The passage in Romans 1:16-17 goes on to say that everything about our relationship with God is revealed from faith to faith; meaning, as our understanding
and
belief in His Word grows, our faith grows. Just like steps on a journey, each one moving us forward, so we move in our destinies from faith to faith to faith to faith to faith. First, we believe Jesus is our Savior, but let’s not stop there. Why not believe He’s our healer, our financer, our wisdom, our peace, and our joy? Faith to faith. Then let’s believe for the spouse, and the children, and the raise, and the increase. Faith to faith to faith. Then let’s believe for our kids’ spouses, and their raises, and their increases. Faith to faith to faith to faith!
Every promise in the Bible is available to us; every aspect of God’s character can flow through us, and along with these, an amazing power. God’s Word releases a powerful message into our lives, and when we have faith in it, all Heaven breaks loose, all of God’s blessings break loose, and we find ourselves living extraordinary supernatural lives!
Saying and Saying
And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it. (Mark 11:11-14)
To move things along here, let me summarize the next several verses: Jesus made a whip, they went into the temple of Jerusalem, and He freaked everyone out. Then the next day, in verses 20-22
,
“Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.’ So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God.’ ”
What?
Peter tells Jesus the tree is withered and His response is, “Have faith in God”? I was stirred up by this response because it seemed like a non sequitur. What does the withering of the fig tree have to do with having faith in God? So I did a bit of study, and this is what I found: the Greek translation of this verse is literally “Have the God kind of faith.” I love that! When a negative circumstance arises, the God kind of faith doesn’t just sit down and accept it; it sees the challenge, speaks to the issues, and changes them. I believe Jesus was using this situation as an illustration about how we should approach life.
Anybody can talk
about
the problem. Most of us would’ve seen the fig tree and then complained all night about how hungry we were, and “if only that tree would’ve had some fruit on it, I wouldn’t be dealing with these hunger pangs right now.” We all act like this, don’t we? We all have thoughts like “Oh, if only my spouse would be more sensitive,” “If only my boss would see how valuable I am, I’d get that raise,” and “If only my body would get healthy.” Anybody can complain about what is wrong in his life.
Jesus wants us to understand that faith people don’t waste their breath talking about their problems; faith people talk
to
their problems. We speak to those things that are wrong in our lives, and in doing so, we transform them.
Jesus wants us to understand that faith people don’t waste their breath talking about their problems; faith people talk
to
their problems. We speak to those things that are wrong in our lives, and in doing so, we transform them.
Jesus further explains in verses 23-24, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Remember the example in the last chapter about the teacher at exam time who told her students exactly what they needed to know? Here is God once again spelling it out for us: “whoever
says,
” “believes what he
says,
” “has whatever he
says
,” and “whatsoever things you
ask.
” Four times Jesus tells us to open up our mouths and make some sounds of faith! Jesus didn’t say we will have what we need, or we will have what we want, or we will have what we deserve. He said we would have what we say! Every day, what are we saying? Are we talking about things or are we talking to things? Are we whining about our problems, or are we using our faith to overcome them?
Have faith—the God kind of faith. How do you know when you have faith in God? You believe it in your heart and you say it with your mouth. If you believe “He bore my sickness, I believe I’m healed” (1 Peter 2:24), then say it with your mouth. If you believe “My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19), then say it out of your mouth. If you believe “My marriage is blessed, my career is prospering, I have sweet and undisturbed sleep and rest, and I have the peace of God that passes understanding, guards my heart, and guards my mind, so I don’t have breakdowns and meltdowns,” then say it out of your mouth because that is how we live our lives with the God kind of faith.
Let’s grow our faith by hearing and hearing and saying and saying. Let’s speak to our mountains and overcome every problem, every sickness, and every battle that comes our way. Let’s believe God is our counsel, our strength, our wisdom, and the God who makes a way when there is no way. Let’s walk strong through the cancer, the heartache, the loss, the financial downturns, and the emotional crises, and let’s be examples of faith and power so the world will stand up and take notice. Let’s live the kind of lives that bring people into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

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