Faith Begins Where God’s Will is Known
By Steve Backlund
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
If we don’t know what God’s will is concerning key areas of our lives, we will unnecessarily add “if it be your will” to our prayers and will not be in faith after we pray. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Our lack of knowledge concerning God’s promises will allow the enemy to “steal, kill, and destroy” our potential and God’s will for our lives.
Wendy’s (my wife) and my first book was Igniting Faith in 40 Days. One of its devotionals is called “Legal vs. Experiential”. I have inserted it below. (It will give you insight into understanding God’s will.)
Joshua chapter one is the chapter for those ready to leave wilderness Christianity. Joshua was called to lead the new generation into the Promised Land. In verse two, God says, “Go... to the land which I am giving to them.” He adds in verse three, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you.” Then verse four gives the boundaries to what was theirs. It’s fascinating that they are told what is legally theirs before they experientially possess it. Legal ownership was no guarantee of experiential ownership. It was called the Promised Land so that they would con!dently proceed to possess it – no matter what obstacles they encountered.
It is no different for us today. We have our own promised land. It’s not a geographical area, but it is for spec!fic blessings and promises. For instance, every person has the legal ownership of eternal life, but that must be possessed experientially through faith in Christ. Also, God promises us health, favor, spiritual power, protection, abundant provision, wisdom, and much more. Peter refers to the “exceedingly great and precious promises“ which were given to us “that we may be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). We may have to overcome many challenges to experience these promises, but we can. Let’s persevere and keep seeking to possess what is already legally ours.
If we don’t believe something is ours, we won’t fight for it; and it is probable we will create theologies from our experiences, rather than what God has said and promised. One of my favorite Wendy quotes is this: I don’t challenge the Word of God with my experience, but I challenge my experience with God’s Word.
Here are some strong beliefs to declare that will help you grow in what we are sharing today:
I am who God says I am
I have what God says I have
I can do what God says I can do
I have revelation of the full benefits of my salvation
I do not create my theology or identity beliefs from my feelings or experiences
I persevere through challenges to possess my promised land
Special note: Igniting Faith in 40 Days is the book that is used in our free 40 Day Negativity Fast and Positivity Feast starting on March 5, 2025.