Creflo A Dollar - The divine order of faith : [how to get from the problem to the answer]

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Dedication

This book is lovingly dedicated to Pastor Chester L. Carter, Sr. and Sister Laura Cartermy pastors, teachers and friends. Your Christ-like example, wise counsel and innumerable prayers have made all the difference in this ministry. Bless you.

Chapter 1 Is Your Faith Out of Order?

Let all things be done decently and in order. (I Corinthians 14:40)

Frustration. I see it on the faces of many believers who tell me they just can't seem to get "this faith stuff" to work for them.

I can sympathize. Early in my Christian life, I too spent a lot of time scratching my head and wondering why I wasn't seeing the miracles I needed so desperately.

Now I know. The key to seeing miracle-working power operate consistently in your life lies in understanding the divine order of faith.

When I talk about "divine order," I'm referring to the fact that God has ordained everything in heaven and on earth to operate according to a predetermined sequence or order.

This is especially true where spiritual things are concerned. God's heavenly kingdom is a place of order.

For example, under the Old Covenant system, the High Priest followed a very strict, very detailed sequence of actions before he dared to enter the Holy of Holies.

He didn't go waltzing into the Most Holy Place any time he pleased. I assure you, he would have only done so once. Such a cavalier attitude toward God's prescribed order would have cost him his life.

No. There was a process that had to take place before the High Priest could operate in certain aspects of his calling. The same is true for you and me when; faith is concerned.

You'll never see the miracles and promises of God that will move you from the problem to the solution until you come to understand the divine order of faith.

Follow the Procedure

Even in everyday life, there is an established order to follow in much of what we do. And as the pastor of a large and growing congregation, I frequently see people who fail to follow the set order.

From time to time, for example, an irate church member will come up to me and say, "Pastor, I've been trying to get in to see you for five months!"

Then I ask them how they've gone about trying to see me. "Well, I've dropped by your office several times and you're either gone, busy, or have someone in your office."

Immediately the problem is evident. There is a simple and well established procedure in our church for getting in to see the pastor. It is spelled out clearly in our new member orientation.

Anyone who wants to see me merely needs to call my secretary, get an appointment, and show up on the day and time set. That's all there is to it.

I have established a clear order for arranging my office schedule. If you don't follow the order, you probably don't get in to see me.

The same is true in the Kingdom of God. The Lord has a set order for everything. As we see in I Corinthians 14, that includes the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit:

If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let all things be done decently and in order. (I Corinthians 14:27-33 ,40 )

I've been in situations where God's prescribed order for operating in the gifts of the Spirit was ignored.

One person would jump up and give a message in tongues, and before anyone could give an interpretation, someone else would be up doing the same thing.

Soon there were people all over the place delivering some type of prophetic message. The result was total chaos, and no one was getting blessed.

No Order, No Miracles

When you neglect God's divine order, His blessings don't flow. Divine order is a prerequisite for miracles and blessings.

We see that truth illustrated so vividly in Jesus' feeding of the 5,000. Before the people could be miraculously blessed, they had to get in order.

For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. (Luke 9:14)

Can you imagine the chaos that would have ensued if the disciples had started randomly handing out food to that hungry mob? There would have been a riot!

There's no getting around it. Follow God's set order and you'll get the desired results. Ignore it and you'll end up frustrated and defeated.

So does God have an established order when it comes to overcoming problems? Yes. The scriptures give us a clear pattern for moving from any problembe it sickness, debt, lack, family strife or anything elseto the solution.

These steps will work for anyone at any time, regardless of how overwhelming the circumstances you face. These steps represent God's divine order of faith.

We've had a lot of good teaching on faith. But I've heard very little on God's prescribed order for using it. I believe that's why we have so many so-called faith failures out there and so many frustrated Christians. Most don't even know there is a divine order of faith, much less understand what it is.

In the following pages we'll see that God's Word lays

out a simple 10 step order for getting from any problem to a miraculous solution. It doesn't matter if you've been a Christian for 50 years or you were born again 5 minutes ago. If you will submit yourself to this order, your faith will produce. God's Word guarantees it.

But before you can submit to God's divine order for faith, you need to have a good working understanding of what faith is.

Chapter 2 You Gotta Have Faith

The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17)

We are living in extraordinary times. Signs all around us shout the fact that we are living in the final days of history. And in this critical hour, knowing how to operate in faith can literally mean the difference between life and death.

That's why it is vital you start developing your faith now. If you wait until a crisis is upon you to start learning how to live by faith, you'll be in big trouble. Those who put it off until the last minute will find that it's too late.

Child of God, the time for playing church is over. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is on His way back. And the key to surviving and even thriving in this unprecedented era is knowing how to operate in faith.

No Avoiding Trouble

Regardless of the time in history in which you're living, if you're a believer, one thing is certain. You're going to have trouble. It's not only likely. It's guaranteed. In John 16:33 Jesus says,

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

It shouldn't come as any great shock when, as a believer, you experience tribulation or trouble. Jesus said it would happen. But praise God, that's not all He said.

Jesus went on to say, "Cheer up! I have overcome the world!"

Now the world hasn't changed all that much since Jesus' day. Sure, the technology has advanced, but human nature is as mean and nasty as ever. Without Jesus, this world is a hostile place.