...Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 

— Acts 6:8

Stephen was a man, a deacon in the church, but something separated him from the other Christians.  He was full of faith and power.  Since Stephen was full of faith, we can determine that Stephen was full of the Word, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  The results of him being full of faith were that he did -- notice, not God did, but he did--great wonders and miracles among the people.  Why did he do wonders and miracles?  Because God chose him to do them?  Because God decided to use him in wonders and miracles?  Because Stephen was specially called by God?  No!  Because he was full of faith and power!  Every born-again believer has the measure of faith (Romans 12:3).  Every believer has the opportunity to allow their measure to grow and increase.  You decide how much Word you hear and how much Word you act on.  The same spiritual position of being full of faith is available to you.  You, too, can be a person full of faith and power.  You, too, can be a person who does great wonders and miracles among the people.  There is a need for miracles in the world today.  Sickness, disease, fear, and demons are running loose.  God needs people full of faith and power like never before in the earth today.  Will you be a Stephen?  Will you be full of faith and power?  Will you do great wonders and miracles?

Where is boasting then?  It is excluded.  By what law?  Of works?  Nay: but by the law of faith.

— Romans 3:27

The Word declares that we are saved by grace through faith–-not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).  Salvation was a free gift, but it had to be received through faith.  Faith is a spiritual law.  When put into operation, it will manifest the things freely given to you through the Cross in your life.  Faith is a spiritual law!  It will work when it is put to work.  Gravity is a natural law.  It is a law that is in operation all the time.  If you jump off the top of a 10-story building, the law of gravity will work.  You can claim that it is not working, you can believe it is not working, but if you jump, you will soon find out that it is working!  Just because you do not believe in gravity does not stop it from working.  People say they have “tried” faith.  They say this faith stuff does not work.  But faith is a spiritual law, and it works all the time.  Just like the law of faith brought you salvation by grace, it will bring all the other promises into your life!  Whether you feel like it is working, whether you see it working or not, it is working!  Do not change your confession because you do not see instant results. Do not use faith just to try to receive something material from God.   The just shall live by faith.  Think, live, and talk faith all day, every day, and you will see results.  The law of faith is in operation for you today!

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:  he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

— Romans 4:19, 20

This verse talks about Abraham’s relationship with God.  Abraham was strong in faith, and this gave glory to God.  All Christians want to give glory to God, and the way to do it is by being strong in faith!  Here is a choice for you to make:  live your life strong in faith or live it weak in faith.  What will make the difference in how you live? --it depends on what you consider.  Abraham had strong natural evidence for not having a child:  he was 100 years old, and his wife was barren.  There was no possible way for him to have a son without supernatural intervention.  God gave him a word, a promise, in order to give him a chance to move beyond the natural impossibility into the supernatural ability of God.  It takes the Word of God-–the promises of God–-to move into the realm of miracles.  Abraham did not consider his age.  He did not consider his wife.  He refused to stagger at the promise in unbelief because of this.  He was strong in faith.  What are you strong in today:  “He meets my needs” or “what shall I eat”?  Are you strong in symptoms and the doctor’s report, or strong in “by His stripes I am healed”?  Are you strong in “This is going to be a bad day,” or “this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”?  What are you considering today?  What are you thinking on today?  Find yourself a promise and stop living in unbelief.  Become strong in faith, in health, in wealth, in peace, in joy, in love, and let your life give glory to God.  Consider the Word!

...Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:  and be not faithless, but believing.

— John 20:27

Here we see Jesus appearing to His disciples after His death and resurrection.  He came through the wall of the upper room and, in person, showed them that He had been raised from the dead.  He told them many times, before He was crucified, that He would suffer, die, be buried, and be raised up on the third day, but they did not believe Him.  Here was proof, in person, of His resurrection.  Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples, so they told Thomas about Jesus’ visitation.  But Thomas would not believe Jesus was alive unless he felt the wounds and touched the nail marks.  Thomas’ only evidence was that he saw Jesus on the cross, dead, and then buried.  Jesus appeared a second time and went right to Thomas.  He told him that to have to feel Him and touch Him in order to believe in His resurrection was being faithless!  Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), so to believe in only what you can see and feel is to be faithless.  Thomas could have easily said “I know He died, but if you say He is alive, then I will believe that.”  But He still had too much confidence in his natural senses.  Believe you are blessed because the Word says so, healed and anointed because the Word says so, on top and full of joy because the Word says so.  Do not be controlled by feelings or circumstances–-it is being faithless.