Faith doesnít always come easy. The word ëfaithí is also tough to define, today even being used in relation to religious preference. "What faith are you?" is a question that we might encounter on any given day. However, in this lesson, we will not be defining faith as much as letting faith define us. Through two stories, one about two blind men, and another about a desperate Canaanite woman, weíll see how Jesus changes us first, before he changes our situations. That exchange, is what God calls ëFaith in the Making.í

In the book of Matthew we find Jesus encountering two blind men. These men have not seen Him, obviously, but they have heard of this carpenter from Galilee, and their hearts burned with longing and excitement over His miracles. When Jesus comes near, they cry out because they are in need of healing.

Weíre going to look at the causes of what made this statement of faith by the blind men lead to a full-fledged miracle.

Since these two men were blind, they couldnít be eyewitnesses to Jesusí miracles, so where did this faith begin?

If you donít hear about God, you wonít have faith in Him. If you never heard about miracles, you wonít have a faith in miracles. One of the best ways to develop ears that hear are through your:

• DAILY DEVOTIONS

Why? As you go through the Bible, you will see examples and hear what the Lord has said to people in the past. You will also hear what the Lord says about marriage, problems, compassion and wisdom. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the word of Christ.

Faith does not happen overnight. Building faith is like varnishing a table, layer after layer of daily applications. A great layer of beautiful varnish on a table doesnít consist of only one coat. It has about 40 coats layered on top of one another. Thatís what creates that sense of depth.

Devotions are the best way to develop that depth of faith, and that is why it needs to be done daily. Link your daily devotions to something you enjoy so it becomes a habit. Since you will always have time for the things that you enjoy, devotions will be much easier to do when we link it to these activities.

Jesus himself made devotions a habit in His life:

If people were to describe the habits of your life, would they include a quiet time with God, or devotions? Weíve got to make it a habit to the point where people identify us with it, as Jesus was identified with His daily time with the Lord.

We need to develop that sensitivity to Godís voice through ears that hear. It is through devotions that we obtain an ability to hear God through a cacophony of different voices. When times of need arise, if we havenít developed ears that hear, we wonít hear God giving us instructions that are critical and crucial to navigating through rough times. The Lord is speaking to us, but we have to choose through our daily disciplines whether we will be able to hear Him.

Another way to develop ears that hear is through:

• HONESTY IN PRAYER

When you develop ears that hear, it comes through in our prayer times. During my own personal prayer time, I find that I donít really pray, but instead I grumble, I confess my wifeís sins, and I tell God what He should do. I do everything, except develop ears that hear. I donít listen to what Heís saying and write down His wisdom.

One of the most overlooked aspects of prayer is developing ears that hear. So how do you do that? Simple. Many times Iíll ride my motorcycle over to Makapuíu and sit overlooking the ocean. Then Iíll ask the Lord, "Am I doing ok, God?" Then Iíll start to scan the landscape of my life, starting with my devotions, "Lord, how is my mind and heart? How is my family life or my relationship with my wife? How am I doing with my children?"

And the Lord will help us to see where we are lacking. For example, when it comes to children, at each season of your childís life, no matter how old they are, there are times when they change. And you need to discern when to be close to them, and when to pull away. And if you are not careful, you will smother or neglect them at the wrong times of their lives. You cannot get this information solely from their reaction to you, but you need to hear it from Godís word.

I have a written journal for these times that I spend with God, and when I get home, I will reschedule my life according to what He has told me. That is called walking with God. Instead of counseling Him, when I donít change, I need to change to His ways. This is how honesty in prayer truly works.

When you hear God speak to you:

When God speaks, weíve got to believe, because we can hear and not change.

Did you know that in every single one of our hearts, there is a speed adjustment dial for the pace at which we will allow ourselves to believe what God is saying? Quickly or slowly, promptly or tardily, to make His word a command or just advice. That dial is in our own hearts. Sometimes we have it at super slow, where we think of Godís voice as merely a nice suggestion, and others have it on fast, where they begin to walk with God, releasing the fullness of Godís blessings. People look at these speed demons and ask, "Why is that person so blessed by God?" It is because they have developed ears that hear, and are willing to believe.

Now, letís go back to the story of the two blind men:

This critical question, "Do you believe that I can do this?" is what released the miracle of sight. This same question is going to be asked of you at every problem you face. A lot of times, I wonder if itís our choice to be where we are. Even before we encounter the full load of a problem, the Lord will be speaking and giving us warning signs. But because we did not have ears to hear, we donít even recognize the impending problem. The good news is that wherever we are, God is still asking the question to us, "Do you believe that I am able?"

• BELIEVE THAT IT CAN BE DONE!

I want to say a word to those of you who are married. People come up to me and say, "You know Wayne, Iíd like for my marriage to be better, but my spouse or my husbandÖI just canít get him to do this or that."

Listen to me carefully; one of the targets the enemy will try to attack is the relationship and unity between two people that should be following the same path. If he can split you down the middle, then heís diminished your strength by ten times. The book of Deuteronomy says, "one can set a thousand in flight and two can set ten thousand" (Deut. 32:30). What itís saying is that when youíre alone, you have some strength, but when you have unity with your spouse, you receive an exponential power of ten.

Satan knows that when we start to agree as a church, as the promises of the Bible tell us, the gates of hell cannot prevail against that power. That is why the devil will come in force against relationships so that you still come to church, but you hate each otherís guts. But God wants our people united!

Husbands, I say to you that God holds you responsible for the health of the relationship between you and your spouse because that is one of the most powerful weapons against the enemy. It is called agreement.

One of the most powerful units of measure in the kingdom is agreement between two people because that adds a power of ten to your work. It is so important for you married couples to stay together. It doesnít matter who is right or who is wrong, will you go to your grave muttering, "I was right, I was right"? After a while, it doesnít matter who is right and who is wrong, you have to recognize what is best for the relationship. People are going to make mistakes, but just because you are right doesnít justify the destruction of relationships. Husbands, we have to be willing to lay down our lives for our wives (Eph 5). Donít let Satan deceive you into thinking that being right is the most important thing. Stay in agreement, believe what God is saying, and move as He directs you.

So once you hear God and believe:

• BE READY TO CHANGE!

If you are not ready to change, your prayers will always be grumbling sessions. If you want to have a faith in the making, you must change.

Let me tell you a story about a Canaanite mother who was desperate. She had a child who was cruelly demon-possessed and she went to the Lord and said, "Lord, would you help me?"

Now, Godís answer seemed pretty stern, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
Well, she doesnít take this as an agreeable reply and says, "Son of David, youíve got to help me!"

Then Jesus says, "It is not good to take the childrenís bread and throw it to the dogs."

As I read this, I thought, "Wow, the Lord really needs to get some people skills. Those are some harsh words!"

However, this woman comes back and gives a beautiful lesson on faith in her reply:

When I finished reading, I thought, "Lord, this is a story of humility, perseverance, and ragged tenacity. God, if I were that lady, I would be so offending and upset, but instead of being defeated, she humbled herself even more!" Instead of being offended, she changed. In her there is an increasing modesty, not an increasing anger. She didnít just walk away and shrug her shoulders, but when the Lord gave her a stern reply, she was willing to shed any sense of arrogance or pride in order for her need to be met by the master. She was willing to pay the price so that God would bring healing.

Sometimes Iím unwilling to pay the price. At those times I ask God to change my circumstances or the people around me, and He asks, "Wayne, what price are you willing to pay for me to help you?" It is then that I realize that the currency that the Lord is asking for in exchange for healing is my arrogance. What I think is valuable, like saving face, is very detestable in His sight. But, He will still use it as currency for His presence, and His miracles. Like beauty for ashes, he will take our garbage and give us His transforming grace.

Develop an ear for the Lordís voice, believe in His leading, and allow yourself to change according to His ways. When we are willing to do that often, we experience a faith in the making.