The Faith: Understanding the Principles of Kingdom Faith from Expectation to Manifestation

By Dwain R. Leavy

A recent survey found that a large majority of people who describe themselves as Christians struggle with faith and often succumb to fear and unbelief. The enemy has used our lack of understanding, along with fear and unbelief, to rob us of our inherited blessings through Christ. For many, faith has become a social media hashtag or some positive force that everyone can access to facilitate a better life. However, faith is not a social media hashtag, nor is it some positive force flowing throughout the universe that we tap into like a Star Wars Jedi. The faith of the Bible, also known as kingdom faith, is the key to experiencing the manifestation of what God has freely given to every believer. Everything that our Lord and Savior provided through His death, burial, and resurrection is available and accessible by faith.

Throughout the pages of this book, we explore what I call the process of kingdom faith. Webster defines a process as a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end. Just as there is a process to installing software on a computer or baking a cake, there is also a process to receiving what God promised in His Word. The process of kingdom faith incorporates various faith principles to move us from an expectation of the promises being fulfilled to experiencing the manifestation of those promises. It is my prayer that this book will lead you to a more intimate relationship with the Lord and will allow you to take full advantage of the benefits that God has given you through faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888321096

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The Faith

Understanding the Principles of Kingdom Faith from Expectation to Manifestation

Dwain R. Leavy

ISBN 979-8-88832-108-9 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-110-2 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88832-109-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Dwain R. Leavy

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

About This Book

Introduction

Understanding Kingdom Faith

A Faith That Believes

Working to Believe

Standing On What You Believe

The Words of Your Testimony

Fear, the Enemy of Faith

The Spirit of Unbelief

The Fight against Unbelief

The Great Debate

Receiving Healing through Faith

The Influence of Grace

A Promise of Rest

Epilogue

About the Author

To the memory of my grandmother…

Lillie B. Leavy

Thank you for raising me, loving me, and supporting me in everything I set out to do. You gave me everything you had, and I am forever grateful. I wish you were still here to read this book because I know you would have been so proud.

Acknowledgments

To my wife, Tisa: I appreciate you! Thanks for all the love and support that you have given me throughout the years. Through all the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, you have been there by my side as we weathered the storms of life together.

To Pastor Kevin Brown, Kingdom Vision Christian Center–Charleston, South Carolina: I enjoyed some of the best times of my life in the hospitals and on the streets, preaching the Word and praying for the sick with you and the rest of the team. I appreciate your leadership and dedication, as my family and I have grown spiritually under your tutelage. During some of the most difficult times in my life, I could always count on your wise counsel and support.

To my church family, Kingdom Vision Christian Center: Thanks for the love, support, and respect you've always shown me. You are truly my family!

To Minister Henry Wade: Thanks for your friendship throughout the years and for motivating me to become excited about church school all those years ago. During my daughter's time in the hospital, your faith encouraged me to stop putting limits on God! You expected a complete recovery, and that's what we got.

To Nikki Grant, Queenie Bell, and Pastor Matthew Rivers: Thanks for reading this book in its draft stages and giving your wise and sound feedback.

To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: Thank you for saving my soul and delivering me from the consequences of sin. You inspired me, through the Holy Spirit, to write a book about kingdom faith. I hope I've made you proud! All the glory, praise, and honor belong to you!

About This Book

This book is written for the body of believers who are saved by grace through faith. Because you have taken part in the born-again experience, you now have access to the finished works of Christ (healing, deliverance, prosperity, peace, etc.). These finished works and all of God's goodness can only be accessed through faith.

Jesus admonished his disciples to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all else. Christ explained that in doing so, all the things that the gentiles seek would be added to their lives (Matthew 6:33). In this scripture, the word righteousness is the Greek word dikaiosuné (dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay), which refers to a correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting. Jesus promises that if we submit to God's way of thinking, feeling, and acting, then the things that the gentiles seek will be added to our lives. In other words, Jesus was referring to a series of divine actions or steps (process) that would result in us receiving a particular end. That process is called Kingdom Faith.

In this book, we cover what I call the process of faith. Webster defines a process as a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end. Just as there is a process to install software on a computer, bake a cake, or build a tree house, there is also a process to receive what God promised in His Word. That's right, there is a process to move from the promises written within the pages of the Bible to experiencing those promises being manifested in our personal lives.

The process of faith incorporates faith principles to move us from an expectation of the promises being fulfilled to experiencing the manifestation of those promises. The faith principle of hearing initiates our faith and produces an expectation of receiving what the Word promises. For example, many believers will hear the gospel's message of healing, which produces an expectation of being healed, especially for those suffering from sickness or disease. The problem is that expectation is not manifestation, and the faith of many believers ends with the principle of hearing. They mentally agree that according to the Word, God has provided healing, but they never incorporate any other faith principle to move from expectation to manifestation. To move from expectation to manifestation, believers must also incorporate other faith principles like believing, confession, standing on what you believe, resistance, and patience. In this book, I will explain many of the faith principles required to move from expectation to manifestation. We also cover the tools that are used by the enemy in an attempt to rob you of your victory in Christ.

Introduction

On May 31, 1992, I entered a small storefront church in the city of Charleston, South Carolina, where I heard the gospel and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. The name of the ministry was House Hold of Faith Evangelistic Church of Jesus Christ—I know, a mouthful, right? In this small church under the leadership of Pastor Reuben Wright Sr. a foundation was laid based on biblical principles that would shape my spiritual life going forward. Although other men and women of God build upon that foundation, it was Pastor Wright who first taught me about faith. I was very fortunate to receive my spiritual rearing in a healing and deliverance ministry. As a young Christian, the biblical principles concerning healing, deliverance, and faith were drilled into my mind over and over again until they became ingrained into my heart. Those teachings and biblical principles were then backed up by the physical manifestation that I often witnessed, which served to reinforce what I was being taught.

Although I learned the principles of faith from a few great teachers throughout my spiritual life, I would soon learn the significance of the adage experience is the best teacher. Trials and tribulations would soon test my faith and push me past the point of what I thought I would be able to endure. But through my trials and tests, the love and character of the God whom I serve would be on full display. Through each experience, I learned more about myself and gained a deeper relationship with Christ. As God delivered me out of my valley experiences, I came to understand the Lord's purpose in allowing these trials to enter my life. God's plan, through the trials, was to allow me to become mature in faith and empowered to perform my calling, which is to preach the gospel of the grace of God.

Through each opportunity to stand before God's people and preach the good news, I have drawn from the lessons learned and revelations received as a result of my valley experiences. As a result, many have been blessed to gain knowledge and insight on appropriating kingdom faith during their valley experiences.

Throughout my life as a believer, I encountered Christians from all walks of life, and the one thing that has become abundantly clear is that many of today's believers lack an understanding of kingdom faith. I entitled this book The Faith because the word the is also classified as a definite article, and when placed in front of the noun Faith denotes a specific kind of faith, in this case, kingdom faith. The word faith is understood differently by many different people. Many see faith as a positive force flowing through the universe, while others confuse faith with hope or wishful thinking. But the Bible instructs us to seek and learn God's way of doing things (Matthew 6:33), which includes faith. Remember God's words to the prophet Hosea, My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

So God began to lay upon my heart to write a book about kingdom faith. As I pondered on what God placed in my heart, the task seemed overwhelming, especially because I never dreamed of being a writer. Also, the audacity of writing a book on the most popular subject in the gospel was very intimidating. But through this process, the Holy Spirit has truly opened my eyes to the subject of faith and the need for believers to truly understand how to appropriate kingdom faith. Through the grace of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I pray that this book will help to increase your knowledge of kingdom faith. I hope that you learn and put into practice the faith principles contained in this book and experience the manifestation of God's goodness.

Chapter 1

Understanding Kingdom Faith

Jesus said to the disciples, Have faith in God.

—Mark 11:22

What is faith? Every believer should have the correct answer to this question, right? The word faith appears 336 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Other Bible versions have varying counts, like the New International Version (NIV), which lists the word faith 458 times. The Hebrew word emunah (pronounced eh-moo-nah) is understood in English to mean faith or belief, but it is often also translated as faithfulness. The faith outlined in scripture is much more than just believing a statement about God but reveals a life of reliance upon Him.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews declared that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). God was also very clear in his discussion with the prophet Habakkuk concerning the expectation He has for His people when He said, The just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4). The just (those who have been made righteous through salvation) are expected to live a lifestyle exemplified by faith. With all the references to faith throughout the Bible and the requirement from God that we should maintain a lifestyle of faith, we should have a clear understanding of faith, right? Well, throughout my twenty-five-plus years as a believer, it has become shockingly obvious to me that many believers lack a clear understanding of faith. Faith has become a social media hashtag for many who don't have a true understanding of what the faith that they profess to have entails. Some attend seminars where faith is explained as some positive force flowing through the universe that everyone can access to facilitate a better life. Believers must understand that faith is not a social media hashtag, nor is it some positive force flowing throughout the universe that we access like a Star Wars Jedi. The faith of the Bible (kingdom faith) is a complete belief in and reliance on not only the words of God but also his character and faithfulness.

In this chapter, we explore kingdom faith by introducing the concept of what I call the process of faith. Throughout subsequent chapters, we explore the process of faith in greater detail, discuss overcoming hindrances to our faith, and learn about the benefits that have been extended to all kingdom citizens through faith.

Kingdom currency

Kingdom faith is the official currency of the kingdom of heaven. A currency is money used in a country as a medium of exchange. We exchange a currency called the US dollar in America to receive goods and services, while the European Union's currency is called the euro. Just as the dollar and the euro are accepted currencies in their countries to make exchanges, faith is the currency of the kingdom of heaven by which exchanges are made. Through the currency of faith, we have access to the kingdom and all its benefits.

In this scripture, King David is praising the Lord for the benefits He provides like forgiveness, healing, redemption, and sanctification. To access any of the benefits listed by King David in this scripture requires the currency of kingdom faith.

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. (Psalm 103:2–5 NIV)

The kingdom of heaven doesn't operate on dollars, euros, or any other worldly currency. Just as other countries have an accepted currency, so does the kingdom. The official currency of the kingdom of heaven is a very specific kind of faith, which some refer to as the God kind of faith, true Bible faith, godly faith, or kingdom faith, to name a few. This specific type of faith, as outlined in the Word of God, is the only accepted currency in God's kingdom. Imagine entering a local convenience store here in the US to purchase gasoline with euros. Although the euro is a legitimate currency in European countries, it cannot be used to purchase gasoline here in the United States. Likewise, we can only make exchanges in the kingdom of heaven with kingdom faith and not some worldly version of faith or mental assent.

In the following scripture, during His sermon on the mountainside, Jesus admonished His disciples to seek God's kingdom and His way of doing things. In other words, the Lord is asking believers to learn and practice God's way of doing things. And God's way is that we live a lifestyle exemplified by kingdom faith.

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also. (Matthew 6:33 AMP)

Mental Assent

Although there are many scriptures in the Bible that describe kingdom faith, the truth is, many believers aren't able to accurately explain faith from a biblical perspective. Many who consider themselves believers are practicing mental assent instead of authentic kingdom faith. We repeat phrases like God can do anything but fail, but our lifestyles don't reflect the same confidence represented in that statement. Mental assent, like fool's gold, looks and sounds very much like real kingdom faith, but a closer examination will reveal that it's not the real thing and will never produce the desired results. We have access to all the promises and finished works of Christ through faith, not mental assent.

Understanding mental assent

The definition of mental assent is intellectually accepting or knowing the Word of God to be fact but not receiving it as truth nor allowing it to have an impact in our lives. Those who practice mental assent will agree that the Word is true but will not receive the Word as a personal revelation from God to themselves. They are not doers of the Word but hearers only and, thus, deceive themselves into thinking that they are operating in kingdom faith (James 1:22). Mental assenters use the Word of God as only one factor in their decision-making process. Have you ever heard a