By Tom Shanklin

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2, KJV.

The Gospel message is like those bags of cement that you buy at the home improvement store. They are all prepared to do a good work. There is Portland cement and sand and gravel, blended in the right proportion to make solid concrete. But until you add water and mix it all together, it is just dry powder in a bag.

Did  you ever think about it? Some people are so excited about Jesus. They are so full of life and victory. And others, it seems, could care less. They may have heard the message. They may have sat under the most anointed teaching, but if they have not mixed the Gospel with faith, to them the message of Jesus is just “dry powder in a bag.”

God has given us many wonderful promises through the Gospel—forgiveness, healing, freedom from fear and more. But as the writer of Hebrews tells us, the Gospel will only produce in our lives when it is mixed with faith.

Here are four steps from the word of God to faith that will activate the Gospel and ALL of it’s many benefits in your life. They are: Hear it! See it! Say it! And Do it!

1. HEAR IT!

In order to receive the benefits of the Gospel, it must first be heard. As the scripture says, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14, KJV.

If you want the Good News to be activated in your life, put yourself in a position to hear God’s voice through His Word. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17, KJV. Get under some anointed preaching of the Word of God at church, in special meetings, or through media. And not only that, also take time to cultivate your relationship with God by spending time in His Word daily. Make it a practice to have a quiet time with the Lord where you can hear His voice.

The Scripture says that we are made partakers of the divine nature through the promises. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4, KJV. Get a hold of the promises. Listen to the Word of God. Hear it!

2. SEE IT!

Faith is seeing the truth of the Gospel on the projection screen of your heart. Remember, the 10 unbelieving spies said when they went up to spy out the land, “…we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33, KJV. But Joshua and Caleb had another spirit. “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30, KJV.

Two groups of men took the same trip and saw the same things in the natural, but they came back with two completely different reports. The reason? Joshua and Caleb SAW the truth of the Good News that had been preached to them. It had registered on their hearts. They were walking by faith (their inward vision) and not by sight. The Good News had been mixed with faith.

This is the same reason that David as a teenage boy was able to slay a 9 foot giant. The image of the covenant had been laser stamped on His heart by the Holy Spirit. This, too, is why Paul, who had experienced many trials in his life, could say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13, KJV.

And this is how you and I can walk in the victorious Christian life that God has intended for us. Do not be controlled by your natural vision. Open your spiritual eyes to behold the beauty of the Lord, and the majesty of His promises. See it!

3. SAY IT!

Once you begin to hear and see the Gospel, then you can begin to say it. The Bible has much to say about the confession of your mouth. Confession of sins is good, but we also need to make a confession of the Word. We need to agree with God’s Word through our speech. As the scripture says, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;” 2 Corinthians 4:13, KJV.

We see this principle in Romans, where Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, describes how to release your faith for salvation. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9, 10, KJV. With the heart man believeth…with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Righteousness is obtained by believing the report. Salvation is activated by the confession of your mouth. Say it!

4. DO IT!

Once you have HEARD and SEEN and SAID the Gospel, now it is time to DO IT! In other words, you need to put it into practice. I know in my own life, I heard the Gospel as a child, and I even responded to it and prayed the sinners prayer. I saw that I needed Jesus. I confessed that I was a sinner, but I did not allow God’s Word to change my life to the point where I actually began to live it. Therefore I wandered around in the wilderness of sin until I was 27 years old, at which time I acknowledged Jesus as Lord of my life and began to follow Him.

The Scripture says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22, KJV. You see, you must put the Word into practice to activate your salvation. Zacchaeus, for example, made a proclamation before Jesus about the changes that were coming into His life. “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” Luke 19:8, KJV.

“And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9, KJV. You see, Jesus recognized that salvation had come to Zacchaeus once he had repented and chosen to change his ways. Zacchaeus put the Gospel into action.

Likewise the woman with the issue of blood received her miracle from God, when she put her faith into action by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.” Mark 5:27-29, KJV. You see, she heard about Jesus, she saw herself touching Him and receiving her miracle. She then spoke her faith and acted it out. She heard it! She saw it! She said it! She did it!

The same process goes for receiving anything you want from the Lord, whether it be spiritual growth, prosperity, or blessing upon your marriage. If you need help out here in the natural world, you need get your faith working out here in the natural world. If you need financial blessings, go to work and quit running up your credit card bill. If you need healing, you may need to make some lifestyle changes. If you need your marriage healed, start walking in unconditional love toward your spouse. Get the bitterness out of your heart and start speaking well of them. Go out on a date. Cultivate romance! That is practicing the Word. That is walking in faith!

So if the Gospel is not working in your life, don’t blame God. He has done His part. Now, you do yours. Find the promise. Allow the Holy Spirit to paint a picture on the canvas of your heart. Let the confession of your mouth line up with your faith, and then go out and put it into practice in your daily life.