To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit... (1 Cor. 12:8-9 NIV)

The Spiritual Gift of Faith Defined

The gift of faith is the ability to envision what needs to be done and to trust God to accomplish it even though it seems impossible to most people.

People with the Gift of Faith

Those with the gift of faith trust God in difficult, even impossible situations when others are ready to give up. These people are often visionaries who dream big dreams, pray big prayers, and attempt big things for Jesus. These people tend to be optimistic, hopeful, persevering, change-oriented, and future-focused. These people also tend to be very convincing about the truth of Scripture because they themselves are so convinced of the truth and power of God and his Word.

Faith in Scripture

In one sense, Jesus' entire life and ministry could be summarized as one of faith because he continually and perfectly trusted in God the Father in all things. Faith is also illustrated in the lives of Paul (Acts 27:21-25), Stephen, who was "full of faith" (Acts 6:5), and Jesus' mother, Mary, who trusted God to give her a child though she was a virgin (Luke 1:26-38). Hebrews 11 also lists a great number of Christians who had the gift of faith.

Do You Have This Gift?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Do you view obstacles as opportunities and trust God for the impossible?
• Do you find yourself frequently boasting about the power of God and what you have seen him do?
• Do you get motivated by new ministries?
• Do you find yourself feeling opposed to anyone who expresses that something cannot be done or accomplished?
• Do you find other believers coming to you for hope when they face a seemingly overwhelming trial or task?
• Do you have an effective prayer ministry, with many wonderful answers to prayers that were impossible from the human point of view?