In 1 Corinthians 13:13, we are introduced to three forces that hold sway. These are faith, hope, and love. Let us focus on the first and see how it works. A centurion had approached Jesus, seeking intervention for a servant of his who was sick. Jesus released the word of authority that healed the man but not until He had commended his faith. Matthew 8:10 shows us what triggered Jesus’ endorsement of the man. “When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” The question is this: How did the centurion express his faith that drew virtue from Jesus? It was by what he said.
In another place, Paul was teaching on what he called the spirit of faith. “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,” II Corinthians 4:13 NKJV. Two things are wrapped into what is called the spirit of faith. There is the believing aspect, which is followed by verbal expression. When Jesus offered to come to the centurion’s house, he declined. This was borne out of respect as well as of reason. Respect because he did not feel worthy to have Jesus under his roof; and reason because he, being a man of authority, could get things done by simply speaking. He figured out that Jesus’ authority was much stronger than what he had. He believed Jesus could speak his servant back to health. And that’s what happened. Never forget that it is with the heart that we believe; but ultimate result comes when that is followed with confessions of the mouth.