Yes to Faith in God, No to Word of Faith Movement

What is faith? According to the Bible, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) Faith in God (of the Bible) is complete confidence/total trust in Who God is and what God does and that God will do what He will do when He wants to do and how He wants to do.  We are sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see because of God alone Who is always faithful and unchangeable, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. We can rest in His love, grace, mercy, wisdom, power, goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty. We trust God, His Word and His promises without terms. Faith is the assurance that the thing God has said in His Word is true and that God will act according to His character/attributes and what He has said in His Word. God is both the Object and the Origin of our faith.
"Faith is believing what God says simply because it is God Who says it." ~Unknown
"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading." (~Oswald Chambers)
"Faith is expressed in obedience to Biblical truth because we have confidence in our trustworthy God." (~Alistair Begg)
"Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe." (~St. Augustine)
"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right." (~Max Lucado)
"Faith endures as seeing Him Who is invisible; endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him Who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind." (~A.W. Pink)
"Faith is a Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him." (~Corrie ten Boom)

Whom or what you have your faith in is of utmost importance. Say yes to faith in God but you must say no to the Word of Faith Movement! This movement (aka the Prosperity Gospel) teaches wrong theology/false doctrines and it is very dangerous; it has destroyed many lives and led so many astray. It is not Christianity but it continues to creep into some Christians and churches. What they teach is unBiblical & atrocious and has devastating consequences on those who believe in them/follow their teachings. Some of their teachings include Christians are little gods, Christians have the power to speak things into existence, words are powerful and can change God's plan, God wants us to be healthy and wealthy always and if we're not healthy or wealthy, then it's because we don't have enough faith, and God needs our permission to do things; He is merely a puppet moved by "the force of faith". These false teachers also claim that they can control weather. Where were they then when the tornado just hit the South and killed 17 people on Sunday night? Please do not believe these false teachers. They are liars and deceivers. They elevate themselves yet have no concept of God's sovereignty whatsoever. I encourage you all to be like the Bereans/to compare everything you hear and read to the Scriptures. "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11) Guard yourselves against lies and false teaching by familiarizing yourselves with the truth, God's Word!

To learn more about the Word of Faith Movement, I recommend you read Christianity in Crisis 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff and check out Christian Research Institute for more resources. Please take time to listen to Justin Peters in the video below! And please pray for these false teachers to repent and turn to God and pray for those who have been deceived by them that they will see God's truths from God's Word themselves. "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

"The Bible lists in Hebrews 11 the heroes of the faith...who were tortured, imprisoned, stoned, torn apart, and killed by the sword. They didn't wear designer jeans but went about in animal skins, destitute and tormented." ~Billy Graham

"Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said." (Acts 14:22)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." (Proverbs 3:5-7)