“It is what it is” No, it’s NOT!
People use that expression a lot now days to simply state and accept facts, somewhat in a defeated spirit. People talk about the world situation, about their health problems, about a dispute at work, and end their statement with, “well, it is what it is.”
Faith says, “It is not what it seems to be.” What appears in the physical is not what it is in the spiritual, and we have the power to alter circumstances by proclaiming God’s Word. “Faith is the evidence of what you’re not seeing yet, and the conviction that you will soon see it“ (Heb 11:1).
The Bible tells us to, “Hold fast to our confession of faith” (Heb 4:14). You’re to “hold on tight” to the Word that you’re claiming against a situation. “Nothing wavering..let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord” (Jam 1: 6, 7).
The Word of God has the POWER to alter any situation, if you hold on tight by mixing God’s promise with YOUR faith. “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his HEART is fixed (established, steadfast, immovable), trusting in the Lord” (Ps 112: 7).
But if you have prayed, and the illness or the problem is still there and you say, “It is what it is,” then you are essentially giving up by insisting that what you see is the fact. With faith, what you don’t see yet, becomes the fact.
That’s the power of God. It can move any situation. In fact, that is the atomic power of your voice (faith) mixed with God’s Word against any situation. “I believe, therefore I have spoken” (Ps 116: 10). Paul said, “Having the spirit of faith we believe, and therefore we speak” (2 Cor 4:13).
There is the secret… You must speak your faith. Your words have atomic power to make the unseen manifest. From the unseen into the seen. Jesus told the man on the way to healing his daughter when people came to say that she was not dead, He said, “Fear not, ONLY believe” (Mk 5:36). ONLY trust… Don’t let fear, worry, fretting and unbelief come in! Keep on only believing. Hold on tight to faith.
Many times Jesus explained the principle of seeing what you expect. When Peter was walking on the sea towards Jesus, he was actually living a miracle right there, but then he sank. And Jesus said, “Why did you doubt? You were doing it, you should have kept on believing, your doubt ruined your miracle.” “And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and took hold of him, and said unto him, ‘O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?” (Mat 14:31).
Jesus kept repeating to His disciples the same principle of not letting unbelief come in. He told Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe” (Jn 20:27). “MORE blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v.29). That’s the secret of faith right there: You believe before you see.
Jesus kept telling His disciples how faith works. He said about moving a mountain. “IF you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes” (Mark 9:23).
Again, He explained to His disciples when they asked Him why they could not heal the boy. He told them why: “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, ‘remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you'” (Mat 17:20).
He said, there must be no doubting in your prayers nor in your speaking:
“And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them'” (Mk 11:22, 23).
“And He said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God'” (Lk 18:27).
Actually, unbelief will totally limit what God can do. Look what happened in Capernaum. “Jesus did not do many mighty works because of their unbelief” (Mat 13: 58).
It is so important for us to HOLD ON TIGHT to what we believe, because unless we do, circumstances will become fact, and feelings will become impressed into a defeat. And to reverse that is not easy. The secret is to be fully persuaded in your own mind. (Rom14:45).
Not all miracles were done by Jesus. Some people got their own miracles through their own faith. Remember the woman with the issue of blood who came behind Jesus to touch the hem of his garment? She received healing instantly. Why? She didn’t accept, “it is what it is”. She believed there was more… And Jesus told her, “It is YOUR faith that made you whole” (Lk 8:43-48). In a different instance, Jesus said, “Believe you that I am able to do this? And they said, yes, we believe. And He replied then, according to YOUR faith, be it done unto you” (Mat 9:27-30). And again, Jesus said, “Great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt” (Mat 15:28).
The miracle of the multitude of fish happened because Peter chose to believe the Word that Jesus said. He had just finished telling Jesus, “Listen, we worked all night, and we caught nothing.” But then he said, “Nevertheless at thy Word.” (Lk 5:4, 5). I’ll let down the net against all reasoning, I will not accept “it is what it is”, I will go by Your Word. And the miracle happened. Peter’s faith helped that miracle to happen.
Remember how Jesus marveled at the centurion saying, “You just say the Word and it will happen.” Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “You see, this centurion got it: you say the word with authority, that’s faith! You mix the Word with your authoritative faith.” That’s what speaking with authority means. You put faith, lots of it, into what you say. It’s so powerful… No wonder Jesus was amazed at this man’s statement… he essentially broke down how faith works.
Paul explains,“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor 4:18). “For we walk by faith (we go by what we don’t see), not by sight” (2Cor 5:7). This is the way that we get the victory in overcoming the world’s situations, even by our faith. (1Jn 5:4) Why? because, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Whoever would come to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6 2).
Faith is the currency of your new identity. The Kingdom does not use fake money, it uses his “faith money”. You get what you want in exchange for your faith. “We have access by faith into grace” (Rom 5:2). ALL the promises of God are “for sure” and “so be it” (2 Cor 1:20).
Some people’s favorite verse in regards to faith is, “Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief” (Mk 9:24). But the Word says that “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom12:3). It’s not only to every Christian. There are people out in the world who “see” an invention, or an innovation, that has not yet been seen and they bring it out into reality. It works the same for everyone. The principle of faith is a “substance” that everyone can avail themselves of.
So let’s stop dwelling on unbelief and dwell ONLY on belief. Anyone who decides to start his own business, or create something new has to SEE it FIRST, and then hold on to that vision and “don’t let go”. And that’s the way it works.
We should remember what happened to the Jews in the wilderness. It says, “The Word did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Heb 4:2).
That’s the way unbelief works: you mix what you want with non-faith and you get nothing. But you mix it with solid, obstinent, persevering and steadfast faith and you get it. Get it? “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Heb 10: 35). It’s faith that quenches unbelief (Eph 6:16).
It is not uncommon to see great things happen through faith. Look at Caleb who conquered the promised land by faith (Num 13:26-30). Caleb had the faith to drive out the giants (Josh 14:6,12). Look at David who went out against Goliath (1Sam 17:37). Look at Sarah (Heb 11:11). And Moses who passed through the Red Sea (Heb 11:29). Look at the whole army that fell the walls of the strong city of Jericho by shouting, by faith (Heb 11:30). Some people even stopped the mouth of lions, and women received their dead raised to life again (Heb 11:33-35).
God said: “I will hide My face from children in whom there is no faith” (Deut 32:20).