Kingdom faith is more than believing that Jesus exists. In this opening message of a new series, the pastor teaches that God has given every believer a measure of supernatural faith, but that faith only works when we know how to use it: by continually hearing the word of God and by keeping our eyes on Jesus rather than on ourselves or our circumstances. Looking to Jesus, he says, is the law of faith.
He starts from a simple picture. Everyone in the room sat down without checking whether their chair would hold them; that is natural faith. Kingdom faith brings the same confidence to the promises of God. Below you will find the full video, a structured summary, every Scripture he uses (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline and practical steps for growing kingdom faith this week.
Sermon at a Glance
This message was preached at NTC Ministries and posted in July 2025 as the start of a summer series on kingdom faith. The pastor explains that he will teach for a couple of weeks, travel to minister at conventions, and return to continue the series. He opens by saying that faith is useless if we are not confident we have it, and just as useless if we do not know how to use it.
Through simple principles like these, he says, a handful of people now have ministries in 38 nations. God can deliver by many or by few, and He chooses the weak things of the world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). Nothing will stand in the way except our lack of understanding.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | The pastor of NTC Ministries (not named in the recording) |
| Series | Kingdom Faith (opening message) |
| Main text | Hebrews 12:1–2 |
| Key theme | Looking to Jesus as the law of faith |
| Length | About 56 minutes, ending in a prayer of trust |
Natural Faith and Kingdom Faith
Natural faith is what lets you sit in a chair without a second thought. But there is a faith given to believers in Jesus Christ, the pastor teaches, that brings us with confidence into a supernatural realm, sure of what God is doing and of all the good things He has promised. That faith even opens our eyes to see them.
“Everyone in here is pregnant,” he says. Everyone carries dreams, desires and hopes for the future, and God has dreams for us too. But the enemy targets those dreams. Joseph was given dreams, and Satan worked through his brothers to destroy them, yet Joseph later told them that what they meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). The dreams came to pass.
Satan tried to kill Moses as a baby so that Israel would not be delivered, but God intervened: Pharaoh’s daughter found him in the bulrushes and ended up bringing his own mother to nurse him (Exodus 2:1–10). Satan tried to kill Jesus as a baby too (Matthew 2:13–16). The pattern, the pastor says, is the same for us. Whatever your dreams are, the enemy wants to undermine your thinking, make the dream lie dormant or convince you it is too great.
The answer is that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith (Romans 12:3) so that His purposes can come to pass. That is why learning about kingdom faith matters so much. Many people never use their faith properly and see little happen. The pastor promises the church that, as they learn these principles, they will begin to see phenomenal things.
More Than Believing
To show that simply saying you believe is not the whole of faith, the pastor sets two verses side by side. Jesus asked, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). And James 2:19 says that even the demons believe there is one God, and tremble.
The devil believes in Jesus, he points out, but has never given his life to Him, so none of the promises of God are his. From these two scriptures, the pastor says, we know kingdom faith must be more.
His next text is Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” No one, he teaches, can enjoy the privileges of a child of God without the proper knowledge. After praying for people and seeing phenomenal healings, he urges them to read the Bible daily with a system and stay among strong believers. Too often they do not, and the problem comes back worse.
He recalls an interview in which Oral Roberts, whose healing ministry flourished in the 1940s through the 1960s, was asked why some people healed in his meetings did not keep their healing. His answer, as the pastor tells it, was that they did not do what they needed to do to keep it. They believed in Jesus but not in His kingdom, and went back to living exactly as before.
The church reads Hebrews 10:38 aloud together: “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” Faith, the pastor concludes, is active. It is more than knowing that Jesus died for us. It is knowledge raised up from within, and it matters to our children, too. He says that all of his children and grandchildren are committed to the Lord, many in ministry.
Every Believer Is a Garden
“Everyone in here is a garden,” the pastor says. Whatever you put into yourself is the crop that will come up, which is why out of the heart flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). When two people marry, they start a garden together. Good marriage counseling, he says, is not fixing broken people; it is teaching a couple what to sow so that they walk away from the altar together, sowing the same seeds and reaping the same harvest.
It is the same with God. Sowing the same old seeds while asking Him for miracle after miracle to destroy the bad crop makes no sense. Kingdom faith says, Lord, what should I plant, so that there is a continual crop of goodness, life, health and every blessing You purchased and promised?
Kingdom faith is not a creed recited by rote. Jesus warned against vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7). We are God’s fellow workers (1 Corinthians 3:9), laboring with Him for His kingdom, praying, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
That is why the pastor turns to Romans 10:16–17. Not everyone obeyed the gospel; Isaiah asked, “Lord, who has believed our report?” “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Kingdom faith comes by hearing again and again. When he first read the Bible, he says, nothing made sense, but he kept reading because he was sowing seeds. After a while the seed sprouted and his life began to change.
You cannot tell what a seed is by looking at it, so you plant it and see. Revelation that grows from within cannot be taken from you, unlike an idea grasped only intellectually. He illustrates with a wartime story of soldiers who entered a church threatening to kill every Christian; the few who refused to leave were the ones the soldiers wanted to hear, and they gave their lives to Christ.
The Law of Faith: Looking to Jesus
The pastor explains that because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, people became self-conscious and circumstance-conscious. As a boy, he won a state punt, pass and kick competition and could punt brilliantly in practice, but in real competition he became so self-conscious that he never won the position. Being conscious of problems has the same effect. That, he says, is what happened in the garden: Adam and Eve became conscious of their weakness and could not get over it.
The spirit of this world presses on us through self-consciousness or circumstance-consciousness, making us think small. True faith always magnifies the greatness, ability, power and promises of God. “The law of faith is looking to Jesus,” the pastor says. Jesus is greater than any circumstance, opposition, heredity, loss or failure. He promises to restore the years the locust has eaten (Joel 2:25).
When you take Jesus into consideration, success is inevitable. Paul was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked and left for dead (2 Corinthians 11:24–27), yet he said all things work together for good (Romans 8:28), counted everything loss for the excellence of Christ (Philippians 3:8) and pressed toward the prize of the upward call of God (Philippians 3:14). He was given the mystery hidden for ages, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26–27), and he stayed in the faith.
The church reads Hebrews 12:1–2 together: lay aside every weight, run with endurance, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Kingdom faith comes by continually considering Jesus; doubt comes by considering circumstances. The pastor expects God’s promises to come to pass, but they are not his focus. When a Christian magazine asked how he had done so much, he said it felt like being in a coma: he was not considering the obstacles, only Jesus.
That, he says, is entering the rest of God (Hebrews 4:11). Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28). Even on the cross, Jesus endured for the joy set before Him, seeing a favorable outcome. When you are looking to Jesus, there is always a favorable outcome, because He always leads us in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1), but the pastor is clear that the focus of kingdom faith is not the substance itself, whether a car, a job or a spouse. God wants good things in your life, and He supplies all your need (Philippians 4:19), but the focus is Jesus. Are you looking to Him, the pastor asks, or do you just want stuff?
| If you look at… | What grows, as he teaches it | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Yourself (self-consciousness) | A focus on weakness that hurts performance | You lose what you could have done |
| Circumstances and problems | Doubt and unbelief | Small speech keeps a small place small |
| The substance you want | A faith that only wants stuff | Miracles received but not kept |
| Jesus and His word | Kingdom faith | Radiance, rest and a favorable outcome |
The Word and the Secret of Faith
Reading John 1:1–4 from the Weymouth translation, the pastor shows that the Word was with God and was God, and that apart from Him nothing came into being. Receiving prayer from others is fine, he says, and he asks for it himself when he is weak in an area. But he also keeps going back to the Word to build confidence in God’s promises, which are all yes and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).
In John 1:14, the Word became flesh so that we could see the product of the Word: His glory, full of grace and truth. Jesus never cast out anyone who came to Him (John 6:37) and healed all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). “You are pregnant and God wants you to have full delivery,” the pastor says. Those who wait on the Lord will mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31).
“The word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8), and its New Testament counterpart is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If you wanted a law that governs doubt, the pastor says, just keep your eyes on the conditions of your life. If you are in a small place and speak small, it gets smaller; speak big and it grows. By your words you are justified or condemned (Matthew 12:37).
Doubt does not leave when the problem changes; the problem changes when faith is used and doubt leaves. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary, but on what is unseen, which is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). If looking unto Jesus is the law of faith, the pastor teaches, seeing the Word only is the secret of faith. Feelings that contradict the Bible are not God, which is why we test the spirits (1 John 4:1).
The secret is seeing Jesus only, as healer, provider, defender, leader and guide, with a single mind and vision. From Psalm 34:4–6: “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” The pastor says the Hebrew word for radiant means to sparkle, like sunlight on a stream, and the word for shame carries the sense of blushing or going red in the face. Look at circumstances and you will be blue; look to Jesus and your face shines.
Praise is part of looking to Jesus. We must learn to thank God ourselves, because praise silences the enemy and the avenger (Psalm 8:2). Prayer becomes a delight when it is communion rather than a list that runs out after a few minutes. Bless the Lord, O my soul (Psalm 103:1), and start each morning by asking Him to tell you again how much He loves you.
Trust Beyond Your Understanding
The pastor closes with a word for seasons when life does not make sense: closed doors and plans that unravel. In those moments, he says, your life’s purpose calls you to a radical trust, with your whole heart and not half of it. Paul could say that everything he went through was nothing compared to the excellence of Christ, and Jesus endured the cross because He saw the joy and the eternal purpose ahead.
Every believer was called to become like Christ, the pastor reminds the church. The promises of God are a sure thing, he says, but he sows toward them by looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith.
God never asks us to figure everything out. He tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; in all our ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5–6). Our understanding is limited, but His wisdom is perfect. Submission is not losing ourselves; it is gaining His best. He has gone before us and will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
The church stands to pray aloud, loud enough for radio listeners to hear: Heavenly Father, help me trust You fully, not just in the easy moments but especially when I do not understand. Teach me to lean on Your wisdom. As I look to You, Jesus, guide my steps, straighten my paths and give me courage to surrender everything into Your hands.
Growing Kingdom Faith This Week
These practical steps come directly from this opening message on kingdom faith:
- Read with a plan. Read your Bible every day with a system, not like a novel, and keep reading even when it does not make sense yet.
- Check what you are planting. You are a garden; ask the Lord what to sow, and stop sowing what you do not want to harvest.
- Turn your eyes. When you notice yourself magnifying a problem, deliberately look to Jesus and His promises instead.
- Speak big in a small place. Change your words to match God’s word rather than your conditions.
- Praise on your own. Do not wait for someone to cheer you on; thank God for who He is.
- Stay among strong believers. Keep company with Christians who help you trust God and hold on to what He has done.
Timestamped Outline
- 0:00 Natural faith and kingdom faith; pregnant with dreams
- 1:26 Joseph and Moses: dreams under attack
- 3:00 Jesus as a baby; the measure of faith
- 4:16 Ministries in 38 nations
- 5:34 Luke 18:8 and James 2:19
- 7:59 Hosea 4:6: lack of knowledge
- 10:16 Why people lose their miracles
- 12:39 Hebrews 10:38: the just shall live by faith
- 13:52 Everyone is a garden
- 17:32 Romans 10:17: faith comes by hearing
- 20:02 Planting unknown seeds
- 23:47 Self-consciousness and the punt
- 27:22 The law of faith is looking to Jesus
- 28:49 Paul’s trials and victory
- 31:50 Hebrews 12:1–2: the author and finisher
- 35:37 A favorable outcome
- 36:54 John 1: the Word was God
- 41:40 Isaiah 40:8 and the law of faith
- 44:12 2 Corinthians 4:18 and the secret of faith
- 45:41 Psalm 34: radiant faces
- 49:32 Prayer as communion
- 51:53 Trust beyond your understanding
- 54:30 Closing prayer of trust
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it wrong to ask others to pray for me?
No. The pastor says he has no problem asking someone with faith in an area to pray for him when he is weak there, and that nobody should worry what others think. But receiving prayer is not the end. He also goes to the Word constantly to build himself up in God’s promises, so that faith keeps growing and producing fruit instead of depending on someone else’s.
Does kingdom faith mean God does not care about my needs?
Not at all. The pastor says God wants good things in your life and supplies all your need according to His riches in glory. His point is about focus. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, but if the things become the focus, faith turns into wanting stuff. Keep your eyes on Jesus, he teaches, and the blessings follow as a sure thing.
How can I tell if something is really from God?
Compare it with the Bible. The pastor says people sometimes claim God told them something that contradicts Scripture, and that is their own feelings or self-consciousness, not God. That is why we are told to test the spirits. Since Jesus is the Word, fixing your eyes on Him means fixing your eyes on what the Word actually says.
Scripture References
All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:
- Hebrews 12:1–2 — looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith
- Romans 12:3 — the measure of faith
- Luke 18:8 and James 2:19 — more than believing
- Hosea 4:6 — destroyed for lack of knowledge
- Hebrews 10:38 — the just shall live by faith
- Romans 10:16–17 — faith comes by hearing
- 2 Corinthians 4:18 — the things which are not seen
- Psalm 34:4–6 — they looked to Him and were radiant
- Proverbs 3:5–6 — lean not on your own understanding
How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.
Watch More Messages
If this message stirred your faith, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.
