How To Build A Faith Life by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Problem with Peddled Faith

2 Corinthians 2:17 — Paul says we are not as those peddling the word of God. The Greek word for peddling means to mix for profit — the same way a black-market trader adulterates fuel to increase volume and maximize gain. There is a lot of faith teaching that is mixed. Diluted. And some of it, consciously or unconsciously, glorifies Satan more than Christ — so that people leave a sermon more afraid of the devil than before they came.

Paul's pattern was different: he ministered from the platform of the finished work of Christ, in the sight of God and in Christ. That must be the foundation.

Faith Works Everywhere and Always

Paul arrived in Troas without a vision or confirmation — he just went. And a door was opened. 2 Corinthians 2:14 — Thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus. Always. Not sometimes. Not in certain territories. Always. This is the always dimension of faith. There is no location, no economic climate, no government on earth that can cancel the always dimension of faith.

Those who peddle faith spend 90% of their sermons explaining why it might not work sometimes. Paul's response was thanksgiving — because every place he went, the same thing happened.

Two Different Mustard Seed Texts

Most faith teaching jumps straight to Matthew 17:20 — if you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain... But there is a prior text: Matthew 13:31 — the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed.

These two texts are addressing two different things:

• Matthew 13 is about identity — the kingdom is like a mustard seed. The comparison is to what faith receives.
• Matthew 17 is about size — even a small faith can move mountains. But the real analogy in Matthew 13 is the soil, not the seed. Faith is the reception, not the thing planted.

The writer of Hebrews says the same gospel was preached to everyone but it did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith where it was heard — in their hearts. What is planted is the Word. Faith is the quality of the ground that receives it.

Building the Foundation Before the Battle

Most people only begin to demonstrate faith in Matthew 17 mode — mountain-moving, urgent, fire-brigade — when a crisis arrives. Meanwhile, the daily agricultural work of receiving, meditating, and confessing the Word that builds their stamina for that day — they have neglected it. Then they wonder why the faith is not working.

The just shall live by faith — not visit. Live.

If you want to see a person's faith life, do not look at how they pray in crisis. Look at their daily schedule. What they listen to. What they will not listen to. Who they keep company with. That is what makes faith efficacious.

Faith is an agricultural process. It takes time. It takes planting. It takes irrigation. A tree does not emerge overnight. But when it does emerge — a tree is a habitat, not a single fruit. Birds nest permanently. A time comes when the miracles are no longer once-in-a-while — they become your everyday life.

Seeing the Lamb to Unleash the Lion

In Revelation 5, the apostle John wept because no one was found to open the scroll. An elder said: the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. When John looked to see the lion — he saw a lamb. A lamb that had been slain.

The most aggressive demonstration of power comes from sighting the lamb. Until you see the lamb slain, you have not seen the lion.

He died for your sins. He was buried. He rose. He led captivity captive. He oppressed your oppressors. He tormented your tormentors. When you meditate on what Christ has done — nailing every accusation and fault to the cross, taking authority over every principality — you are starting from the finish line. That changes the power dynamics of everything you face.

Four Steps to Building Your Faith Life

1. Believe and meditate on the finished work. Ephesians 1:17-23 — the eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that you might know the exceeding greatness of his power toward believers, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. When you meditate on Christ's resurrection and exaltation, the power dynamics in your life change. Seated with Christ in heavenly places far above principalities and powers — that is your address.
2. Give thanks continually. When there seems to be lack, the kingdom protocol is thanksgiving, not grumbling. When Jesus faced 5,000 hungry people with five loaves and two fish, he gave thanks. That is the law of multiplication. Thanks be unto God — say it for your health, your finances, your ministry. 90% of your prayer time should be thanksgiving when you understand what Christ has done.
3. Take steps of faith. Even the birds who do not sow or reap — they still fly. God has commanded you to walk. Abraham believed and it was counted — but faith was also seen in the steps he took. Write down the things you are trusting God for. Set dates. Meditate on scriptures about those areas. Make the Word of God your daily diet. Open your platform. Do your work. Be excellent at it. God never did anything serious with a lazy man — none of the patriarchs were lazy.
4. See with the eyes of your spirit. Mark 11:23 — when you say to a mountain be removed, you do not doubt in your heart. The quality of faith is that when you say it, you see it move on the inside. Abraham looked at the stars and counted them as his descendants — he saw what had not yet appeared. Faith requires pictures. Build an inner picture of your future that is specific, scriptural, and stable.

A Personal Devotional Protocol

Building faith is a deliberate process, not a conference moment. A suggested daily structure:

• Videos or songs that stir your heart to see Christ glorified and risen — every day.
• Confessions of what the Word says about your specific areas: health, finance, ministry, relationships.
• Reminding yourself of the power and simplicity of the gospel — his faithfulness is not your faithfulness; it is what Christ has done.
• Reading the Bible personally, without shortcuts. The gold mines you stumble on in your own reading hit differently.

You cannot build faith in one conference. But you can get the tools to start today.