Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NET)
28 When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” (Matthew 9:28-29 NET)
20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:20-24 NET)
The Greek word "pistis" means faith, believe, trust, "conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it".
Our Responsibility
God has given us the responsibility to choose to have faith in God, to trust in God, to believe God's Word of truth by obeying His Word - Jesus. It is my responsibility to have faith, to believe, to trust. It is your responsibility to have faith, to believe, to trust. Faith must have an object to have faith in. God - the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit - should be our primary faith object.
We need to take heed in Jesus' proclamation “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” This clearly indicates that in order for use to receive freedom and healing we must choose to believe that God is able to do for us what we ask of Him (Luke 11:11-13). The man in Mark 9:20-24 chose to believe after being confronted with his unbelief and Jesus healed his son. Answered prayer is of course conditional upon our asking according to His will (1 John 5:14). There is also a high likelihood that it is also usually conditional upon us having confessed and repented of any outstanding known sin in our lives (1 John 1:9).
Resisting the devil is your responsibility based on the authority you possess in Christ.
Dr. Neil Anderson, Daily in Christ a Devotional. (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, Inc., 1993), January 25.Getting rid of the old self was God's responsibility, but rendering the flesh and its deeds inoperative is our responsibility (Romans 8:12). God has changed your nature, but it's your responsibility to change your behavior by "putting to death the deeds of the body" (Romans 8:13).
Ibid, April 22.It is every individual's responsibility to resist the devil, put on the armor of God, confess, forgive, renounce sin, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Ibid, November 5Paul instructs us to make no provision for the flesh. What if we do? We are told to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What if we don't? James 4:7 admonishes us to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." What if we don't resist him? Is he required to flee from us if we don't take our stand against him? No, if we don't resist him, he doesn't have to go. We have the assurance of God's protection, but we must assume our responsibility to personally resist Satan.
Choosing truth, living a righteous life, and donning the armor of God is each believer's individual responsibility. I cannot be responsible for you, and you cannot be responsible for me. I can pray for you, encourage you in the faith, and support you, but if you go into the battle without your armor on, you may get hurt. As much as that may be a matter of concern for me, I still cannot make those decisions of responsibility for you. Those choices are yours alone.
Ibid, December 2
pistis <Strongs 4102>
pistiv pistis
Pronunciation: pis'-tis
Origin: from 3982
Reference: TDNT - 6:174,849
PrtSpch: n f
In Greek: pistei 57, pistei] 1, pistewv 94, pistin 55, pistiv 36
In NET: faith 195, By faith 16, faithfulness 15, of faith 7, by faith 2, believe 2, believing 2, a faith 1, proof 1, in faith 1, pledge 1
In AV: faith 239, assurance 1, believe + 1537 1, belief 1, them that believe 1, fidelity 1
Count: 244
Definition:
1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a
conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and
divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and
holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
1a) relating to God
1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and
ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal
salvation through Christ
1b) relating to Christ
1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is
the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in
the kingdom of God
1c) the religious beliefs of Christians
1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence)
whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
2) fidelity, faithfulness
2a) the character of one who can be relied on