Faith

Faith

We practice faith everyday of our lives. When you sit in a chair, you have faith that the chair will hold your body weight.  You probably base that faith in the fact that you’ve seen other people sit in the chair or the fact that you’ve sat in other chairs and they haven’t dropped you yet. Every time you step into a plane, you put faith in the incredible theory of aerodynamics that assures us that the plane can fly across the ocean, even though most of us don’t understand how. So why is it so hard for some people to have faith in God?

What is faith? It’s in the Bible, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).  Jesus used the illustration that we can’t see the wind, but we know it is there. We see the results of the wind as we see a tree branch waving.  God is like that. We can’t see God, but we see what He has made. We can see the results of His spirit in a person’s life. We have the Bible that tells us about God.

Where do I get faith? Jesus’ disciples also asked this question. “One day the apostles said to the Lord, ‘We need more faith; tell us how to get it’ ” (Luke 17:5, TLB). The Bible says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17, NIV). Every time you read the Bible, you have the opportunity to believe what is written there. You will begin to believe and have more and more faith as time goes on. Attending church and listening to gospel preaching will also increase your faith.

In whom should I put my faith? The apostle Paul wrote, “I have put aside all else . . . in order that I can have Christ, and become one with him, no longer counting on being saved by being good enough or by obeying God’s laws, but by trusting Christ to save me; for God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith—counting on Christ alone” (Philippians 3:9, TLB). Our faith is centered on Jesus and what He has done for us in saving us from sin. If we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will never be disappointed.

Okay, I have faith in Christ.  Now what will happen to me? The Bible says, “So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1, TLB). Faith in Jesus brings peace into our lives. He is our Savior, and we have assurance that He has forgiven our sins.

How do I live by faith? It's in the Bible, “Those whose faith has made them good in God’s sight must live by faith, trusting him in everything. Otherwise, if they shrink back, God will have no pleasure in them” (Hebrews 10:38, TLB). In faith, we walk each day with our hand in God’s hand, trusting Him to be with us in everything that happens.

What if I my faith isn’t very strong? The Bible tells us about a man whose faith wasn’t very strong either. Let’s see what it says about him. “The father instantly replied, ‘I do have faith; oh, help me to have more!’ ” (Mark 9:24, TLB). God wants us to be strong in our faith. But when we feel like we just don’t have enough faith or that our faith isn’t strong enough, we can ask God to give us more faith. He loves to answer that kind of prayer.

Does the Bible give us any examples of people who had faith? There are many examples in the Bible of people who had a strong faith in God. Hebrews chapter 11 is sometimes called the “faith chapter,” because it lists so many examples of individuals with faith in God. “Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith” (Hebrews 11:2, TLB). This chapter goes on to list a number of these persons who were “famous for their faith”—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, Samuel, and many others. Reading about these individuals in the Bible will help your faith to grow and become strong. The Bible calls Abraham the father of all those who have faith. “Abraham is the spiritual father of those who believe and are saved. . . . Abraham is the father of us all when it comes to these matters of faith” (Romans 4:11, 16, TLB).

How much faith do I need? Faith is like a muscle. The more you use it, the bigger it gets.  Jesus told His disciples, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20, NIV).  With a small amount of faith God can use you to accomplish great things for Him.
Why not ask Him today to increase your faith?