What is Faith, Anyway?

We know that "Without faith, it is impossible to please God," but, what is faith, anyway?

Faith is: taking the bible as the word of God and then taking God at his word. It is judging God to be faithful to his promises, being sure of God’s promises, and “being fully persuaded that what God has promised, he will be able to perform.”

Faith recognizes that if someone trustworthy gives you information, you can count on it to be true. You don’t have to know why or how or when or where. You just know it’s true because the source is true.

Faith is: believing in the being of God – his existence.

Faith is: believing in the bounty of God – his excellence.

Faith is the understanding that an unseen source created those things we see. Faith looks at creation and recognizes the reality of a Creator.

Faith is: not allowing what you can’t see to keep you from believing. Some things have not yet been observed by mankind. If we could observe all things, faith would not be needed. But since there are many things we can’t see, we must trust the one who can see them. It is: stepping out onto what we cannot see because we know that God can see.

Faith is the only thing that allows us to see God with our hearts though we cannot see him with our eyes.

Faith allows us to understand things we could not otherwise understand.

Faith is: taking God at his word when he warns us of impending judgment. It is making preparations for your family for this judgment.

Faith is: the firm foundation on which we can stand in order to have an impact on those around us. If we want our lives to affect others positively, we must place our trust in God.

Faith is: knowing that the hope for the future for which you’ve believed God, is no less real than what you’re experiencing now.  It is: speaking the truth about the future because God has spoken it – even though you’ve never been there.

In faith we embrace what has been shown to us down the road more than what we experience at this present time. It is declaring with our mouths and our lives that we’re not yet at home.

Faith is: accepting that if we die, God will raise us up just as he did the Lord Jesus.

Faith is: pronouncing the blessings of God upon our children based upon God’s promise.

Faith is: obeying God to go where he leads though we may know little or nothing about it.

Faith is: fearlessly doing what God commands even though those in authority may decree otherwise.

Faith is: refusing the affirmations, accolades, and advancement of those who oppose God. It is making the choice to identify with God’s people – even those who suffer for their faith. It values persecution for Christ’s sake to be greater than any earthly treasure.

Faith is: looking for a home built by God, desiring a better country that can only be found in heaven, confessing that the here and now is not the end result and acknowledging that this earth is not our final home.

Faith is: knowing that God has a heavenly reward that far exceeds the highest of all worldly gain.

Faith is: having the patience to allow God to do what he says he will do in his own time.

Faith is: being at peace when all others are afraid because you know God has all under his sovereign control.

Faith is: worshiping God in any circumstance. It is: trusting God to meet my needs and trusting him that I “will not lack any good thing.” But it also means still having confidence in God even “though he slay me.”

Faith is: believing in the blood of Christ, our Passover lamb, who was sacrificed for us.

Faith is: trusting God for his gift of righteousness on the merit of the blood of Jesus Christ apart from our own deeds. It is understanding that our Creator can and will be satisfied with us not because of our conduct but because of his kindness in Christ Jesus.

Faith is the conduit in which God’s saving grace can be applied to our undeserving souls.