Faith

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Faith, is something that God has given to each of us to one degree or another.  Everyone starts out with some amount of faith. Romans 12:3 states that "God has given to every man a measure of faith."  Meaning God has given us all some faith. We may lose faith, or exercise our faith and watch it grow.  Faith is what makes us believe in God, in salvation through Jesus.  I believe that it is misplaced faith that leads people to false religions.  It is within us to believe in God, we just may not know what it is we should be believing in.  We know there is something more out there, and unless we know what it is, we look for it in false religions, other people, relationships and anywhere else we think we may find fulfillment. 

What does it mean to say that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"?  I think it means that the fact that we believe in it, gives us cause to find the proof that we seek.  We believe in God first, then He proves His existance to us by the acts he performs in our lives, causing us to know, beyond a shadow of doubt that He is real, he is there, and He is in charge.

I encourage you to read the whole chapter of Hebrews 11.  This is sometimes referred to as the "faith chapter".  It goes on to tell us about all that was accomplished throughout the bible through faith in God and faith in His promises.

Exercising Faith

When we find that we have no faith, or have lost our faith, it is time to begin exercising our faith.  Just like we exercise our muscles to make them stronger, we can exercise our faith and make it stronger.  Choose to believe and watch God make it become real for you.  Ask God for faith.  Trust Him to meet your needs and guide your life. Talk to Him, acknowledge Him, read about Him, and when you pray listen to Him.  He will speak to you when you are ready to hear. You will begin to see evidence of Him in your life.  Praying when you don't feel like praying, reading your Bible when you'd rather read a novel, going to church when we would rather sleep in; these are all ways of exercising our faith.

What are your favorite scriptures on faith?  Has there been a time when you exercised your faith and God provided you with evidence that he heard your prayer?  Please leave a comment below.