So what is Faith?
Faith has been defined as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
So faith is a REAL THING and evidence that it exists.
It’s about being convinced of something you can’t see but is incredibly forceful and impacting. Just like the wind. You can’t see it but the stronger it gets the more it can move.
Martin Luther King Jr once said “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase”.
What is the opposite of faith?
The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s faithlessness and control. Control is anything we can manage ourselves, and choose to determine it will be done in a certain way.
But what happens when control is taken away? Throughout life, we are often given the opportunity to grow in our faith. These opportunities are the trials we often face.
George Mueller said:-
“If we desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and therefore, through trial, be strengthened”.
—George Mueller
Our faith can be strengthened, but we want the results without the trials
Very often our faith can be limited by our circumstances and aversion to hardships. We can be full of faith and expectation when all is going well, but in times of testing and difficulties, our faith gets knocked and in time it limits our ability to believe that things might ever change for the better. It then feels beyond our ability to effect change and beyond anything we’ve ever seen before. Before you know it, it’s beyond hope.
Does that sound familiar?
We all show levels of faith. You may have shown faith that the chair you’re sitting in would take your weight, without testing it first.
You might have faith that tomorrow the sun will rise and all your plans will be achieved.
Where do we place our faith? Badly placed faith can lead to disappointment.
Faith is a funny thing. We all say that we have faith, but ultimately true saving faith is a gift.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of (human) works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8,9
But God gives us a gift of faith and it’s by this faith that becomes the vehicle for what we really need, salvation. We can then experience His gift of faith for many other areas of life, exercising it to grow and become stronger, giving us hope and confidence despite the circumstances around us.