We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but we are of those who have faith and preserve their souls

Hebrews 10:39

What is Faith?

In the Bible, faith is defined as the assurance (confidence) of things hoped for and the conviction (evidence, proof) of things not seen (Hebrews 11: 1). Faith is believing something without evidence. Faith in God is being sure of who He is and what He is capable of, even though we cannot see Him. Do we believe that He can heal any disease, that He can raise the dead and that He is alive? Faith is believing that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the one and only creator of all things and that He can do anything.

When we have that confident belief in who God is and that we are His children, then nothing can shake our belief (Romans 8:31). God is good to us even when we rebelled against Him. Therefore, we should have a desire to please Him. In everything that we do, do we operate as having faith in God, knowing that He is in control and that He holds us safe in His hands? No matter what the adversity, do we continue to believe that God is the greatest?

Heroes of Faith

In Hebrews 11, the author highlights several key examples of faith demonstrated in the Bible. These examples show us faith in action. Noah had faith in God’s warning, and he did an astounding thing by building that massive ship. By faith, Moses followed God’s directions and led Israel out of bondage. Rahab, by faith, helped Joshua and his men, and she and her family were saved. Sarah had faith that she would have a child in her old age (Genesis 18:9-15).

The Centurion in Matthew 8 said that Jesus only has to say the word, and His servant would be healed. The Centurion was convinced that Jesus could heal. Jesus commended his faith. Do we have faith like this, even in the midst of adversity? The faith of Abraham when he offered Isaac to God was an incredible example of being able to trust God. Can we believe in God like this? Can we trust Him with the person that means the most to us? Do we believe that He can do anything and that He wants good for us?

Many of the accounts in the Bible have demonstrated that faith is necessary. It is necessary for salvation, for healing, to please God, and it is by faith that we live (Galatians 3:11).

Why is Faith Important?

The Bible tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. It says that He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrew 11:6). Only when we are convinced of who He is, can we truly be followers of Christ. If we do not have faith in who He is, how can we do the things that please Him? If there are doubts in our mind of who He is then how can we truly trust in Him and share Him with others. Therefore, faith is the beginning of our walk with God.

So, if we are having trouble believing, seek Him through His word and prayer, and you will find Him.

We need faith to successfully live in this world as children of God (Galatians 3:11). In this world, we can find ourselves living paycheque to paycheque. But who do we depend on for our bread? Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33 tells us not to be anxious about our needs but have faith that God will provide them. Just as He cares for the short-lived flowers, more so we can have faith that He will provide our needs. God is a good father, and we need to have faith that He will always take care of us. What a beautiful place to be where we have so much faith that there is no need to worry even in adverse times when things look hopeless. Can we have such faith? Even when we don’t know what He will do or how He will do it, can we have faith that He knows us and knows what we need. Even when we go through trying times, can we still have faith that He will take care of us? The Bible tells us that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). We need to have that faith in Him because He is faithful.

My prayer: No matter how it looks Lord, I trust you. It’s a prayer to God but also a reminder of what I need to do.

We need faith to be stable people. James 1:6-8 tells us that the one who doubts is like a wave driven and tossed by the wind. He is double-minded and unstable in all his ways. We do not want to be unstable, unsure people who do not know what to do. If we, the people of God, are unstable, then what do we expect from unbelievers. If we are unstable, we cannot be an encouragement to them, and we cannot show them God’s goodness. Therefore, it is important to have faith and be stable in our ways. We need to exemplify that we know who we are in Christ.

We should believe in God, in His ability and His majesty.

We need faith for successful prayer, and we need prayer to draw closer to our God. Jesus told his disciples that if they had faith and did not doubt, that anything asked in prayer shall come to pass (Matthew 21:22). But have faith in what? Faith in God, that He can do it. If we pray, but we are unsure that God can do it, then that prayer is hopeless. But if we believe in God and His power, then we can ask with confidence. The Bible also says that if we ask anything according to God’s will, He hears us (1 John 5:14). John 15:7-8 says that if we abide in the Father and in His words and ask anything, it will be done. Therefore, when we are concerned about the Father’s business and ask things that are according to His will, then these prayers will be successful. 1 John 3:21-22 tells us that whatever we ask we receive because we keep His commandments and we do what pleases Him.

So, we need to have faith in God and His ability, we need to ask according to His will, and we need to do what pleases Him, and then these prayers shall be answered.

Faith and Miracles

In the new testament, Jesus told many people it was because of their faith that they were healed. In Matthew 9:21-22, a woman said that if she only touched Jesus’s garment that she would be healed, and Jesus told her that her faith had made her well. In Matthew 9:27-30, Jesus asked two blind men if they believed that He was able to heal them, and they said yes. Jesus then told them that according to their faith, they were healed. In Matthew 15:21-28, the Canaanite woman made a case to Jesus saying and believing that even if He gave her the crumbs of what He gave Israel she would be delivered. Jesus told her that her faith was great, and He delivered her daughter. In Mark 2:5- Jesus commended the faith of a group of men who brought their friend for healing. They went through some extreme measures to make sure that they got their friend to Jesus because they believed in Him. Jesus saw their faith and healed the man.

In Mark 9:22-24, a father said to Jesus that if He could, to please help His son. This statement showed that the Father was not sure that Jesus could help His son. Jesus corrected Him and told him that all things are possible for the one who believes. These examples show the importance of having faith in Jesus, believing that He can do anything. He is Lord and saviour, and He is not limited by anything.

All things are possible for the one who believes.

Faith and Salvation

Faith is important for salvation. Romans 5:2 tells us that it is because of our faith that Jesus has given us this undeserved privilege to be saved, and we can rejoice in this hope. We are freed by our faith in Jesus and not by the works of the law (Galatians 2:16). When we believe that Jesus is real, that He came to redeem us from our sins with His life and that He rose from the dead, we will be saved (John 8:24; John 7:38; Romans 10:9). Faith is necessary for salvation.

Jesus told the disciples that whoever believed shall be saved and those who did not shall be condemned. He said that those who believe would drive out demons, speak in new tongues, not be harmed and be able to heal with the laying of hands (Mark16:17-20). If we do not believe in Jesus, then how can we accept that He paid the price to save us. The Bible tells us that the one who believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God is the one who overcomes the world (1 John 5:5).

We need faith in Him to accept His gift of salvation and receive the privilege to be a child of God.

Mustard Seed Faith

Jesus told the disciples that if they had faith like a mustard seed that they could make mountains move (Matthew 17:20). He said to them that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to deliver the person in question. A mustard seed is tiny; it’s about 1-2 millimetre in diameter. That sounds like such a small amount of faith required to move a mountain. So that had me thinking it shouldn’t take much belief for me to tell a mountain to move, right? But as I grew in my spiritual journey, I have realised that I was thinking about it incorrectly. What benefit is it that I can move a mountain by command. What’s the intention behind that, is it to show that I have power? This should never be.

The right intention should be that we use faith to move mountains to show God’s power to people. In the new testament, Jesus often performed miracles, but the purpose was to reveal the kingdom of God to people in need of it. So, do we have faith that the Father will do it and is the intention to glorify the Father so that more people will come to Him? Is it because we ultimately want all to be saved and so our desires are aligned with the Father? This is how it should be. 

How to Increase Faith

So how do we increase our faith?

The Bible tells us that faith increases by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Therefore, as we spend time with God in His word and hearing from Him, our faith in Him will increase. His word teaches us who He is and that He cannot be overcome. This can help us to have faith in Him. The Bible reminds us that even though we are here and away from Him, we walk by faith, knowing our hope. The hope that we have in Him (2 Corinthians 5:1-7). The Bible tells us that anything is possible with God (Luke 1:37) And knowing that God is good, and He wants good for us, we can rest assured that we can have faith in Him. In John 16:33, Jesus says that we will have trouble in the world but have courage that He has overcome the world. So have faith in Him for He has already won the battle. The more we get to know Him, the more we can believe in Him and His abilities.

Sometimes we need to pray for help with our unbelief just like the man who brought his son to Jesus for healing in Mark 9:14-29. He asked Jesus for help, but he had doubts. Jesus pointed out his unbelief. The man realising it, he cried out for help for His unbelief. This tells us that we can have unbelief, but when we have doubts, we should pray that God helps us with this unbelief. So pray, being honest about that lack of faith in your heart and ask Him to help you to believe.

The author of Hebrews reminds us to look to Jesus, who is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is the beginning of our faith. It is because of what He did for us that we are saved, and through salvation, we have confidence in who God is. God sent His son to pay the price for us. He saved us from the enemy and so we can have faith that God is able to overcome all. Through Him, our faith is perfected. So, as we draw closer to Him by spending time with Him, our faith improves moving closer to perfection.

Let your faith not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God

1 Corinthians 2:5

All photos by Kyle