FAITH - What is Faith?

Webster’s says that faith is:  allegiance to duty or a person, fidelity to one's promises, sincerity of intentions, belief and trust in and loyalty to God, firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust, something that is believed especially with strong conviction, and without question

If you look up the word “faith” in a concordance you are going to find over 300 verses, but Hebrews 11:1 sums them all up with its simple explanation:

Hebrews 11:1

 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

Substance and evidence, now they sound like things someone can grasp and hang on to – but are they?  I like how the Amplified Bible puts this verse: 

“Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” (Hebrews 11:1 AMP)

So, faith is assurance, a title deed, a confirmation of what is hoped for.  Someone can assure you that you will get the car you are purchasing but is it really yours?  No, at least not yet.  When you actually hold the title to that car then you can claim it as yours.  I do not know about you but the first car I bought was a used 1969 Plymouth Valiant and I paid cash for it.  I was then given the title to the car.  I felt completely at ease with that title in my hand because it was my guarantee that it was mine in my eyes and the eyes of the law.  It was a “done deal”.  Faith is the title to whatever God promises us.  When we hold faith in our hearts and souls we are holding God’s guarantee that what He said is ours.  It is a done deal.

Faith is also the evidence of things not seen.  This second part of this verse is often kind of ignored compared to the first part but it is just as important.  Faith is the conviction of the reality of what we cannot see.  I cannot “see” the wind but I can know it is there because I “feel” it.  This is not faith.  I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord on October 30, 1973.  It took faith to do so.  Could I see Jesus?  No.  Could I see God?  No.  I went to church.  Did that make me a Christian?  No.  What made the difference?  I heard the preachers preach from God’s Word and say that I was a sinner and Jesus came to take away my sins.  I heard the preacher that night ask me if I was ready to see God face to face that night in February if I happened to die in a car crash on the way home.  I acknowledged that I was not and I decided to make sure I was by accepting what Jesus did for me that night.  That decision was faith in action.  Faith was being convicted of the reality of my sin and my need for Someone to take it away.  Since that night I have grown in faith day by day, month by month, and year by year.  How?  “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” (Romans 10:17 KJV).  I spent daily time with God by reading and pondering His Word (but more about this verse is for a future blog article).

Basically faith is trust in God and getting the handle on His promises even though we cannot see them yet.

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.” (Hebrews 11:1 MSG)

Are we alone in this endeavor of finding faith and using it?  Definitely not!  Read the rest of Hebrews 11 and find many many more Christians who found and used their faith.  Find out just how powerful God was in their lives.  It will encourage you in grasping and using faith.

“Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this kind of faith that won their reputation for the saints of old. And it is after all only by faith that our minds accept as fact that the whole scheme of time and space was created by God’s command—that the world which we can see has come into being through principles which are invisible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3 PHILLIPS)

I love how Graham Cooke puts it:  “I think the problem in modern day Christianity is that we mostly use faith as an event, a special time to believe for something. I think faith is way more precious than that. It is an ongoing relational experience. I would see it that faith is a consequence of our continuous relationship and fellowship with God's majesty and sovereignty. One thing I have learned, and am learning, is the more you sow faith, the more it grows!”

OPINIONS THAT COUNT

How many of you were watching the Golden Globes when Meryl Streep said, "Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence.  And when the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose."  She was ostracized for speaking against President Trump by many conservatives in the days that followed.  On the other hand, how many of you heard of or read William C. Bradford’s tweets that said, “I think Obama was given his mission in Tehran long ago, and it suits him just find.  How else can a Kenyan creampuff get ahead?”  I am beginning to think that Americans are becoming slaves to the “information age” where they not only have to get the latest news throughout the day on their smart phones, etc. but also feel compelled to give their opinions on each issue, even in disparaging words.

I can understand when non-Christians go off on someone for they do not have a guidebook that tells them what to do in the situations they find themselves in, but where I get frustrated is where a believer speaks disrespectfully of the president (or past presidents for that matter).  When they do they are putting themselves under God’s judgment and the risk of damnation:

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”  -Romans 13:1-2 KJV

"To oppose authority then is to oppose God, and such opposition is bound to be punished." -Rom. 13:2 J.B. Phillips

It was no “accident” that President Trump holds his office.  We may or may not agree with him but it is God who put him there:

"For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.  But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." -Ps 76:6-7 KJV

Whether we agree with a sitting president or not it is our responsibility to respect and pray for them.  Why?  So that:  1) God can turn the heart of the one who rules over us (Proverbs 21:1), and 2) so that we can lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

So, as believers, we are held to a higher standard:  that of God’s Word.  As we submit to God then we are able to hear his direction on what to do regarding every situation we face.  We are commanded to pray for those He has set in authority over us.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as I read Facebook and various blogs written by believers I continue to see hateful, disparaging, and disgusting cuss words spoken about those in authority (and past authority) over us.  Where will that get us?  Nowhere!  There are two ways to make a lasting change:

1)  SPIRITUAL:  Pray for those God has placed in authority over you; that is everyone from the President on down to your Pastor or parents even (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

2)  PHYSICAL:  You can always give your opinion on Facebook, but that does not get you very far.  Give your opinion where it counts the best:  Anyone can email the President or Vice President at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.  If you agree with the man, let him know; if you disagree with the man, let him know (respectfully, please).  Go (as they say) to the horse's mouth. Let them personally know how you feel. That goes for your Congressmen and Senators as well (at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/).

Make your opinion count; first go to God, then go to the man that can make the change.

EXCELLENCE

According to Webster’s Dictionary the word “excellence” is a noun and it means “having an outstanding or valuable quality”.  Some synonyms that would help describe it further are:  choiceness, distinction, first-rateness, greatness, perfection, preeminence, primeness, superbness, superiority, and supremacy.  If you live in a country that has a reigning king or queen you are acquainted with calling him or her “Your Excellency” because it is a sign of respect due to their title and position.  In some countries the mayors or dignitaries of cities and townships are addressed in the same way, again it is a sign of respect to their title or position.

In the United States we are not as well as acquainted with these customs unless we watch such TV shows as “Game of Thrones” or movies such as “Charlemagne”, “Richard III”, or “The Last Emperor”.  In any case, using the word excellence was meant as a showing of respect to someone who was supposed to rule or guide others in excellence.  One monarch that was very well respected around the whole world was Great Briton’s Queen Victoria.  Why was she so respected?  Before taking the throne she was shown a chart of the line of succession of the Kings and Queens of England and she pondered it a moment then she said, “I will be a good queen.”  It was at the height of Great Briton’s power and “generally speaking, Victoria was a monarch who felt the affections of her people and was respected by the majority as a Queen who understood. Perhaps it was because ‘Victoria embedded herself so firmly in the history of what she herself called the ‘people’ that she has seemed indistinguishable from them’” (see www.allempires.com and search Queen Victoria).

“But we can thank God continually for you, brothers, whom the Lord loves. He has chosen you from the beginning to save you, to make you holy by the work of his Spirit and your own belief in the truth. It was his call that you followed when we preached the Gospel to you, and he has set before you the prospect of sharing the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So stand firm, and hold on! Be loyal to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or in writings.” -1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 PHILLIPS

God has called us, each believer, and set us apart to excellence.  It is not a job we have to “work up” but rather our responsibility is to believe and yield to the Lord so that His Holy Spirit can work it out on our behalf.  Yield what?  Yield to Him what His Spirit directs us to yield.  I know that you have sense His prodding in areas of your life that have hindered your walk with Him because I have sensed this prodding myself.  For years, even as a believer, I have struggled with being a compulsive over-eater.  You put food in front of me and I would eat it, going for seconds and even thirds.  I sensed the Lord prompting me to yield this area of my life to Him and I thought I did as I went on diet after diet and exercise programs, liquid cleanses, etc.  You name it and I have probable tried it.  The thing is, I would lose some weight – sometimes even a lot of weight – but then go back to my normal eating habits and gain it all back and then some.  I abused my body for 48 years with this yo-yo cycle but then I finally just came to the realization that there was no way I could do this on my own.  I asked God to heal me of compulsive overeating.  That is when I was directed to look into gastric surgery.  I learned it was not a panacea for healing from obesity but rather a tool to use to lose and maintain weight.  I had the surgery and have maintained a 100 lb weight loss.  Am I healed from compulsive overeating?  Every time I am tempted the Holy Spirit reminds me of where I used to be, how very uncomfortable it is to eat more than my small pouch of a stomach can hold, and of whom He is directing me to be.  That makes it easier to step into that excellence He has called me to.

So, my sister or brother in the Lord, what has the Lord been prodding you to yield to Him?  Remember it is His job to make the change; all you have to do is believe and yield.  Yield and lay it at His feet and see what excellence you will step into by the power of His Spirit.

“For our fathers used to correct us according to their own ideas during the brief days of childhood. But God corrects us all our days for our own benefit, to teach us his holiness. Now obviously no “chastening” seems pleasant at the time: it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that is has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the characters of those who have accepted it in the right spirit. So take a fresh grip on life and brace your trembling limbs. Don’t wander away from the path but forge steadily onward. On the right path the limping foot recovers strength and does not collapse.” –Hebrews 12:10-13 PHILLIPS