What is faith?
- Faith is having been persuaded, or to come to trust in something or someone.
- Faith brings assurance(Hebrews 10:22)
- Faith is persecution, bearing each others burdens, confidence in the things of Heaven, perseverance, believing, courage(Hebrews 10:32-39)
- It’s a lifestyle (Hebrews 10:38, Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17)
- Faith is confidence in what we hope for, it’s assurance about what we cannot see, it helps us to understand, and we will be rewarded for our faith. Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6
- When we have faith, great things will come: sacrifice, offerings, righteous living, please God, hear God, obey/move, become heirs with Christ, dwell in foreign lands (Earth), receive (Phil. 4:19), bless others, worship, confidence/courage/no fear, walk away from the ways of the world and choose the path of life, keep God’s commands, pass through various trials, walls will fall, the ungodly will claim the name of God, eyes will be opened, turn from dark to light, turn form Satan to God, receive forgiveness of sins, receive inheritance, be sanctified.
- When we have faith, horrible things will come: tested, sacrifice, temptation, war, strife, death, persecution, wandering/desert times. If you look at Hebrews 12:11, you can catch a glimpse of why all these terrible things must come, even when we have faith.
- Without faith: Cain who offered not his best, Lot who compromised his holiness, draw/shrink back, in light of Ephesians 6:16 we have no protection/no shield, without faith there is no hope, Hebrews 12:15-17
There is an expectation of how one should live for someone who confesses to have faith in Christ. Fair? Absolutely! We are called to holiness, to be different. Now, that’s not to say the world has often twisted those expectations, but we has a Church have also often failed to live up to the expectations that God has placed on us. Wrestle in your heart to see where you might be compromising your faith, where the weak spot in your shield is.
Things to ponder:
How are we able to use our faith as a shield?
What keeps us from having faith?
Do you have any weak spots in your shield?
If you were to “fix” your weak spots, how would your life be different?
What are you waiting for? Go talk to God about those weak spots and start living a more faith filled life!
Lord, thank You for giving us the opportunity to have faith. Thank You for the joy, the peace, the hope, the love that comes from having faith. I pray, God, that these words would have stirred a heart to consider having faith, strengthening their faith, or somehow loving You. May Your words settle into the hearts and souls reading this, and may my words pass away like chaff in the wind. In Your Holy Name we ask these things…
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