Introduction
Faith, a fundamental part of following Jesus. But what is it? Why is it important? How do we use it? And how do we grow it? As you journey in understanding and growing faith, let it bloom beautifully in the depths of your soul.
The following is a pdf of what is written here: Living by Faith.pdf
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 “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].”
Faith is what pulls the kingdom of God into reality (Matthew 6:10).
A fitting analogy for Faith are muscles. Muscles can grow and shrink and must be exercised to grow. The more they grow the more pulling power they have. You can gain faith and you can lose faith. Similar to how you can gain and lose territory in a battle (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7).
Faith is inherently intertwined with the words Trust and Believe. You can almost always substitute these 3 words for one another in a given passage in the Bible, while still retaining the essence of what is being said.
What is its purpose?
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.”
The purpose of faith is to have a close relationship with God. Faith first starts with salvation, a confident belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior. It should then grow into a deep trust in God and living by this deep trust in Him. It is one of the key parts of living the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13).
How to get Faith
Romans 10:7 “So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.”
John 20:31 “but these have been written so that you may believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God; and that by believing [and trusting in and relying on Him] you may have life in His name.”
Faith starts and grows through hearing about Jesus, His kingdom, and reading the Bible.
Using Faith
Where to use Faith
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Similar to how muscles must be used in everyday life, every part of life must use Faith. Words, actions, and thoughts. There is not one aspect of life in which faith should not be used (James 2:26, Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 5:7).
How to Use Faith
Using Faith can be done in 2 categories: speaking & actions.
Speaking
2 Corinthians 4:13 “And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak.”
Speaking out is the primary way to use Faith. When speaking out faith, it is not a request, rather it is a statement.
Actions
Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Actions of obedience to what God has said is another way to use Faith.
Applications
Faith is applicable to every area of life. Our body has many different types of muscles used for different types of functions. Similarly faith has different types of “muscles” for different types of functions. The following are some samples of specific functions:
Righteous living: 2 Peter 1:3 “For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
Faith that God empowered you for righteous living and He will make you live righteously (Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 12:2, John 3:3)
Direction: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”
Faith that God will guide and make the path clear where He guides you (John 10:27, 16:5-15)
Physical Provision: Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Faith that God provides physical things and money as needed (Matthew 6:25-33, Philippians 4:19, 2 Corinthians 9:6-10)
Protection: Mark 16:17-18 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.””
Faith that God will protect you from deadly harm (Psalm 91, 121, 2 Timothy 4:18, 1 John 5:18)
Trials: James 1:2-4 “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
Faith that God is developing you through trials and tribulations and you will overcome (1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 8:28, John 16:33)
Ministry: Romans 12:6 “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed;”
Faith that God will minister to people through you and around you (Hebrews 11:7-40, John 11:40)
Miracles: Luke 17:6 ““If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
Faith that God will alter and change the world and situations around you to bring His kingdom (Acts 12:1-11, 16:25-26)
Healing: Isaiah 53:4-5 “Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”
Faith that God has healed you (Matthew 8:16-17)
Deliverance: Mark 9:18-19 “”and whenever it seizes him [intending to do harm], it throws him down, and he foams [at the mouth], and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. I told Your disciples to drive it out, and they could not do it.” He replied, “O unbelieving (faithless) generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”
Faith that God has given you authority to enact on His behalf in dealing with demons (Acts 16:17-18, 19:13-16)
Spiritual Warfare: Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Faith that God will protect you and strengthen you against the dark forces (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Using Faith Effectively
Can vs Is
Mark 9:22-23 “The demon has often thrown him both into fire and into water, intending to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Jesus said to him, “[You say to Me,] ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts [in Me]!””
The word “can” vs “is” is often the difference in using Faith or not.
“God can provide for me” vs “God is providing for me”. The comparison of the two statements is like looking at a weight and saying “I can lift that” instead of actually going and lifting it. Similarly, making a request of God “God please heal this person's legs so they can walk” is vastly different from “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk”. The request is acknowledging God can or might do something, the statement is acknowledging He is or will do something (Acts 3:6).
Repetition
Luke 18:7-8 “And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf? I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?”
Get those reps in! Fervent and persistent faith being used on God's promises is often required, especially when growing faith! (James 5:16-18, 1 Kings 18:42-44).
How to grow Faith
Faith like muscles can grow and be built up. Faith can be trained for short use such as lifting, and endurance such as long distance running. As mentioned in the previous section, reps are important.
God's Word
This was mentioned in the section How to get Faith. It also applies to getting more faith. Knowing, meditating, and storing God’s truths and promises in your heart builds up your faith (Psalm 1).
Testimonies
Hearing other people's testimonies of faith, builds up, inspires, and encourages our own faith (Hebrews 11:4-38).
Trials
Trials and tribulations often build up and grow the endurance part of faith. A continual use of faith in God through the circumstance (James 1:2-4).
Hindrances to Faith
The following are some ways faith can be hindered:
Walking by sight: only basing decisions and beliefs on what you can understand or have evidence of, stunts faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Disobedience: being disobedient to what God says, results in lost opportunities to use and grow faith (James 4:2-3)
Lack of faith: not having faith will result in a lack of God doing miracles and other supernatural things in your life (Mark 6:5-6)
Encouragement
In all of this only a small bit of faith is needed to see God do incredible things!
Matthew 17:20 “for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”