What is Faith, Anyway?

Faith. I’ve heard this word, spoken this word, sang about this word pretty much my entire life. What I didn’t do was really truly understand this word. The most basic, surface-level explanation is all I really thought about, to be honest. I kind of regarded it as a suggestion to think positively and maybe whatever I was hoping for would come true. “If I can believe that Jesus will take this sickness away, then, if it’s in His will, the sickness will go.” See, here is the hiccup for me in this: if it’s in His will. This leaves a big grey area of “maybe”. And “maybe” isn’t faith. “Maybe” is hoping, while “Faith” is knowing. How do we know what His will is? We must first know who our Savior is. *Cue the coffee maker*, we’ve got lots to dive into, friends!

Before we dive into the character of our Father, and there is so much I am eager to show you about our awesome Savior, let me take you back to that five letter word again. F A I T H.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”- Hebrews 11:1-3

I love the way this verse beautifully paints a picture that really encompasses not just the meaning, but the power that lives inside this five letter word. The Passion Translation describes verse 3 like this: “Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.” God knew the power of His words. He didn’t question the authenticity because He knew the source. He knew who HE was. Almighty Creator Of ALL things that were, all things that are, and all things to come. Can we stop here for just a moment and take that in. He knew who He was. “The Great I AM”....

“Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?”-Jeremiah 32:27

If we go back to the beginning, and I mean all the way back, to Genesis 1:1-3. I want to show you something that caught my eye:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said , “Let there be light”; and there was light.”

“And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”. So, it was the Spirit of God that breathed all of creation to life. Wait! Is that the same Spirit of God that lives inside of us?! Well, since you asked, let us take a look!

“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”- 1 John 3:24

”Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”- John 14:12-14

”If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, who the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”-John 14:15-17

”He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”-John 14:21-23

Yes! Friends, the same Spirit of God that was hovering over the waters that first day, is the same Spirit that is alive inside of all who love Him! Not just like a small fraction of it, but the spirit as a living being. The SPIRIT OF GOD is inside of me, alive, just waiting for me to allow Him to bless me, to make a way when there seems to be no way possible, to carry me while I rest, to wipe my tears that try to drown me in life’s uncertainties, to whisper love into my broken heart, to protect me from every dark figment of the enemy’s lies. Listen to me, friends, you need to know your Father! He wants you to live abundantly in every way, which is why He made a way for you to overcome every obstacle that comes to destroy you. Will you let Him, your Creator, write the story of your life? Or will you steal the pen away and try to muddle through life alone?

So, if there is nothing too hard for Him, then that goes to say that there is nothing too hard for us, whom He abides in. Breathe this into your being. He didn’t leave us “as orphans” (John 14:18) He didn’t want us to be alone. He knew that we would succumb to the works of the enemy that run rampant in this once, peaceful and perfect world. Anything that is outside of God’s perfect plan is rooted from sin. And here is the thing: sin manifests itself in many different ways. Am I saying that if you get sick that it’s because you are rooted to the enemy? No! Oh goodness, no! When Adam and Eve ate that apple, sin entered the world. Because that door opened, all things in the world are exposed to the evil works of the enemy. Ugh. Did you have to pick that apple, Eve?

But we are not bound by the doom of that mistake, that monumentally catastrophic mistake. Jesus came and conquered every dark thing, including death, so that we could live. We are sinners by heredity, by the nature of our flesh, but through His forgiveness, we have redemption and are re-born. And when you are born again of God, you have inside of you the Spirit of Truth to defeat every single work of the enemy. Illness is a reality in the world we live in. I’m not just talking about physical illness, but emotional and mental as well. However, we have God’s spirit inside of us to overcome the world. But you have to believe it and start living like it. We are going to go deeper into this next week, because I don’t want to bombard you! My wheels are turning so fast I can hardly keep up, and this is too important to rush through. Let’s slow down then, and really take this in.

As we wrap up here, I want to leave you with one more thought to really penetrate into your spirit this week:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”-1 John 5:3

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”- 1 John 4:7

Take notice to that word: “born” of God. Now breathe this into your being:

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith.”- 1 John 5:8

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for who you are. Thank you for your perfect love that casts out all fears. You are Emmanuel, God who is with us. We just want to take a moment and thank you for that. We need you desperately, Father. There is nowhere that You won’t find us. Even when we find ourselves lost and broken. Thank you so much for your gracious gift of life that came by your unspeakable sacrifice. Open our eyes to Your love, Father in the times that the darkness comes to dim our vision. Draw near to us, Father, as we draw near to you, and bless us with your sweet, sweet presence as we call upon your name. The Bread of Life. Let us taste and see that You are good. In the Mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Be Blessed Friends!

-xoxo-

-Bethany Hope