FAITH IN GOD (1)

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “HAVE FAITH IN GOD” – Mark 11:22

To walk and live by authentic and scriptural Faith, is to have FAITH IN GOD: “So Jesus answered and said to them, “HAVE FAITH IN GOD” (Pro.3: 5-8). Faith is a demonstration of Confidence in God, not confidence in oneself, in others, in things, in possessions, in ideas, in ideologies, or even in a religion. Faith never leans on the arm of flesh, horses and chariots which are bound to fail: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright” (Ps.20:7). Faith in God never fails! Let’s examine Four Meanings of Faith in God:

Faith in God is Trusting Him: This means relying on Him to guide and lead us through life’s valleys or seasons of silence, even if He’ll have us do things that don’t make immediate sense. Trusting God does not mean understanding God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths” (Pro.3:5-6). To trust God is to rely on His ability, character, strength, and truth. We can trust God because He is caring, compassionate, loving, and wise. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. God will not lie. He will always tell us the truth. We have to trust who God is, what He can do, and what He is trying to accomplish. That’s having faith.

Faith in God is Waiting on Him: Sometimes, it can feel like God is not doing anything. While waiting, we may be tempted to feel desperate, in a hurry, like we need to take over and do His job for Him. We may feel afraid that what we think should happen may not happen. We may look around at others and see how blessed they are and wonder why God is not blessing us. Wrong! We must keep our eyes on God and wait for Him to reveal Himself, so we can sustain the trusting and waiting: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!” (Psa.27:14). God is an on-time God. He will be there right on time. We must never try to get ahead of Him; but keep doing only what He says: praying, loving, and serving.

Faith in God is Obeying Him: It is the willful submission of one’s life to His authority. Faith says, “I will believe and obey God. I will do what He says.” In obeying God, we are saying, “Lord, You are right. Your way is the correct way.” Obedience is a display of Faith in God. When we disobey Him, we are saying, “Lord, I don’t trust Your way. I don’t believe You know what is best in this situation.” Disobedience is a display of doubt and disbelief: “By Faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb.11:8). Faith produces obedience: “Faith is dead without good works” (Jam.2:17). Our consistent actions will prove whether we have Faith in God or not.

Faith in God is focusing on Him: We can get so distracted so quickly, but faith keeps our attention and focus on God. Hebrews 12: 1-2a says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…” Jesus is the Creator and Developer – Pioneer and Perfecter – of our Faith. The more we focus on Him, the stronger our faith will be. We’re to focus more on the unseen eternal realities of God than on what is seen and transient (2Cor.4:18).

Having faith in God is trusting, waiting, obeying, and focusing on God.