Faith

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Faith

The substance of all things - Faith

For we live by faith, not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Faith is how we live whether we know it or not. As Hebrews 11:6 says, we know faith pleases God: “But without faith it is impossible to please God, because he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder to those that diligently seek Him.”

For we live by faith and not by sight for without faith it is impossible to please God, because we believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

Since we are to live by faith, how do we get it? Do we already have it? If so, how does it operate?

1. WHAT IS FAITH

Scholars call Hebrews 11 the “Faith Chapter.” Some call it the “Icons of Faith Chapter.” Not only does it describe what faith is, it also describes details of how faith works in Biblical examples through these icons of faith. We see “how” faith worked from Abel to Enoch, Noah to Abraham, Sarah to Isaac, Jacob to Joseph, Moses to Joshua and all the warriors at Jericho, Rahab to Gideon, and so much more.

If you want to do an in-depth study of faith, look at each of these examples in the Old Testament and study how these people functioned in these crazy and heroic incidents, with Hebrews 11. It gives a bigger picture.

Now let’s look at the definition of faith:

Hebrews 11:1 and 6:

Now faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen…But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Faith is THE substance.

It’s the “substance” of things. In verse 3, it is how the worlds were framed by the Word of God. So this means “faith” and the “Word” go together. (We will get to that in the next chapter.) Faith is the substance. It is the make-up of things. All that we see at its core level is made up of faith. The substance.

2. Faith is THE evidence of what you cannot see.

This means if you can see it, it’s not faith, it’s manifestation. You are only operating in faith if you cannot see it. Let’s take a look at Romans 4. I also call this chapter a faith chapter, Romans 4, shows how faith operates. (You will see this in more later.)

Romans 4:17-22

“As it is written: ‘I have made you the father of many nations,’ before Him Whom he believed, God, who quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, ‘So shall thy seed be.’ And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.”

God’s spoken Word IS the evidence! It will come to pass. God spoke His Word regarding creation in Genesis 1-3 and it was so. All the promises of God are evidence! All we have to do is believe like Abraham did and give praise to God for it before we see it take place. Take God at His Word. He is not a man that He should lie, He will do what He has promised - Numbers 23:19 - if He said, it is done.

3. It pleases God for us to use our faith in Him and He rewards us for using our faith.

Like any parent, when you’re child says they don’t believe you, it is frustrating to say the least. A good parent wouldn’t lie to their child. It’s no different with God. What He has told us in His Word is so. And in Hebrews 6:13 we see God made the promise to Himself. Since He did that with Abraham, He has done it with all of us. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What He has done before He does again. By making the promise to Himself, He knows that the promise cannot be broken. He will never break His own promise, unlike the fickleness of mankind in their fallen state. That’s how we know God’s Word will never change. Not in Him nor in heaven. It is His Word and that settles it.

2. WHERE DOES FAITH COME FROM

Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

We get faith or better to say “build up” our faith by reading and studying the Word of God, and by making scriptures that “stand out” to us as our daily confessions.

We do all of this in our quiet time with the Lord, going wherever He leads us in scripture. This requires getting quiet with Him, using a scripture like Psalm 119:18 - “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things out of Your law,” and speak it back to Him and asking Him where to go. For example: “Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for Your Word. It is truth, and Father, I ask that You would open my eyes that I would see wonderful things out of Your Word, direction, edifying, and whatever You want to share with me. So where would You like me to go?”

Then be still and wait until it comes up from within you. Not outside of you. His Holy Spirit is WITHIN. You may have a thought that floats up from deep within you to your mind. Or you may hear His still, small, quiet voice. You may see the words of the name of the book, like “Colossians” come up in your minds eye. Whatever it is go to that scripture. You know it’s right when an “ah-ha” moment comes from where you are reading. It may be a verse or a couple of verses, or the entire chapter that are speaking of a particular subject directly TO you. When this happens you “see” something that you have never seen before and it answers a question you’ve had or a thought that you’ve pondered. It can even be something you’ve pondered for a very long time. No matter what the case may be, it’s an answer for you and you will have “peace” and “joy” about it. It always puts a “spring to your step.” (Colossians 3:15 AMP.)

Always have a notebook handy, write the date and the scriptures He leads you to that day, along with the ones that were the “ah-ha” scriptures and whatever revelation you got from it. These notebooks are good logs of how the Lord is teaching you. You can always refer back to them and when you do it stimulates your faith again.

Faith in Greek means “believe.” Everyone believes something. Including atheists. They believe there is no God. Every human on the planet has faith. It is part of our make-up. But how we use it is important to recognize because whether we know it or not, we are using our faith for ourselves or against ourselves. We are believing the best, God’s Word, for ourselves; or believing the worst for ourselves. And whatever we “believe” is what we speak. Speaking it is what brings it to pass - Genesis 1. When we find that we are believing bad things for ourselves it’s time for a faith “build-up” and find out what God has said about us instead of what we think, feel, or have been told. God always shares good news of who you are in Him!

How to know when we need to build up our faith:

1. When you pray, is your automatic thinking going along the lines of - “That would be nice but I don’t know if that will really happen. We’ll see.”

*Remember, “I don’t know” is doubt and is the opposite if faith. Technically it is faith being used against ourselves, faith in the worst happening instead of God’s promise; and faith cannot be “seen” so if those words are in your thinking take notice. 2 Corinthians 5:7 - We live by faith, not by sight. If we can see it, it’s not faith.

This means you need a faith build-up by a change your thoughts with what God says about you, not by what you can see.

2. Assess where your heart is - do you, deep down, go in line with scripture and you’re excited about the promise of God, or does it feel like “something” is missing.

If it feels like something is missing, this means you are praying from “mental assent” rather than “knowing, that you know” that it will come to pass. Mental assent is easy to happen and it’s sneaky. Because you know a particular scripture, like “by His stripes I was healed,” doesn’t mean you’re using your faith. And when you have that hollowed out-empty feeling when you're are praying and declaring your health/healing means you need a faith build-up.

3. If you are afraid that something will happen/not happen.

Having “fear” is not of God. 2 Timothy 1:7 - God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. When “fear” shows up, it - the spirit of fear - is trying to get you off your stand on the Word of God. Cast that evil spirit out of your thought life in the Name of Jesus. We are to control what we think, not let our thoughts run rampant, if we do we will get into trouble - 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

All three of these “thoughts” denote building up our faith is necessary. Faith is like a “spiritual muscle”. It needs to be worked out. We have to build it up. Little by little. Strengthen our faith with the Word that says “who” we are. Like John 17:23 - God the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus. This is a statement of fact. It has already occurred. Now we simply believe it. Then we build up on these kind of scriptures until we use the Word regarding things that have not “shown up” yet, like healing, as we used in the earlier example.

Take time away with the Lord and get into the scriptures regarding that area. Since we are using healing in this example, go to all the healing scriptures. There are hundreds of them. Read them. Speak them. The ones that get you excited, write them down, and make it personal. Like 1 Peter 2:24 - “By His stripes I was healed and I am healed, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He lives in me and there is no sickness in Him and no sickness in me. I refuse the right of illness in my body. My body belongs to Jesus. I am healed. Thank You Jesus.”

As you do this there will be an attack. There always is when you’re standing on the Word. It’s the parable of the sower. Immediately when the Word is sown, the devil comes to steal the Word that’s been sown. He does it in a few ways according to Luke 8 and Matthew 13:

The devil steals the Word because the person didn’t understand it; or …
If you receive it but have “stony” places in your heart, or hard-hearted, typically it is unforgiveness or pride, or both, they will keep the Word from manifesting. The person has no root, meaning the Word hasn’t taken root. They haven’t kept meditating on the Word, speaking that Word, and then when tough times come because of the Word that was sown they let go of it. Or…
The cares or worry wipe out the Word, or the lying of money to your head - thoughts that you ponder on about money (whether your rich or poor doesn't matter, it can be either.)

These will come up when we are acting on the Word. Guaranteed. Jesus told us twice, in Matthew and Luke. So know it. Stay steady on the Word. Keep feeding your Spirit with the Word and control your thoughts. When you do this you have the victory in Him.

When you write all the scriptures down that get you excited, make them personal like the example I showed for 1 Peter 2:24. These are your “confessions”. Pray them back to the Lord as declarations over your life. The Holy Spirit takes hold with you on the Word and you get excited. That’s how you know you’re on the right track. (Romans 8:26.)

There is one more part to add for the faith build-up and that is praying in the Spirit. It builds up our faith by praying in tongues as Jude 1:20 says - “But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

There are times when you are standing in faith for a particular promise to come into manifestation, you’ve been reading the scriptures, confessing them, casting down vain imaginations and replacing them with what the Word says about your situation - but it hasn’t come to pass yet. This is when praying in tongues is imperative. It builds up your faith, and it’s the Holy Spirit Who is strengthening you. All believers have the ability to pray in tongues because all believers have the Holy Spirit. You cannot be born again and not have the Holy Spirit. He is the one Who has planted God’s incorruptible seed in your heart and shed the Love of God in your heart. He is there. And praying in tongues is always God’s will - Romans 8:26-27. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Like everything else with God, you do it by faith, because God said you can. Open your mouth expecting.

Isaiah 28:11-12 - “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to His people. To whom He said, “This is the rest wherewith You may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing…”

3. HOW DOES FAITH OPERATE

Let’s look at what we have learned from the scriptures so far:

We all have faith because God has put it within us because He created us and faith is the substance of all He created - it is our substance - Hebrews 11:1. Since we are made in the image of God, this means that is also a part of His substance, faith. God is love and He is faith. When God speaks faith comes out from within Him. We are in His image. What is coming out is from within you.
Faith pleases God - Hebrews 11:6, because we believe in Him and know that He rewards us for diligently seeking Him.
Faith is the evidence of what we cannot see. If we can’t see it, we have to use our faith.
Faith is like a muscle, it can be built up, and that is done with the Word of God through reading and confessing it, and by praying in tongues - Jude 1:20, and casting down vain imaginations and replacing them with what the Word says. We do this by speaking the Word to ourselves and when we cast out thoughts that are not Godly, out loud, we then replace it by confessing the Word once again.

I. In Romans 1:17 - “The just shall live by faith; and Hebrews 10:38 adds - Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” This makes sense because God has told us in His Word that faith is what pleases Him, so if we don’t operate in faith, He’s not happy. We will frustrate Him. In fact, in Galatians 2:21 - “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” We want to please our Father God so we operate in faith, not in works.

II. We know faith resides in us and “just” in Romans 1:17 and Hebrews 10:38 is the same word used as “righteous”. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus - 2 Corinthians 5:21. He is our righteousness. It’s not by anything we have done. Therefore we are just, whether we feel like it or not. It’s not based on our “feelings,” it’s based on THE truth, the Word. And we are to live by faith, believing what God has told us. We do this because it pleases our Father God. A child always wants to make his parents happy, to please them.

Galatians 2:16 - “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the Fatih of Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

And this goes with Galatians 4:5-6 - “To redeem them that were under the law, what we might receive the adoption of sons. And Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.”

Look again at the earlier scripture Galatians 2:21 - my own words - if we get caught in works, we are making Christ’s death of no effect and that frustrates God’s grace. Simply believe what God has said. He took care of everything. It’s our Spirit’s that are re-created, incorruptible - 1 Peter 1:23 - “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever.” God took care of everything. It is our soul (mind, thinking) that has to be renewed and our bodies that will be transformed into incorruptible at the resurrection.

III. We are to call those things that be not as though they were - Romans 4:14 and Genesis 1. We have to speak to situations. Do this in your prayer time. Take out your scriptures, if you wrote them down, or if you mark them in your Bible, get them in front of your eyes and declare God’s Word over situations in your life until they manifest the promises of God.

IV. James 2:12 - “So speak and so act as people should who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” We are to not only speak or declare God’s Word over our lives but we are to act like it. Act like it has already taken place.

Depending on the situation “acting” like it is merely an “attitude” adjustment. Where you “look ahead” as it’s already happened. For example, getting a new job. See yourself in that new job. What your daily routine is like with it and so on. Yes, you are using your imagination. God gave it to you. This is what the Bible calls “hope”. As Romans 4:18 - “…against hope, Abraham believed in hope…” - means worldly hope is merely “wishing”. There’s no power to it. But when you have a promise from God, it creates a vision in your imagination! That’s what you hold on to! That’s what Abraham did. He kept imagining himself as the father of many nations. Proverbs 4:20-21 - “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to My Words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;”

When you hear words, those words create thoughts. They create images. This is imagination. And when you do this from God’s Word it creates Godly hope. Godly expectation. God will bring it to pass!! That’s what you keep your mind on.

V. Romans 14:23 Berean Literal - “But the one doubting has been condemned if he eats, because it is not of faith; and anything that is not of faith is sin.”

KJV says, whatsoever is not of faith is sin. That’s a sobering statement from the Lord.

4. CONCLUSION

We are to live by faith, God’s way of operating. We don’t have to. God will never make us do something we don’t want to do. But there is so much joy, peace, fulfilling life to be had when you live by faith. Make the choice to live by faith, and not by sight.

Here is the list all together:

We all have faith because God has put it within us because He created us and faith is the substance of all He created - it is our substance - Hebrews 11:1. Since we are made in the image of God, this means that is also a part of His substance, faith. God is love and He is faith. When God speaks faith come out from within Him. We are in His image. What is coming out from within you?
Faith pleases God - Hebrews 11:6, because we believe in Him and know that He rewards us for diligently seeking Him.
Faith is the evidence of what we cannot see. If we can’t see it, we have to use our faith. How can we believe for something when we see it?!
Faith is like a muscle, it can be built up, and that is done with the Word of God through reading and confessing it, and by praying in tongues - Jude 1:20, and casting down vain imaginations and replacing them with what the Word says. We do this by speaking the Word to ourselves and when we cast out thoughts that are not Godly, out loud, we then replace it by confessing the Word once again.
We are the just and we shall live by faith. If we draw back God will not be pleased. Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38. We are not justified by works but by the faith of Jesus Christ, Galatians 2:16.
We are to call those things that be not as though they were, Romans 4:14 and Genesis 1. We have to speak to situations. Do this in your prayer time. Take out your scriptures, if you wrote them down, or if you mark them in your Bible, get them in front of your eyes and declare God’s Word over situations in your life until they manifest the promises of God.
James 2:12 - “So speak and so act as people should who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” We are to not only speak or declare God’s Word over our lives but we are to act like it. Act like it has already taken place. God’s Word creates thoughts! Allow the Word to create imaginations in your mind of what the promises coming to manifestation “looks like” in your life.
Whatever is not of faith, is sin - Romans 14:23.