Faith is...

Hebrews 11:1 states that “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The writer of Hebrews goes on to give examples of this definition of faith in chapter 11. People like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, etc. are not commended in this passage because they knew God and acknowledged his power. Rather, there was one thing they all had in common. These faithful ones were celebrated because they DID something that actualized their faith. In other words, there came a point in life where they acted upon their trust in God. They took a step forward, believing God had called them, and trusted him for the material, emotional and spiritual resources needed to see their calling through to the end.

We should understand that there are two extremes to faith and both of these extremes dishonor God. On one end, we possess deep hopes and aspirations that are good and honorable, but are not rooted in God’s will. Here, we’re not trusting God, we’re presuming upon him. This is acting on our own and then asking God to bless it. In essence, it is “pushing God’s hand” to do what WE want or what we think is needed. This is the place where we get our plans and God’s will confused. We must remember, God has not committed himself to finance OUR dreams. He seeks that we get in on his plans and trust him for the outcomes. The other extreme is characterized by a complete lack of faith. It is not acting upon God’s will due to fear, or because we don’t see the resources necessary. Our expectation is that if God will provide the resources in advance, THEN we will step out. However, that’s really not faith. We should know that God sometimes asks his children to step out first… and then see his provision as they trust him in a very present-tense way. In our modern era, we’re used to living our lives in such a way where every resource needed is secured in advance. Here we push actual trust in God out of the equation. We lack courage and a true belief that if God calls he will provide a way. Fear takes over and anxiety about the possibility of failure rules the day. Sadly, we make decisions then based upon circumstances and a seeming lack of resources, rather than upon God.

You may ask, “OK- so how do we tell the difference between the two extremes and if we’re truly undergoing faith?” The key to figuring it out is in answering one simple, but profound question: Is God calling us to this? Because if he is, then we’re not acting presumptuously upon God and testing him… and, we’re not fearful because we know and believe that if God is leading us, then he will be faithful to provide everything needed to do his will.

Here’s my rule for faith that has seen me through many moments of heartfelt trust and many experiences when I have witnessed God’s amazing provision: God’s will, done God’s way, will not lack God’s resources! This is faith and it’s what every church and every believer should live and experience in life. Without it, we miss out on one of the great joys of living— i.e., the adventure of true faith in the Lord and seeing his amazing ability to provide for his children.