What is Faith, and How do we Get some?

[Laurie KRB]

Faith is important. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, that if we don't stand firm in our faith, we will not stand at all.

Isaiah 7:9

The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' "

In the NT we are told that without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Often we see in the Word the truth, and we want to believe, but we feel weak in our faith.

Where does faith come from? Is it a set amount, or can it grow (or even lessen)? How do we strengthen our faith and the faith of others?

Habakkuk 2:4

"See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith...

If the "righteous" live by faith, does that exclude you and me? If we're born-again Christians, no. "Righteous" now describes us! That's the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that He carried our sins FOR us, and now WE are the righteousness of God through Him. So that righteous, faith-living person is me. And you!

So what is faith? According to Paul, faith is believing what God promised us, even though we can't see it.

Heb 11:1 HCSB

Now faith is the reality [a] of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. (A)

Footnotes:
1. Hebrews 11:1 Or assurance
2. Hebrews 11:1 Or conviction

In the Bible, God made us many, many good promises. If you are anything like me, when you first start reading the Bible, it might seem a little confusing. Especially the Old Testament with all the wars and God's anger.

What is important to remember is that God is not angry with you! The sin that came into the world caused God to turn away from mankind because He cannot live with sin, cannot be in fellowship or relationship with evil. As man became more and more evil, due to the actions of Adam and Eve which allowed Satan to gain dominance, God was pushed out more and more.

It wasn't His choice.

In fact, He always wanted to be friends with us, ever since that first day in the Garden of Eden. Man chose Satan instead, but God didn't give up. Love never fails, and if God is one thing, it's love!

When He sent His own Son into the earth, He sent Him with a mission: Bring back My people!

When Jesus died for us, it is said that He BECAME SIN for us, or in our place. So God can now look upon man again, can fellowship with him, can come back into the earth and rule in man's heart.

If we let Him. It's our choice completely.

But if we do, we know that He sent Jesus because He loved the world. He didn't hate the world, He loved it, He loved us, and He still does! He's not angry at His kids, He loves us.

So if we begin reading the Bible with the view that sometimes He's talking to us, sometimes He's not (and you MUST read it in context to understand whom He is speaking to!), we can begin to receive all the GOOD things He promised us.

All the blessings in Deuteronomy 28? Their our promises! That's good news! So as we begin to believe all those good things, we start to see that God loves us and that God is good, and THAT is the beginning of faith.

Easy, huh?

Now that we have faith to believe God for His blessings to come into our lives, how do we increase our faith? Actually, Jesus' disciples asked the same question:

Luke 17:5-6 NIV

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

We are told that God has already given to each of us the "measure" of faith. One way to increase it is by using it! (Use it or lose it?)Another way to increase faith is by praying in the spirit. This is possible only after you have asked for and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but once you begin to pray God's perfect will, your soul grows in the love of God and faith grows with it!

Jude 1:20-21 HCSB

But you, dear friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

Faith also grows by continually hearing the Word of God, the Good News. I can't imagine only listening to the news all day, or only reading the paper. You would get a really lopsided view of the world -- mostly bad! But when you keep yourself hearing the Word, your soul begins to grow and your spirit is set free to operate in the faith you have inside of you, faith as a seed which needs watered by hearing the Word of God.

Romans 10:17?
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Another way to grow in faith is to keep God's words (Good Words of Blessings and Promises!) in your mind. If you have to, God told the priests, write them up and wrap them around your hand. He even had them tuck Scriptures into the bands of their hats. He knew that man tends to forget. He knows that Satan is always out there trying to get us away from Him. He wants us to remember His good news and His blessings which operate only when we believe in Him and when we obey Him.

Deuteronomy 11:18

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

According to Paul, faith should keep growing! Don't get content with one answered prayer, continue to hope for more of God's goodness. Expand your area to include your neighborhood. Pray for God to fix small things and then bigger things. Ask Him to provide for every need, because He promised He would.

And then believe for bigger things. Nothing is too big for God. Ask in faith, and you will receive!

2 Cor 10:15-16

Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you.

May the love of God shine in your hearts today and may His love flow through you to touch everyone you meet this week, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

[millerrod]

laurie wondered where you have been now i know [studying] what wonderful words you have given. its good to see you on the forum have been wondering how you and your husband and family were doing. God be with you in all !! just thought i would say hi !!

 

[Laurie KRB]

Hi Millerrod - thank you!

Yes, studying -- I've actually enrolled in an "off-campus" Bible College course and hope to earn my diploma... eventually.

The instructors have been charged with "empowering" their students to begin to do the works of Christ, and I really needed to hear that message again. It was in due season for me, for sure!

Blessings to you and yours as well, Brother.

 

[1corinthian13]

also your faith can be increased or "strengthened" by trials. I think in James 1:2 it says something like that. I know the tests i went through gets me closer to God and believing that He's there.

 

[BeLedbyHisSpirit]

It took 20 years for God to reveal to me the things you are asking about, but here is the short answer:

Faith is not something you elect to believe, i.e. put your finger down on a page in the bible and claim it for yourself. No.

Faith, is quite literally a gift from God to us, AND, it is nurtured by God by taking us through trials and problems of all kinds, whereby, we have no natural help at all (no friends, family, money, health insurance, etc.), such that we realize our 100% inability to deliver ourselves.

Then, when God brings us through (usually crying, complaining, and full of unbelief), we then breathe a sigh of relief and KNOW (don't miss that word, we know) that it was God, and not ourselves, Who brought us through.

Thus, He establishes Himself in our understanding.

But once is never enough. It is a continual lifelong experience and application of the Cross, by Him, using the Holy Spirit to reveal all things about Jesus to us.

Faith is learned trust. God nurtures our faith in just this way.

He gets all the glory, when rightly understood and testified to.

 

[Laurie KRB]

also your faith can be increased or "strengthened" by trials. I think in James 1:2 it says something like that. I know the tests i went through gets me closer to God and believing that He's there.

That's an interesting point! Here's that scripture in the ESV translation:

James 1:2-4

Testing of Your Faith

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Trials and tests are inevitable and they do help to develop our character if WE overcome THEM, rather than allowing ourselves to be overcome by the temptation, or giving in to it.

It's interesting to me that the wording in this scripture is "the testing of your faith" with the end result being steadfastness, or patience.

The point which seems to be overlooked so many times, is that it is a test we are supposed to pass!

Sometimes good Christians get so used to, or conditioned by, the trial that they forget the point: We are supposed to overcome the trial! If we give in to what comes against us rather than standing on our faith in order to trust God for His grace to overcome it, then we are not using the gifts God gave us!

We are overcomers, and the trial is temporary. In going through it and coming out the other side, we develop patience.

In Hebrews we are told that we receive the promises (or blessings, victories) through faith and patience. As we stand in faith during the trial, we develop patience in knowing that we will overcome what comes against us.

Paul said, "in all these things we are MORE than CONQUERORS". In other words, we win. We triumph over the adversity.

Not sometimes, but every time.

Great point, thanks 1 Cor.!

 

[Laurie KRB]

It took 20 years for God to reveal to me the things you are asking about, but here is the short answer:

Faith is not something you elect to believe, i.e. put your finger down on a page in the bible and claim it for yourself. No.

Faith, is quite literally a gift from God to us, AND, it is nurtured by God by taking us through trials and problems of all kinds, whereby, we have no natural help at all (no friends, family, money, health insurance, etc.), such that we realize our 100% inability to deliver ourselves.

Then, when God brings us through (usually crying, complaining, and full of unbelief), we then breathe a sigh of relief and KNOW (don't miss that word, we know) that it was God, and not ourselves, Who brought us through.

Thus, He establishes Himself in our understanding.

But once is never enough. It is a continual lifelong experience and application of the Cross, by Him, using the Holy Spirit to reveal all things about Jesus to us.

Faith is learned trust. God nurtures our faith in just this way.

He gets all the glory, when rightly understood and testified to.

I agree! It is by His grace that we are able to do all things through Christ!

James 1:13-15 HCSB

13 No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted by evil, [c] and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. (L)

In this passage we see that God is not the one bringing the trial, the temptation or the adversity. But as we learn to deal with small problems, as you clearly state, leaning on Him, trusting HIM to bring us through, we are then better able to deal with the next trial that sin brings against us.

I see it as a child beginning to walk. If he's thrown his toys around on the floor, taking his first steps, he will probably trip over them. But as he gets better able to maneuver the obstacles in his path, he grows in his ability to walk, and then run.

Often God holds our hands over the very small obstacles, and teaches us to rely on HIS balance to get us over the hills.

Then, as we get more experience in our walk of faith, He teaches us to run. I hope one day to fly!

Peace all.

 

[Laurie KRB]

Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV

Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

 

[Joy]

Thank you this thread is so encouraging and confirms
the very thing I have been thinking about earlier this evening.

Laurie, i pray your course will be of great encouragement to you and hope you will still have time to share with us, because what you share is God's Word and I am always greatly encouraged by it.

 

[Sketcher]

Faith is learned trust. God nurtures our faith in just this way.

Precisely. If you're worried about how much YOU trust God and whether YOUR faith is good enough, you're focusing on the wrong person. Turn your thoughts to God and His character. The Bible has plenty to say about Him, including the fact that He does not change (James 1:17). Learn to trust Him, learn His power, His knowledge, and His love for you. There's every reason to have faith in Him (Ephesians 3:16-19). Worrying about whether you have enough faith or not isn't having faith in Him, but having faith in yourself. There's no reason to do that.

 

[Laurie KRB]

Thank you this thread is so encouraging and confirms
the very thing I have been thinking about earlier this evening.

Laurie, i pray your course will be of great encouragement to you and hope you will still have time to share with us, because what you share is God's Word and I am always greatly encouraged by it.

Oh, thank you so much! I really needed to hear that tonight...

Thank You, Father, for those who seek you with open eyes and ears that hear, with hearts that desire to understand You. May You continue to increase our knowledge of You! You are our necessary food. In the Holy Name of Jesus, amen.

Peace and joy all!

 

[wmc1982]

great thread, I needed to see many of those verses today. I feel my faith strengthening already!

 

[Laurie KRB]

great thread, I needed to see many of those verses today. I feel my faith strengthening already!

Thank you - may your faith continue to grow!