In the previous post ‘step out the boat and keep walking by faith’, the law of faith was discussed and how the law of faith works. In this blogpost I would like to continue with the subject ‘faith’ and discuss what faith is and what faith is not. What does the Bible say about faith? How do you walk by faith? Many believers often talk about faith and say they believe, but many times their lives prove otherwise. They know everything about faith, but don’t walk by faith. Therefore, what is faith actually?
What is faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1).
Hebrew 11:1 gives the definition of faith. Now, let’s have a closer look at the meaning of these words:
- Faith (fistis):
persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: – assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
- Substance (hypostasis):
a setting under (support), that is, (figuratively) concretely essence, or abstractly assurance(objectively or subjectively): – confidence, confident, person, substance.Things hoped for (elpizõ): to expect or confide:- (have, thing) hope (-d) (for), trust.
- The evidence (elegchos):
conviction: – evidence, reproof.
- Things (pragma):
a deed; by implication an affair; by extension an object(material): – business, matter, thing, work.
- Seen (blepõ):
A primary verb; to look at (literally or figuratively): – behold, beware, lie, look (on, to), perceive, regard, see, sight, take heed
We can say, that faith is an assurance, a conviction, and an expectation, to trust and believe, that ‘something’ that is not seen yet, will come to pass. You are absolutely sure about that, there is no doubt.
The whole creation is established by faith
The best example to give you, is the way the earth and the heavens and all there is within was created by God (El-Elohim). The earth was void and darkness hovered over the earth until God spoke His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit creation came into existence. Out of this chaos, God created peace and harmony (Read also: ‘Did God create the heaven and the earth in 6 days?‘).
If we live by faith, we can understand the creation, because it is the law of the Spirit, which we live by. As a born again believer we walk in the law of the Spirit and operate by the law of faith on this earth.
When we speak the Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit it will come to pass. No matter how the circumstances may look like. All you have to do is believe and stand on the Word and not give up.
The law of faith
Maybe you are sick, and you have been speaking to this illness and commanded it to go many times, but nothing happened in the natural realm yet, or it became worse. What you do next, is very important. Because at this moment doubt could enter your mind. You may begin to wonder, “is this really working? Should I go on?”
The answer is yes! You have to continue and keep standing on the Word. Because the truth is that By His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24), therefore it is already done.
You only have to bring it into existence. How do you do that? By believing in Jesus Christ; the Word and speaking the Word and believe and know that it will come to pass. You have to be persuaded by the truth, you have to stand on the Word and don’t be moved and you certainly must not give up.
What do you do with doubt?
When doubt tries to enter your mind, the question is: “what do you do, with this doubt”? Will you believe this thought, act upon it, and stop believing and speaking? If you do that, then you believe the devil (who works through this thought), above the Word of God. By doing that you will be a follower of the devil, even if you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Because if you really believe God’s Word and that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then you will tell this thought to go.
You tell this thought, it’s a liar, and that you were healed by His stripes. You will not give up, but keep confessing and believing the Word of God, above all.
Unfortunately I can’t tell you how long it will take, before the healing of God becomes visible in the natural. But the most important thing is, that you keep standing on the Word and not give up.
Don’t be discouraged, just keep on going. The illness has to go, because the Word is the Truth!
Don’t feel like a failure, you are only a failure if you quit
Walking by faith, is like planting a seed. When you plant a seed of a tree and look the next morning out of your window, to see if the tree is already there, you will find out, that the tree is not there yet. But… there is already a lot going on in the ground that you can’t see.
When you stop nurturing the seed, the seed will die. But if you keep believing in that tree and keep nurturing the seed, then one day, when you look outside of your window, you will see the beginnings of this marvellous tree. All you have to do is keep nurturing the seed.
It is the same with the Word of God. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time, before the Word becomes visible in the natural realm. Often times, we don’t see what is taking place in the spiritual realm.
We don’t see, that the words we you spoke are already causing something in the spiritual realm. Now all you have to do is keep believing and keep speaking the Word of God.
Sometimes when you speak to circumstances, it may take a while, but don’t give up. Don’t feel like a failure. You are only a failure when you give up, and believe the lies of the devil.
The Word will encourage you
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, Who quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were (Romans 4:16-17)
Look around you! Everything you see came into existence by a word. As believers, we should call those things which be not as though they were.
Do not give up and keep standing on the Word. Read and study the Word of God and the Word will encourage you.
“Be the salt of the earth”
