Faith Podcast EP 7

Podcast Script (Expanded)

Opening & Hook

Today we’re diving into one of the most foundational, most challenging, and most beautiful themes of the Christian life: faith.

We use the word all the time — “Have faith,” “Walk by faith,” “Faith over fear.” But what does it actually mean to live by faith in real time?

Because if we’re honest, sometimes faith feels easy — like when prayers get answered, doors open, and everything makes sense. But sometimes it feels like walking in fog, like holding onto something invisible.

Philip Yancey in Reaching for the Invisible God says:

“Doubt and difficulty can be catalysts for intimacy with God.”

In other words, it’s often in the tension between what we believe and what we see, between our trust and our questions, that faith gets real.

So today we’re going to explore faith — biblically, theologically, and practically. We’ll look at Abraham, at the desperate father in Mark 9, at Paul’s letters, at James’ challenge, and at the heroes in Hebrews 11.

And by the end, my prayer is that you’ll not only understand faith more, but you’ll feel invited to live it more deeply.

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Saved Sounds

Speak - CeJae

“When you say come I will come to you, even if it isn’t comfortable”

GOD: CHILD - Cyfe II

Section 1: What Is Faith?

Let’s start with a definition.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) says:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Faith isn’t wishful thinking. It’s not just hoping for the best. It’s a settled confidence in God’s promises, even when we can’t see how they’ll unfold.

The Greek word often translated as “faith” (pistis) carries a sense of trust, loyalty, obedience, and reliability. It’s not just mental agreement; it’s relational trust.

Think of it like this: if I say “I trust this chair,” but never sit in it, I don’t really trust it. Faith is sitting down. Faith is putting your weight on God, not just saying He looks sturdy.

G.C. Berkouwer, in Faith and Justification, says faith is always oriented toward Christ — it’s never an abstract principle. It’s not “faith in faith,” it’s not “positive thinking.” It’s faith in Him.

And that’s important: because it means faith is less about the strength of your grip, and more about the strength of the One you’re holding onto.

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Section 2: Abraham — The Father of Faith

Nowhere is this clearer than in Abraham.

Genesis 12 — God tells Abraham, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Notice — God doesn’t give a map, doesn’t give all the details, doesn’t even name the destination yet. He simply says, “Go.”

And Abraham goes. That’s faith as obedience.

Later, in Genesis 15:6, we read:

“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

Paul will pick this up in Romans 4 to show that Abraham’s right standing with God was not earned by works but by trust. Abraham’s faith was counted as righteousness.

And then there’s Genesis 22 — the hardest test. God asks Abraham to offer up his son Isaac, the child of promise. From the outside, it looks like a contradiction: how can God’s promise continue if the son of promise is gone? Yet Abraham obeys, believing somehow God can still provide. Hebrews 11:19 even says Abraham reasoned God could raise the dead.

That’s radical trust — faith that doesn’t demand to see every step before moving.

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Section 3: Faith in the Gospels — Raw Trust and Honest Doubt

When we move into the Gospels, Jesus doesn’t just talk about faith, He responds to it.

Think of the paralytic in Mark 2. His friends literally rip open the roof to lower him to Jesus. The text says, “When Jesus saw their faith…” Faith isn’t just internal; it’s visible in action.

Or think of the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. She presses through the crowd, believing, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Jesus turns and says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.”

But faith in the Gospels isn’t always bold. Sometimes it’s fragile, wavering, half-belief. And that’s where Mark 9:24 comes in.

A desperate father brings his demon-tormented son to Jesus. He’s tried everything. The disciples couldn’t cast it out. He turns to Jesus and says, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

Jesus replies, “‘If you can’? Everything is possible for one who believes.”

And then comes one of the most honest prayers in all of Scripture:

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Here’s where I want to bring in Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. They point out two remarkable things about this father’s cry:

1. The presence of unbelief, honestly acknowledged. Only real faith could reveal unbelief so honestly. A shallow “faith” hides doubt; real faith confesses it.

2. The appeal to Christ for help with unbelief itself. He doesn’t just ask for his son’s healing; he asks for his own faith to be healed. That’s profound. He sees Jesus not only as a miracle-worker but as the One who can cure his very capacity to believe.

Isn’t that incredible? Sometimes the most faithful prayer you can pray is, “Lord, I believe — but help my unbelief.”

And Jesus responds. He heals the boy. Which tells us: imperfect faith is still powerful faith when placed in the perfect Savior.

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Section 4: Faith in Paul’s Letters — Justification by Faith

For Paul, this story of Abraham’s trust is central.

Romans 1:17 says:

“The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 3:28 says:

“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”

And Romans 4 goes deep into Abraham’s story: not by law, not by circumcision, but by believing God.

This is where Berkouwer’s insight helps us again. He says justification isn’t just a one-time entry ticket into salvation; it continues to shape us. Faith is how we’re saved, yes — but also how we walk daily. It shapes sanctification, holiness, obedience.

Faith is the starting line, but also the running stride, and the finish line.

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Section 5: James 2 — Faith and Works

But then James comes along and says, “Faith without works is dead.”

At first it can sound like he’s contradicting Paul. But really, they’re two sides of the same coin. Paul emphasizes we are saved by faith alone. James emphasizes that true faith never remains alone. It shows itself in action.

Think of Rahab hiding the spies, or Abraham offering Isaac — James points to those as proof that genuine trust produces obedience.

Faith is the root. Works are the fruit. If there’s no fruit, we have to ask if the root is alive.

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Section 6: Faith in Suffering

But let’s be real: it’s one thing to have faith when prayers are answered. It’s another when God feels silent.

Job says in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” That’s faith in suffering — clinging even when it hurts.

Yancey reminds us that Scripture repeats “Do not fear” 365 times — as if God knew we’d need a daily reminder. Faith doesn’t eliminate fear, but it gives us Someone greater to hold onto in fear.

Hebrews 11 itself tells of people who saw great victories by faith — but also those who “were tortured, refused release, wandered in deserts, caves, mountains.” Both are called faithful. Faith isn’t measured by outcomes but by endurance.

Section 7 (Expanded): Faith and Reason

One of the biggest misunderstandings today is that faith and reason are enemies — as if believing in God means shutting off your brain. But the Bible never presents it that way. Faith isn’t anti-reason, it’s beyond reason.

Hebrews 11:3 says:

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

Notice that word — understand. Faith is not blind; it leads to understanding.

Think of Abraham again. God tells him he’ll have descendants as numerous as the stars — but Abraham’s an old man, his wife Sarah is barren. Reason says, “Impossible.” Faith doesn’t deny the facts — Romans 4:19 says Abraham “faced the fact that his body was as good as dead.” But he also considered the fact that “God had power to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:21). Faith doesn’t ignore reason — it puts reason in its right order, under God’s Word.

N.T. Wright in Simply Christian puts it beautifully. He says our deepest human longings — for justice, for beauty, for relationship, for meaning — are like echoes of a voice. They hint at something greater than this world. Faith is listening to that voice and recognizing it as God’s.

So when someone says, “Faith is just wishful thinking,” I’d say no. Wishful thinking ignores reality. Faith faces reality — both seen and unseen. Faith says, “Yes, the storm is real. Yes, the odds are stacked. But my God is greater.”

Think about Peter stepping out of the boat in Matthew 14. Reason says water can’t hold you. Faith says, “But if Jesus is out there, I can walk.” The moment Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, fear sinks him. Faith and reason both saw the storm. Faith just saw something else too: the presence of Christ.

So family, don’t ever think you need to check your brain at the door to walk with God. He gave you your mind. Faith simply gives your mind a fuller horizon — it allows you to see not just what is, but Who stands behind it all.

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Section 8 (Expanded): The Hall of Faith — Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11 is sometimes called the “Hall of Faith.” But I want you to imagine it like a family photo album. Each page is filled with flawed but faithful people whose lives tell us something about trust in God.

• Abel — offered to God a better sacrifice (v.4). His faith cost him his life, but his testimony still speaks.

• Enoch — walked so closely with God that he never tasted death (v.5). Faith is daily companionship.

• Noah — built an ark “in holy fear” before there was any sign of rain (v.7). That’s faith: preparing for a promise you’ve never seen.

• Abraham and Sarah — waited decades for the child of promise. Hebrews 11:11 says Sarah “considered Him faithful who had made the promise.”

• Moses — left Egypt, chose mistreatment with God’s people over the fleeting pleasures of sin. Verse 27 says, “By faith he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.” That’s vision — seeing the unseen.

• Rahab — a prostitute by background, but she hid the spies, trusted in Israel’s God, and became part of the lineage of Jesus. Faith redeems our story.

But here’s the thing — the chapter doesn’t end with triumph. From verse 35 onward, the tone shifts:

“Others were tortured… some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.”

And yet verse 39 says:

“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”

Faith isn’t about seeing everything fulfilled in your lifetime. Sometimes faith is sowing what someone else will harvest. It’s generational. It’s trusting God’s timeline, not yours.

And this is where Hebrews 12 picks up: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

The heroes of Hebrews 11 are not pointing to themselves; they’re pointing us to Jesus. He’s the true Abraham, the true Moses, the true Deliverer. He trusted the Father to the point of the cross — and because of His faithfulness, we can live by faith.

So when you read Hebrews 11, don’t just admire the saints. See the Savior. And let their stories cheer you on in your own race.

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Section 9 (Expanded): Cultivating Faith Today

Now, let’s get practical. How do we grow this kind of faith? Because faith isn’t static — it’s like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.

1. Stay in Scripture.

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Every time you read Scripture, you’re not just gathering information — you’re feeding faith. You’re training your heart to see reality from God’s perspective.

2. Pray with honesty.

Remember the father in Mark 9. His prayer wasn’t polished — it was raw: “I believe; help my unbelief.” God isn’t impressed with perfect words. He’s drawn to honest hearts. Faith grows when we bring even our doubts into the conversation with Him.

3. Obey in small things.

Faith grows through practice. Sometimes we think faith means jumping straight into big, dramatic acts. But often it’s saying yes in the small, daily things. Abraham’s journey started with one step. Your obedience today prepares you for bigger steps tomorrow.

4. Lean on community.

Remember the paralytic in Mark 2 — his friends carried him to Jesus when he couldn’t move himself. Sometimes you need someone else’s faith to carry you. That’s why we can’t do this walk alone. Your faith strengthens mine, and mine strengthens yours.

5. Remember God’s faithfulness.

In Joshua 4, after Israel crossed the Jordan, they set up twelve stones of remembrance. Why? So future generations would see and know what God had done. Build your own “stones of remembrance” — a journal, a testimony, a note on your phone. Because when new storms come, old victories remind you that the same God who was faithful then will be faithful now.

Philip Yancey gives us a vivid picture: “To reach for the Spirit is like hunting for your eyeglasses while wearing them.” Sometimes faith is realizing God’s presence is already closer than you thought.

And here’s one more thing: faith grows not just by hearing but by using it. Just like you don’t build muscle by watching someone else work out, you don’t grow faith by only listening to stories. Step out. Risk obedience. Trust God.

Because faith isn’t about being fearless — it’s about being faithful.

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Guided Prayer

“Lord, thank You that You welcome both our belief and our unbelief. Thank You for Abraham’s trust, for the father’s raw honesty, for the saints who endured suffering, and for Jesus who perfects our faith. Help us today to walk by faith, not by sight. Grow us in trust, obedience, endurance, and joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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Closing & Call to Action

Family, faith is more than believing with your mind. It’s trusting with your life. It’s obedience, endurance, hope.

This week, take one step of faith. It could be praying a bold prayer, obeying God in something small, or being honest with Him about your doubts.

And if this episode blessed you, share it with someone who needs encouragement. Because faith grows in community.

Keep walking by faith.

Last Verse Standing

Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””