Unmovable Faith

What is faith really?

Is faith a forced belief?

Is faith in something?

Is faith in that something will happen?

Or Is faith something more beautiful and more tangible then that?

Faith = belief in God

from a root word = trust in or to have confidence in or be persuaded.

To make friends of.

Sense; To have a strong confidence in or reliance on someone.

I have often explained faith is; you know that you know. You may not be able to fully explain why you know but you just know.

Synonyms for Faith: believe in, connect to, abide in, trust in, confidence in, reliance on, obey, be persuaded by, joined with..

Faith is always about God or a person.

Faith is relational.

In other words faith is the proof of your connection with.

Faith, Hope, and Love are all intertwined. 1 cor 13. These are all relation attributes.

Hebrews 11:1 NASB95

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

You can know that you know about someone even before you see any proof of that.

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

If we look at faith as this required work or action then we see that we have to work impossibly hard to please God. That will never happen.

If we look at faith as connection with God it is easy to see how that pleases Him.

Let look at the verse before this one.

Hebrews 11:5 NASB95

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

Enoch’s connection with God was so pleasing that God just decided to keep Enoch with Him and from experiencing the pain of death.

An aspect of the definition of faith.

To be persuaded in about God or a person.

This one stands out to me today.

We can be convinced about who a person is based on faith in a person.

We are to have Faith in God

We are to have faith in people.

We have a vital role today in having and keeping faith about God and each other.

Can a person talk you out of what you believe about another person or God?

If this is the case then it was not true faith to begin with.

Faith is a substance of a connection with God or a person.

Faith is the substance of love for God or a person.

Faith is what is there even when you are not around God or a person.

Faith in, is always in a person or God.

Faith in prayer or promise is not faith.

Faith is you know that you know about your connection with that person.

How do we grow in faith?

or

How do your grow your connection with God and people?

If faith is proof of a connection with God, then we grow faith by connecting.

We don’t grow faith by seeing if we can heal.

We don’t grow faith by trying to deliver someone.

We don’t grow faith by throwing money at things.

We don’t grow faith by any works that we can do for God.

Faith comes by hearing Christ. (Rom 10:17)

We can grow faith by hearing God in all those areas and then acting on what we heard.

We grow faith by hearing and letting what Jesus is telling you sink in that area of our hearts.

If faith grows by hearing God, then we need to hear God about each other.

If Faith is the substance of hearing God their is a counter substance too.

Unbelief is the substance of hearing lies.

Lies have come to plant unbelief in a person or God.

Lies have come to plant unbelief in God’s people.

Most people I know are being bombarded with lies.

It happens

God is asking us to know the truth about Him and each other.

Jesus is wanting us to join is army of chosen ones to have faith in Him and each other.

Closing:

We are bing challenged by God to persuade others about what we know is true about God and about each other. This is the purpose of our faith.

Today’s Challenge:

Find three people this morning to speak what you hear God saying they are.

Remind yourself every day this week to focus on what God said about those people.

Look for other opportunities to share what you have faith about in others throughout the week.

Other Resources:

Hebrews 12:1–3 NASB95

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Faith

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 4102 πίστις

4102 πίστις [pistis /pis·tis/] n f. From 3982; TDNT 6:174; TDNTA 849; GK 4411; 244 occurrences; AV translates as “faith” 239 times, “assurance” once, “believe + 1537” once, “belief” once, “them that believe” once, and “fidelity” once. 1 conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it. 1A relating to God. 1A1 the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. 1B relating to Christ. 1B1 a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. 1C the religious beliefs of Christians. 1D belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same. 2 fidelity, faithfulness. 2A the character of one who can be relied on.

From

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 3982 ἐπισείω, πείθω

3982 ἐπισείω, πείθω [peitho /pi·tho/] v. A primary verb; TDNT 6:1; TDNTA 818; GK 2167 and 4275; 55 occurrences; AV translates as “persuade” 22 times, “trust” eight times, “obey” seven times, “have confidence” six times, “believe” three times, “be confident” twice, and translated miscellaneously seven times. 1 persuade. 1A to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe. 1B to make friends of, to win one’s favour, gain one’s good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one. 1C to tranquillise. 1D to persuade unto i.e. move or induce one to persuasion to do something. 2 be persuaded. 2A to be persuaded, to suffer one’s self to be persuaded; to be induced to believe: to have faith: in a thing. 2A1 to believe. 2A2 to be persuaded of a thing concerning a person. 2B to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with. 3 to trust, have confidence, be confident.