Does anybody ever notice that your faith sometimes hourly or daily can change depending on circumstances? I find myself battling with my flesh that wants me to doubt and not trust God but I remind myself with scripture like Galatians 2:20 and the moments in life that God has shown me that He's here, that I should love and trust in Him.
Would love experience, strength, and hope!
"God has given to EVERY man a measure of faith to profit withal"
What a lot of people call faith is not faith at all but a vain or vague hope . and worse when it relates to religion and all the worlds so called faiths .
First it is important to understand what faith "IS" and what it is not .
Whatever dictionaries or a commentary may say it .The Bible gives a perfect definition of what faith IS .
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things as yet unseen" (Hebrews)
As "every man has a god given measure of faith to profit with all " Then it should be able to prove that not only do all men have a measure of faith but they exercise it every day of their lives .
The faith then that you have in God is the same faith as all men have in other things , According to what faith IS.
It works by the same principle whatever your faith is in.
Those then who dismiss faith and reject the very idea of faith do but undermine themselves .Not the person who has true faith in God.
I will speak of what I know and I hope you will then understand the principles if you are in the USA or anywhere else and apply it there.
The London bus company has promised that the number 24 bus will go from Victoria in central London to Hampstead in NW London. It has also promised that if you stand at the apropiate bus stop at the time appointed the bus will come.
Faith is not blind at all . Though some have a blind hope . But true faith according to what the Bible says faith IS sees or understands that which is promised and being confident in the person who has promised and convinced in their ability to fulfil their word you act accordingly despite not seeing with the naked eye something that is as yet afar off and unseen.
"NOW faith is ........" faith can only be excercised in the present . Not in the future or the past but NOW faith is .
"Faith comes by not only hearing but also understanding ......................"
Having understood the promise or word of the bus company as to the number 24 bus and being reasonably confident in them fullfilling their word you in faith believing act on the promise and go and stand at the bus stop. By so doing you give "substance to your hope "in the promise .
You can stand afar off and believe but have no faith to go and stand at the bus stop. In which case you do not believe at all . In truth .
Now when there are no people at the bus stop you nearly always think you have missed the bus .
But if there are people there you nearly always think the bus still coming .
Thus when you go to the bus stop in faith believing ,Not only are you giving substance to your hope (in the promise ) but is also the evidence of things hoped and as yet unseen " the bus! and in due time your faith is rewarded and that which was once invisible to the naked eye comes into manifestation and you get on and reach your destination.
Go to work?
The your boss or company promises to pay you wages at the end of the day/week or month . In faith believing you work not seeing the wages but giving substance to your hope and it si the evidence as things as yet unseen . and in due time your faith is rewarded.
There are a myriad of examples in daily life that ALL me n prove they have what faith IS according to the Bibles definition of it and which by default is the right one .
A farmer sows in faith according to the inherent promise that is within the seed . He sows it NOW and expects a harvest in the future and as yet cannot see.
Faith In God works according to the same principles .
It comes by not only hearing but also understanding the Word of God . Faith can grow from a very small thing to a "great faith" With a" little faith" a man walked on water but he made very sure that it was the Lord first! who said "come"!
Our faith is meant to grow in God where in the world it is in many cases undermined for all sorts of reasons .
As we pray aright and God answers then our faith in God will or can grow also and its corresponding confidence
Abraham .His faith had to grow for the faith he had when eh offered up Issac was not of the same measure as it was when he left the city of UR.
But as his knowledge of God grew .From God almighty to God everlasting ,to God the most high ,to God the just judge .So too his faith .
in Christ
gerald