What Is Faith Really?

Hebrews 11:1 NIV says, "Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for, and the assurance of what we do not see." In the Amplified it says, "NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

If you have ever wondered about faith, then you are in good company. I wonder about faith all the time. Am I standing in faith, acting in faith or even truly in faith. Hebrews goes on to say that if we don't have faith, it is impossible for us to even please God. And that is because we have to believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who "diligently" seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is probably one of the most important things that we will ever learn about. Because I want to please my Father, and it takes faith to do that.

Let's take Hebrews 11:1 apart a little bit and investigate it closer. Look at how it starts out, "Now faith is..." from this it would appear that faith is a right now thing, not a going to be thing. For us to truly be in faith, then it has to be something that is present with us, not something that we will wait to have. It is a present thing, not a future one.

So faith is a now thing, and it also says that it is the confidence of what we hope for. Faith is the confidence of what we hope for. The amplified calls it the "title deed" of the things that we hope for. The definition of the word hope is: the feeling that what is wanted can be had. So we could also say that faith is the feeling that what I want can be had. So faith tells me that what I hope for can be had.

It goes on to say that faith is the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Look at that last sentence, perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses. You know, the five senses; hearing, sight, touch, taste and feel. So regardless of what these five senses tell us, faith is the proof that we have what we've hoped for already.

So what I'm gathering this morning from this, is first off I have to be hoping for something. So many people are waiting on God to show up and bring changes to their lives, or bless them with things, when they actually have no hope or expectation for anything in the first place. A lot of times people are like this because they think they are being spiritual. "Well brother, you know if God wants me to have something, He'll give it to me." Why? Why will God give you something? From what I've seen here, in order for us to really be "in faith" we have to have hope for something. I love how it doesn't say, faith is the confidence of what "spiritual" things we hope for either, that tells me that faith will work in every area of our lives.

So we see that faith is a now thing, it is what we are hoping for (so we have to start hoping for things) and it is the title deed to those things. Now I know that some people are going to have a problem with the "things" portion of this blog. When I'm talking about things, I mean everything that you can imagine. There is one catch to this however, and that is that whatever you are using your faith for must be according to God's Word.

So find a promise in God's Word for you, and apply your faith to it, believe that you have it now, and thank God for it daily until it shows up. I remember a minister saying one time that faith is like calling for your dog. You walk out on the front porch and begin to holler for Fido saying, "Here Fido, here Fido!" Even though Fido is not on the porch, you're calling for him to get on the porch. You expect that when you call Fido, he'll come a running. If you didn't believe that, you wouldn't be out there in the first place. Well faith is just like that, you are expecting that those things that you are hoping for are going to show up when you call.

So let's get out there and please our Heavenly Father, by operating in faith today. The really cool thing is that He wants to bless us even more than we want to be blessed, and He has given us the avenue by which He can bless us. Thank You Jesus!