(a chapter from my book, Facing Change)
Faith is the confidence that God will do what He has promised in His Word. Abraham, the father of many nations, believed that God would do what He said He would do. He (Abraham) believed that God would keep His promises and took God at His Word; in return, God was pleased, and He credited this quality called righteousness to Abraham. Righteousness literally means being made right with God. There are many facets to the meaning of righteousness, but everything starts with a faith in God, a confident belief in God. [Hebrews 11:1 NLT]
I have encountered many applications of the word faith. Still, faith is the substance and evidence in the true theological context. Faith is concrete and tangible, something to sink our spiritual teeth into. We often hope for things, or we wish for things, or we dream dreams, or we long for relationships. God gave us His promises so that, as we hope and ask for things and solutions, we build our faith in His Word. We build our faith on the events and stories and correct contexts of the Bible. We build our faith on the right foundation, a solid and firm foundation so that it remains standing even though we might encounter storms along the way to seeing what we hope for come to pass. As we build our faith, our faith becomes concrete and tangible, and thus, as Hebrews 11:1 NKJV says: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. [Hebrews 11:6 NIV]
Abraham had faith and could take God at His Word, so God was pleased. Faith is the seed we offer to God, and God grows that seed to produce a harvest of righteousness and justice. With God, our crops are frequently, if not always, bountiful and abundant. It is only the enemy who comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. Hebrews 11:6 teaches us that there are two basic building blocks of our faith that God expects us to embrace: 1) anyone who comes to God must first believe that He exists, and 2) He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, who sincerely want to get to know Him personally, who honestly want to find the truth about God without any ulterior motives or hidden agendas.
Again, we are given seed to sow from our harvest of righteousness and justice. When we sow these seeds of righteousness and justice, God will supply and multiply the seed we have planted and further increase the fruits of our righteousness. [2 Corinthians 9:10 NLT]
God gives us His weaponry of the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of peace, the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith to withstand the evil day. Having done all we know, we are to stand firm on our faith in His Word. Having done everything, we must stand firm, steadfast and strong and wait for the Lord. [Ephesians 6:10-13 NLT]
Our faith and our prayers might outlast our lifetimes here on Earth. The great preachers of the Christian faith know this: we frequently hear that we stand on the shoulders of the giants of faith. That means the previous generations who have gone before us, up to a thousand generations ago, have set us up to win today.
May the grace and peace of Abba Father the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Word Sabre, scribe for Abba Father, LORD GOD, Lord Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.