Faith
2020-05-10Romans 10:17 NIV
The Bible says that faith is ‘confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). Faith isn’t empty hope, or simply a positive confession of something we want to be true. Faith is recognising something that’s already a reality despite the fact that it can’t yet be seen. The Bible says that God ‘gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not’ (Romans 4:17 NIV). When God promised Abraham that he would be the father of future generations, and that he would have a son even though he was old, Abraham had to put his faith in the God who speaks things into being. Abraham didn’t speak Isaac into existence, God did. Abraham simply believed that God would act on His promise, and as a result Isaac was born. The Bible tells us that ‘without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised’ (vv.19-21 NIV). Do we have faith that God will do what He’s promised? Our faith can begin to waver when we don’t see anything change or when we’ve been praying for years without seeing His promises come into being. So how do we develop strong faith? The Bible tells us that ‘faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.’ So let’s immerse ourselves in God’s Word, and build up our faith.