Faith

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV

Let’s define the word faith more clearly. The Bible says that faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith isn’t empty hope or simply a positive confession of something we want to be true. Faith is recognizing something that’s already a reality despite the fact that it can’t yet be seen. The Bible says that Abraham “believed—God, who…calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17 NKJV). Based on this verse, some people think that whatever they want they can simply “speak into existence.” Read the verse again! Abraham didn’t speak Isaac into existence, God did! Abraham simply believed God, acted on His promise, and as a result, Isaac was born. “Not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (vv. 19-21 NKJV). Your faith must be in God, not in your faith! In and of itself, faith has no creative power; it just affirms what already exists in the unseen world and in what God has promised, knowing that in His time it will come to pass because it’s His will. Whatever you claim by faith must be based on what God has clearly promised you in His Word. And how do you develop that kind of faith? Read the Word! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 1-3 and Acts 14