What is Biblical Faith?

Impossible to please God without it

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith. That’s a pretty bold statement, but I take it for what it says. To please God, I have to trust Him and have complete confidence in Him. His promises are my assurances. His promises are the evidence – the things unseen. Does anyone else ever lack faith sometimes when it comes to wondering if God hears you? I have on occasion. I have to admit feelings of alarm and uncertainty when it comes to the Lord providing for me. This is nothing more than a lack of faith. The Lord has been speaking to me about this lately. The Lord allows things to happen in my life to further his work in my life. Lately, faith has been something the Lord has been teaching me. 

My test

Climaxing from a little over 1 year off resulting from a serious injury, it is just about time to go back to work. Washington Labor and Industries is about to close the door on my case and stop paying me monthly for work time loss. I can’t go back to work in my previous field of work because of a condition that arose from the on-the-job injury, which will be a permanent life-long condition. So, I have to try to find work in a field that supports my family. I literally need to be retrained in another field, but the State refuses to do so because they are broke and have made silly excuses denying me that benefit. The cost for retraining to enter the field I want to go in is more than I have after taking almost 14 months off from work. The situation is gloomy in appearance, but we all know appearances can be deceiving. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says that we walk by faith, not sight!! I can’t physically see the way out. This sets up a perfect condition for me to exercise my faith, and please God at the same time. The Lord often times puts us in difficult situations to perfect a work in our lives. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes. One of my favorite promises in the Bible! 

Promises

I know the Lord has always faithfully taken care of me financially. I have the assurance that he will continue to also. Jesus promised me He would take care of me. Matthew chapter 6, He says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” There are many other great promises in the Bible that assure me that the Lord will take care of me. But, they require some FAITH! What is real faith? What does it look like? Since faith is a biblical doctrine, one must consult the scripture to answer the question. My best description of what REAL BIBLICAL FAITH IS AS FOLLOWS: The promises in the Bible are the unseen evidences, which we can have the assurance of knowing that God will follow through on. God cannot lie. So His promises are a great assurance to those who believe in them. 

The Bible Is The Only Authority On Faith!

Faith is one of those doctrines in the bible that is so confusing to many people. Hebrews Chapter 11 is considered the faith chapter. It is very encouraging for Christians to read this chapter. I highly recommend it on a regular basis for everyone. For every doctrine of God, there are endless ideas that people conjure up about it. The Bible explains what God says and thinks about His doctrines. If a doctrine comes from and belongs to God, we ought to examine what HE says about it. You should never be concerned with the opinions of people. It is so important to understand what faith really is because we know that without it, it is impossible to please God. Faith isn’t some silly picture on Facebook with some clever quote. Almost everyone believes that faith involves feelings. But physical feelings merely come from the human senses and have nothing whatsoever to do with what God promises—or faith! I exhort you, friends, discover and rediscover FAITH!