Faith Acts

“See the invisible; believe the incredible; do the impossible.” – Vernon Grounds

Starting with Hebrews 11 and ending with the week with James 3 means the subject of faith features throughout our daily Bible reading this week.

• Hebrews 11 teaches that everything in creation came through faith, and faith is necessary to please God. It also defines faith and then provides several biblical examples. Chapters 12 and 13 then each add additional understanding.

• James 1-3 teaches there is another side of faith - the action side. A key thought is faith without corresponding action fails to get results.

In addition to an emphasis in the chapters we are reading this week, the Bible says four times (one in the OT, and three in the NT) that the “just shall live by faith”. Meaning, faith is more than a subject, it’s a requirement for Christian life.

What does it mean to ‘live’ by something? Oxygen, like food and water, is critical to our natural life. Similarly, to ‘live by faith’ means that faith is critical to our spiritual walk - like breathing.

Even so, many believers struggle to live the faith-life. Our friend, Rev. Tony Cooke, puts it like this:

“Some get in a vicious cycle of trying to have more faith, and as long as the focus is on one’s own faith (or lack thereof), the frustration will continue. The key to having strong faith is not to focus on faith, but to focus on the very object of faith: God himself. When we focus on the greatness of God and feed upon his word, our faith will grow.”
– Tony Cooke (From LIFT: Experiencing the Elevated Life)

Simply put, faith is ‘trust’. The more you know your Father loves you, the easier it is to trust Him. If you ever wabble in your faith, spend time in His presence and His Word, especially feed on what the Bible says about God’s love for you. As you do, your faith will strengthen and as you act on that strong faith, you will see the promise of God come to pass in your life.