Faith

Faith. We hear that word so much in our world. I began to wonder what it actually means though. When someone says "have faith in God" what in the world are they saying. What are we supposed to "do?" We all have gotten really bent out of shape by someone saying that to us in times of trouble, doubt, or depression. We have thought something like "that is easy for you to say, you are not going through this." I think we do that because we have no idea what faith really means, neither the one saying "have faith" or the one who is the receiver of such words.

By definition faith means a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. A belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. You will notice one word that is consistent in this definition. That word is "belief." Faith really means believing something. Belief is the mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another. This is what faith is! It is the habitual mental act that creates a condition of, or state of mind that KNOWS something/someone else can be trusted. This knowing does not happen with just one thought. This knowing can only come through the habit of thought. To consistantly think the same things over and over again until they become a belief (2 Corinthians 10:5). Faith is something that is built and learned. Faith takes action to examine ourselves and our thoughts to make sure that we are connecting to God with them (Phillipians 4:8)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.
By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.
By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. "They looked all over and couldn't find him because God had taken him." We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken "he pleased God." It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

Hebrews 11:1-6

We see here that it is not what you do that makes the difference, it is what you believe! Believing takes action, the action of daily, moment by moment, self examination of our thoughts so that we will know what we believe. I wonder if this is why the Bible says:

The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

James 2:26

Faith is working at, forming habits of belief. If you try to seperate those faith is dead. I think that is why we walk around getting upset when we are told "just have faith." We are not working, taking action on our faith. We think that we can just have it, without working for it. So today have faith, begin to examine yourself and your thoughts so that faith can become a working tool that connects you to God and allows God to work you into his most excellent harmonies!

Namaste'