What Faith is and is Not

If someone were to ask you to describe or define faith what would you say? I for many years had no clue how to truly answer that. Sure I could quote scripture except not really because I didn’t grow up in the church.  Understanding what exactly faith is will help you to walk in it; grow in it; and live out the call on your life while being a witness and testimony. There are many things that faith is and is not.

I had no clue what faith was, how to walk in it; or the outcomes of it. I in addition; had no clue how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I just did not. I knew how to intellectualize everything; including religion- which is absolutely not relationship at all!

Faith yes is evidence of things not seen; although it is much more than this. To identify:

1. Faith is a requirement to be pleasing to the Lord as outlined in Hebrews 11:6
2. Faith is vital for Christians as it reads in Romans 1:17
3. Faith is essential for salvation; else how can one even receive Christ as told in John 3:16
4. Faith is right standing before the Lord as Galatians 2:16 reads

In understanding of a few of the things that faith is; it will help you to walk closer with Christ with full confidence of who He is and that He will never leave you nor forsake you and that He truly is on your side. This is where the growth enters into the picture. Without faith how can you have a relationship and if you do nothing to maintain or grow in the relationship then what truly will your level of be?

Faith is not a few simple things:

1. Faith is not intellect. Trying to think your way to faith is very challenging because faith is not intellectual. It’s not mental ascent and attempting to turn something spiritual into mental only leads to frustration and conflict internally and with the Lord because it removes Him from doing all that He probably wants to do in your life because your mind is in the way.
2.  Faith is not your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to rely ‘not’ on our own understanding. Praise the Lord because really what sense of understanding do we all have at any given moment? Relying on what we think you understand at a moment is based upon the little wisdom that you have and that will only have you stuck in a perpetual cycle that won’t deliver the ultimate results you are seeking. It’s best to just let go and let God be God.
3. Faith is not your own back-up plan. Your own back up plan will only identify the little faith that you have; and ultimately your level of doublemindedness and lack of trust in the Lord.

 

Faith is part of the journey of every Believer and it takes time as with any relationship. When you recognize that it isn’t about religion or rules but the relationship with a heart turned toward Him; your life will begin to change. Allow Him to transform you through the faith you have exhibited to receive Him in the first place.

 

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