Faith—What is it?

Faith—What is it?

• For us (Christians) it is a gift from God that helps us believe in the words and promises of God, based solely on what we have read and been taught from scripture and teachings.

Abraham's Faith on the promises from God

• Issac's birth—took 25 years before it came to be. 25 years is a long time but this shows that God does stand behind his word. Can your faith stand the test of God's time?
• God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. - Abraham stood in his faith (trust) that God would raise a nation from Abraham. That his descendants would number as the stars in heaven. So by faith he trusted that God could raise Isaac from the dead or simply save him from death by providing another sacrifice.

Gods word/promises

• God told Abraham that his descendants would suffer and become captives in a foreign land. That did happen, but was it the next day, month or year? Abraham's descendants did become captives in Egypt but not for many, many years.
• God also told Abraham the He (God) would deliver them from captivity. As we all know the story, we know that this promise also came to pass, but it took 400 years of Israel in captivity. Can you say your faith can stand in God's time?
• The Bible is so full of God’s promises, that it would be difficult to count them. Some people have tried and come up with about 3000. Others have counted 7000. Dr. Herbert Lockyer wrote a book called All the Promises of the Bible and claims to list 8000. And they all came to pass, even though a lot of them took many lifetimes. And yes, there are some promises that have yet to come about.
• Talk of Christ's promise all the way back in Genesis and look how long that took.
• Christ's promise to come again. It’s been almost 2000 years. Does that mean it’s not going to come to pass?

• John 14:1-3 Jesus Comforts His Disciples, Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also

• Listen to some verses that declare that God is faithful to His promises.

• Numbers 23:19 (ESV) 19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

• Joshua 21:45 “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

How faith grows

• Faith is a part of every single person. God puts that seed of faith in all of us. Some it grows, others it lays dormant. Yet it’s still there. Let’s read a verse from the Bible and go from there.

• Matthew 13:31-32 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.

• God puts that tiniest seed of faith in all of us. Like any seed, it needs to be nourished to grow. Every time you thought about God (good or bad), that sparked a reaction from that tiny seed. “He’s thinking about God (so He believes He exists). “He’s talking to God”. Every action concerning God, the seed moves around. If that was all you did and stopped thinking the seed settles back in just waiting. If though, you keep thinking, wondering, questioning, that seed stirs. After a while the seed splits and a tiny root starts to grow. The more you pray, the more you read God's word, the more time you spend in church fellowshipping with God's children, the more times you attend Mass. That seed is growing. The root system is spreading, growing deeper. At the start of your journey, you at believe what you have been taught/told or read for yourself, that God does exist and Jesus died on the cross for your sins and then rose again. By this point that seed has a root system started. It’s not very deep, nor has it spread wide giving a stable platform. If you are the type at this point that believes you are finished, well…... you actually are just getting started. If you stop trying at this point, you are very susceptible to being plucked right up by the devil. Your root system is not very strong, so you find yourself always giving in to the temptations the devil throws your way. After a while you will just stop even trying.

• However, if at the start of your journey, you keep seeking, keep praying, keep learning from God's Word, your faith (root system) will grow stronger and stronger. You will notice something new happening, a small stem growing up from the roots and becomes visible from outside. As the roots grow eventually they will reach something outside of your spirit. They will reach your heart. You are now at that point where you truly believe in the promises of God you’ve been reading about. You want more of God. As the roots reach your heart you find there is more to this relationship you are starting with God. You are feeling love. The love God has for you and the love you have for God. The stem that was emerging on the outside starts growing. God gives you more of himself, more gifts. The root system is growing as well. It is going deeper, wider, able to support the tree the is growing on the outside. The faith that started as a little seed inside your spirit, is now this huge tree. It has changed you so much that it is clearly visible on the outside to everyone. The love that is now there you are showing to the whole world.

So we see that in order for faith to grow, you must spend time with God's word, spend time with him in prayer. Read your Bible so you can see the promises that God makes come to pass. And you will trust in the promises He made to watch over you and help you and love you. As your faith grows, you see that there is no need to fear, no need to worry. In the New Testament we read that God knows the number of hairs on your head, that He will provide your needs. Have the faith that God will stand by all that He says and it will bring us to our goal of heaven.

I still have a lot to learn, a lot to grow. And I know it’s not going to be an easy journey. Because God did not promise us that we would not suffer, or not have trials or pain. In a nutshell, He promised us this, that He would always be with us and that He is all we need. So, because of the faith and love that we all should have, we know we aren’t traveling alone. Always remember God promised that He would never leave us alone. And because of that faith and love for Him, I know when He makes a promise, it’s a promise that will be kept.