Faith is central to the life of a Christian. We must believe that God is the creator of the world and the King over all creation. But we must also believe that Jesus is Lord, and that God has raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Our belief must not be a simple belief with no action, for even the devils believe. Our belief must become faith which is a deep conviction and is demonstrated through our works and actions. James taught this in James 2:14-24 “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”
Since our faith is demonstrated by our actions, let us consider what living a life of faith looks like. First, we will diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” To me, seeking God means to come to understand Him, what He has done, what He now does, and what He promises to do. Seeking God also means to draw near to Him. James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Since He is Lord, our faith is demonstrated by doing whatever He wants us to do, even if we don’t fully understand. Abraham was told by God to take his only son Isaac and offer Him as a burnt offering on a far mountain. God had promised that through Isaac his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abraham had already believed that. But then God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham got up early in the morning and obeyed God. Before actually killing his son, the angel of the Lord stopped him. Then God told Abraham in Genesis 22:18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Abraham proved his faith by diligently seeking God and obeying Him even when he didn’t understand. As a result, God blessed Abraham. Like Abraham, our faith is demonstrated by doing whatever God wants us to do.
Through faith, we will not fear. Hebrews 13:5b-6 “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” What is the worst that someone can do to us? They can kill us, but then we get to go to our heavenly home and be with the Father. They can persecute us. But if they persecute us, we are blessed. Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” When we have faith, we will not fear but trust in God. Through faith, we will not worry. Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” When we have faith, we will not worry but trust that God knows what we need and will supply our needs.
Through faith we will accept what God allows in our lives. Job is our example of accepting what God allows to happen to us. God had blessed Job with many possessions and many children. But then God chose to allow Satan to take all these blessing away from Job. Job 1:20-21 “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In faith we accept whatever God allows to happen to us and still worship Him. We have faith that God is in control.
Through faith we trust that God will fulfill His promises to us. God cannot lie, so in faith we trust Him. There are many promises He gives us. He has promised to give us eternal life (John 3:16). He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to give us wisdom (James 1:5-6). He has promised that all things work together for good to us if we love Him (Romans 8:28). The apostle Paul trusted in God’s promises. 2 Tim 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” In faith, we trust in God to fulfill all of His promises.
In faith, we trust that God hears and answers our prayers. 1 John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Since we trust that God hears our prayers, we pray often in faith for His blessings and guidance.
A life of faith trusts that our loving Father in heaven is in control of all things. We trust He cares for us and all things work together for our good when we love Him and seek to please Him in all things. There is no need for worry or fear. We frequently pray to Him and lay our hearts before Him and seek His guidance. I encourage you to live your life in faith and trust in God.