What is Faith?

And how do we “raise it?” Dive in using the Raise Your Faith devotional here!

The Bible tells us a lot about what faith is in Hebrews Chapter 11.

We see in verse 1, a definition “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Faith then can be described as believing yet not seeing. It is trusting in confidence and assurance about something that we cannot see.

The passage in Hebrews Chapter 11 goes on to illustrate faith through the lives of several individuals including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Jochebed, Moses,  Rahab, Gideon, David, Samuel, and more!

Faith carries with it promises, it knocks down the walls of Jericho, shuts the mouths of lions, slays giants, heals disease, escapes the fiery furnace unharmed, and raises children back into the arms of their mothers.

Promises are sometimes fulfilled in a different way than we thought. Promises are sometimes fulfilled after the darkness of storms. Promises are sometimes fulfilled after mourning, sickness, or wandering in the wilderness. Promises are sometimes fulfilled after sinking in the waters, worshipping in chains, or struggles with infertility, and promises are sometimes seen on the other side of Heaven.

If we want a stronger faith, we must grow it. Raise it. Faith requires action.

Our faith and trust in God affords us the opportunity to see His faithfulness. How do we seize this opportunity? I believe that faith has power but that we have to be willing to surrender in order to fully realize its power. The Bible tells us that Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Does James mean that if we do good deeds, we will earn good salvation? No, we have salvation through grace, through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Think of “works of faith” in this way, if I want to make new friends, I need to put a little into it and take action. This is a perfect analogy for women, because is it not the hardest to make new (and godly) friends!? Can we just pray for friends and make them? I mean, I suppose anything is possible with prayer! But how about if we pray in faith for new friends coupled with going out and finding opportunities to make them, maybe a new Bible Study group, church group, take someone to coffee, say “yes” to that Mom’s Night… we will be far more likely to make new friends by seizing our opportunities than if we just stay home and never put ourselves in the position to meet people who could become our new friends.

Faith, when coupled with good works —actions that align us more closely with the goal—has the power to move mountains. Faith coupled with action will strengthen and deepen our faith. We must take action, surrender to His will, and obey His call. By demonstrating our faith in Him through our actions, we open ourselves to experience His faithfulness, which is His goodness manifested in our lives.

So I’ll ask again, how do we “raise our faith?” Dive in using this tool!

Think on this mama, we cannot just pray for children who love the Lord… we have to cultivate it in our homes through ACTION. We cannot simply tell our spouse they are loved; we have to show them. We cannot have a thriving garden without watering it!

The great thing is though, when we choose to know and follow Jesus, those “works” of faith come much more easily. We trust Him when He presents opportunity. We open our hearts to the unknown, because we know God. When we accept Jesus, our hearts are transformed, creating a genuine desire to walk in His ways.

As we grow and strive to be more like Jesus, the “works” of faith become naturally attainable. Someone who loves the Lord and follows Him cannot help but have their hearts transformed in this way and their faith cultivated through it. We will fail, but then we will be forgiven and try again.

The Lord will “Raise Our Faith” through every action rooted in trust, obedience, and surrender. As we seek to know and follow Him and His Word more deeply, our faith will grow.

He says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) The Lord changes our hearts, raises our faith, and makes us more like Him the more we seek to know Him.

What’s the appeal of being a person of great faith? And how do I know when I’ve made it?

Hebrews 12 goes on to tell us that we should run the race with perseverance, and fix our eyes on Jesus, the perfector of our faith.

This tells me that faith is a journey, a race that requires endurance, not a sprint. This tells me that faith is found in pursuing Jesus. Jesus gives us a picture of the faithfulness of God. In John 14:1 Jesus tells us “Do not let your heart be troubled, Believe in God and trust in Him, believe also in Me.” He goes on to describe in chapter 15 that if we remain close to Him, God is glorified, and we will bear fruit. As Christ followers, we have a deep desire to become more like Him, a process known as “sanctification.” We aspire to be more like Jesus because He embodies everything that is GOOD. The more we seek to walk in the path He has laid out for us, and walk in His ways, the more we will experience His abundant blessings in our lives.

As Christians, we know we will never reach any standard of sanctification, we will fall short, but we will also be blessed just for the act of trying! Trying to be more like Jesus shows us the desperate need that we have for His grace in our lives and for Him to be our Savior.

The appeal is a peace that surpasses all understanding, joy in chaos, a life lived to the full, the knowledge and assurance of salvation and endless grace of God, the trust that all things work together for good, a confidence that cannot be shaken, and a deep knowledge of who you are and just why you are special to the Creator of the Universe. I’ll certainly settle for that. XO, Jalene

Grab your guide here, if you have not already!