By FaithSample

Living by Faith

As followers of Jesus, faith is trusting our unknown future to our God who knows everything. We don’t know exactly when and how His promises will be fulfilled, but believe that they will. Faith is beyond our reason and is present before we get the results we desire. We are to “live by faith, not by sight” according to 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Hebrews 11:1 (GNT) says, “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” The Greek word for faith in this verse is pistis, and it means confidence, trust, and belief. Essentially, this verse is saying that when we have faith, we’re placing our confidence, trust, and belief in who God is and how God works—despite not knowing any of the details. We don’t place our faith in a process, but in God alone. 

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it’s impossible to please God without faith. What’s so wonderful about this verse is that God is pleased when we exhibit faith. He isn’t looking for amazing works from us, but that we’ll have faith as He does an amazing work in and through us. 

So, how do we walk in faith? By receiving it from God. We don’t fabricate faith or try and force it to exist. Hebrews 12 tells us that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. It originates in Him and is His gift to us. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the Good News about Christ. We receive this when we believe He exists and are confident in what He promises.

In Hebrews 11, the phrase “by faith” is listed over a dozen times followed by a person’s name who operated in faith and did something that was way beyond their ability, intellect, or strength. This chapter is often referred to as the “Hall of Faith.” Throughout this Plan, we’ll learn about three of these individuals and how they lived their lives by faith.