Introduction: The Bible in Hebrews 11:1 defines faith in the King James Version as the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. The amplified version puts it this way: “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
From our bible definition of faith above, it is evident that it has to do with what cannot be handled by the senses which are responsible for all the problems that rob us of our rest and consequently refreshing. For instance, a major factor that brings us to a place of bondage that makes it necessary for us to obtain rest from the Lord is fear; fear of the unknown, fear of what the future holds, insecurity and the like. All these fears are rooted in unbelief the chief enemy of faith. The result is that we are driven to act contrary to God’s plan and purpose for our lives because the ways of God are indeed higher than the ways of man. Consequently, not walking in faith would result in the person living less than intended by God and therefore, never getting to fulfill their divine abilities.
Today let us look at what faith actually is from our definition above, how it comes and how it works. Next week we shall relate faith to refreshing showing how important it is to hear and do the word of God so that people can enter into rest because without faith there can be no rest and without rest, there can be no refreshing.
Faith is:
Not seen with the physical eyes nor experienced with the five senses; it is a product of divine revelation. In Romans 4:1-3 we are shown the example of Abraham to whom God gave certain revelations and he believed God even when all the circumstances conflicted with what God told him and God credited it to him for righteousness. See Romans 4:17-22.
Faith is the evidence of things we do not see: It is demonstrated in the decisions we make and our general lifestyles based on our convictions. Such convictions must be rooted in what God has revealed to us through our spirit. The natural man cannot exercise faith as it would be foolishness to him. For instance Abraham must have looked foolish to the natural man when he started calling himself the father of many nations as an old man when his wife was barren. Another example is Noah’s action in building an ark for 120 years because of what God told him even though it is not clear that his entire household believed him. I believe some of them entered the ark with him out of family sentiments and not because they actually believed him. His son Ham exemplified this with his behavior after they came out of the ark. See his story in Gen.6ff. Until you act on what God has told you, you do not have faith and your rest is not sure.
How faith comes:
The word of God tells us how faith comes. In Romans 10:17, we learn that faith comes by consistently hearing the word of God. The Amplified bible puts it this way:
So faith comes from what is told and what is heard from the preaching [or the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
If you put this together with John 10:27 which says: “the sheep that are my own hear and are listening to my voice; and I know them, and they follow me.” Amplified Bible.
We can say that the word of God we are talking about here is the word he speaks to you when you hear his voice. His Holy Spirit has been given to us and His responsibility is to lead us into all truths and when we are led by His spirit, we are said to be sons of God. This implies that you must grow spiritually from being a baby in the faith to the point of hearing His voice when you can be led by His spirit. At this point, you can be referred to as a son of God otherwise; you are still a child of God. Children are fed milk; they cannot handle strong meat and consequently, they would be subjected to servitude until they grow up enough to take on the responsibility of sons. See Gal.4:1, Heb.5:11-14 and 1Pet.2:2.
The word of God can come to you as a light while reading your bible after setting yourself up for it through praying in the Holy Spirit. It can come to you while you are being taught by ministers of the word or through reading their anointed books. It can come to you by the voice of the Lord speaking to your spirit and bearing witness with your spirit confirming what He is saying to you. It can come through dreams and visions and trances etc. In the times we live in, we must pay the price to hear the voice of the Lord so as to be protected from the evil the enemy is unleashing on the world. See Isa.30:20-21, Dan.9:2-3, Matthew 2:12-21, Acts 10:1-21 etc.
How Faith works:
Faith only works for you when you take commensurate action based on what God reveals to you. It will show in your changed speech, lifestyle and general dispositions. If you do not act on the word or live a life that agrees with the word you have heard, then you do not have faith even when you claim it. What you have can best be described as mental assent that does not produce any result. All the examples of the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 met this requirement of faith and therefore obtained good reports. See Heb.11:1-3, 8-19 and Heb.4:2.
What has God told you? What are you doing about it that shows you believe? This is your faith.
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