“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.
Faith is built and grows in our minds and hearts as we obey the Scriptures. When we read the Bible, we read wonderful promises. Some promises have already been fulfilled. For example, Hebrews 11:7 (NIV), “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” What a blessing to see and believe a Bible prophecy through faith! We see Noah’s faith – how Noah built the ark because of his faith – and we can even predict the effects of faith.
As we walk in the Christian way, our faith increases. For example, if we pray for patience, we will notice experiences along this line.
Yes, there is little faith. Jesus said in many instances, “you of little faith.” In Matthew 8:26, “And he (Jesus) saith unto them, why are you fearful, you of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” There are many examples of great faith in the Bible. Some of those individuals trusted God, even though they did not understand.
An example of a future prophecy that will certainly be fulfilled is in Matthew 6:10 (NKJV), “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” By faith we know that at Christ’s second advent, Christ will demolish all the unjust, unloving, unrighteous systems and establish God’s perfect will to be done on earth. (See also Daniel 2:44, Isaiah 35, Jeremiah 31:33-34.)
Jesus also used the phrase “great is thy faith” in Matthew 15.28. “…Then Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘O woman great is thy faith’…and her daughter was made whole…”
Great faith is trusting God, no matter what experiences we have.
If we are afraid, we have little faith. But we can pray that our faith will become great. Luke 17:5 (NIV), “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’”
Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1220: “Can Faith Take Me From Failure to Victory?”
Powerful lessons of faith overcoming adversity from the life of Joshua
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
Episode #1278:” What Does It Feel Like To Have Real Faith?”
Digging into the depth, power and transformative qualities of true faith
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
Episode #1274: “If I Have God’s Peace, Why Am I So Stressed?”
Learning to reduce negative stress and replace it with God’s peace
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
For children, parents and Bible class teachers:
Animated video: What is faith?
Animated video: Why can we trust God?
