WE WALK BY FAITH

​What is Faith?
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
 
Let’s focus on 4 key words in the verse: hoped for and not seen.
 
When we hope for something that we have not seen, we are exercising our faith. And this is what faith is all about.

The Bible is filled with many different examples of people who exercised or practiced their faith. Let’s look at 2 today:

1. The Woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34)  

Most of us have heard this story before. Here we read about a woman who has had this condition for 12 years and not only has she tried everything, but the condition seems to be worsening. She had heard of all the miraculous things that Jesus was doing and when she knew that He would be passing by, she just knew she had to go to Him. She actually believed that all she had to do was touch His clothes, and she would be healed. And that is what happened.
 
Verse 34 says, “And He said to her, “daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
 
It doesn’t say faith has made you well, it says that your faith has made you well. This is key because it tells us that faith is something that is personal, something that we have as children of God. And through different situations, we can exercise our faith and it can grow.

2. Noah and the ark (Genesis chapters 6-9)  
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This is another great story that most of have heard even as a child. God was not pleased with how people were choosing to live their lives but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was a just man who walked with God.
 
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
Hebrews 11:7
 
Noah was obedient to God; despite what he didn’t see. He listened to God’s specific instructions to build the ark and exercised his faith by doing that. There were likely people who ridiculed him and maybe even laughed at him, but it didn’t stop him from doing that which God called him to do.
 
The Importance of having Faith
 
“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.”
Hebrews 11:6
 
Having faith is so important because if we don’t have it, we cannot please God. As children of God, our hearts desire should be to please God, to bring glory to His name, to give Him all of the glory.
 
Growing up, faith was more of a religious thing and out of obligation, and not a lifestyle. So today, as a child of God who has been redeemed and set free, faith in Jesus Christ is not only a lifestyle, but it’s a journey where faith continues to grow.
 
“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief, for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20
 
Even with the smallest amount of faith, we will experience miraculous blessings in our lives. Not because of us, but because of the One who blesses us. We must focus on our source, who is our Lord.
 
Let’s share our faith with others, let’s encourage others to have faith, let’s grow in our faith. There are many ways this can happen and here at OMS Canada a new blog is posted every week to encourage, challenge, and build us up. Please click here to go to our blog page.
 
How has your personal faith grown? Do you remember a time when you had to exercise your faith in a particular situation? Feel free to comment below. We would love to hear from you.