When I have heard people declare that they have received something “by faith,” or they are walking “by faith,” or they are believing “by faith,” I often wonder, “What exactly does that mean? What does it LOOK like?”
Now I know what faith is, and I know I have faith because I’ve received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I know what Hebrews 11 says about faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” But I have faced trials and crises that have challenged my faith and the truths and promises in God’s word. I also know that God has spoken promises to me that have not yet come to pass. I know that we are supposed activate our faith because in James 2 it says that faith without works is dead…I need to put feet to my faith. But how? What does that look like?
This past summer our family went through a time of testing of our faith. My faith was stretched and challenged. The battle in my mind was raging. Yet God tells us that without faith, it’s impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). The trials that we faced was an opportunity to grow in faith and grow in intimacy and relationship with Father God.
I don’t know about you, but I learn best when someone teaches by giving me examples and testimonies from their own life. Through this journey these last several months, not only did God reveal His faithfulness and unending love, I feel like He taught me some principles about what “by faith” means. Using my life and testimonies, I’m going to take the next several blogs to describe some of the principles that God taught me about what it means to receive, believe, or walk through something “by faith.” I pray that you might gain a few nuggets that might help you in your journey of faith. “Faithful is He who calls you…” (1 Thess. 5:24)
