Faith

What is faith? The scriptures say that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). It also says that it doesn’t take that much faith to move mountains (Matthew 17:20). We mix faith with prayer. There are days when, even before we pray and ask God for something, the answer is already there, but there are seasons when it takes a while for our prayers to be answered (Read John 5:1-15).

Many of us, in our faith, ask God why others are blessed and we are not. What is our faith dependent on? Where do we put our faith in? Who is the object of our faith?

(Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-16).

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16.

The apostle Paul was encouraging the church of Corinth in these verses by letting them know that he, too, is experiencing hardships and tough times just as they are, and that the main thing is for them not to lose heart. The heart is the essence of all things. It is the command center of life.

“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life” Proverbs 4:23.

We need regularly keep our hearts in check. Many times, as Christians, we are not aware of the condition of our hearts. It is important to sustain our faith even when we go through the most difficult times in our lives.

HOW TO DEVELOP SUSTAINING FAITH:

1. Use our Ears.
   

   “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” Revelation 2:7.
   
   “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” John 10:27.
   

   Our ears can be trained to listen to the sound that we want to hear, just as we are able to let our activities and circumstances drown out the voice of God.
   
   Are there certain activities in our lives that drown out the voice of God?
   
   Jesus should embody the truth in our hearts and no matter what the facts seem to tell us, it is only a facet and not the final outcome of our lives.
   
   
2. Hear the voice of God through His word.
   

   “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” Romans 10:17.
   
   “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-­edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” Hebrews 4:12.
   
   “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” Psalm 119:1.
   
   “ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” Psalm 119:1.

   
   We must be cautious in what we hear. We must develop a hunger for the Word of God. We must listen, meditate, ponder and reflect on the word of God daily until it becomes a natural part of us. Only when the living word of God impacts our hearts that we can have changed lives for it is the only solid thing we can stand on in any situation in our lives.
   

   “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” Matthew 24:35.
   

   
   
3. Guard our hearts.
   

   “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” Proverbs 4:23.
   
   “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” Jeremiah 17:9.
   
   “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” Luke 6:45.

   
   There are areas in our hearts that we need to guard against such as bitterness and offense. How do we respond to an offense? How do we respond to trials and blessings?
   
   Both trials and blessings can be a test of our faith. We need to constantly and consistently check our hearts.

Faith is a matter of the heart. We must be on guard on everything. We must guard our ears and be aware of what we are hearing. We must continually fix our eyes on Jesus and lay our hearts to Him. We start with Jesus as the object of our faith, and end with Jesus as its author and finisher (Hebrews 12:2).

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” 2 Corinthians 4:17.**