Define Faith-A practical definition

Do not just define faith by “substance of things hoped for..” Rather, take a step beyond and take a hold of what this really means  for  your day-to-day life,  because  God’s purpose  for  faith is that you should live by it, every day. Faith nots meant  to be a complex  theological concept  but a practical simply day-to-day experience of every believer.

Define Faith-the basics

Faith is the bedrock  of our relationship with God. The scripture says without faith it is impossible to please God.

And 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 seek Him. (Heb. 11:6 NAS)

Seen and unseen worlds

There are two realms in which we  interact with simultaneously. There is the spirit realm, where God dwells  which is unseen, or cannot be detected with our natural senses and the physical realm which can be detected by the senses.  The Word of God is our only means of “seeing” the unseen realities of the  spirit. It is the window to the things which are in the spirit.

The Word of God therefor shows us the realm of the spirit. Faith is seeing the realities of the spirit brought to us by the Word of  God and living by those realities in our  natural every day lives.

Define Faith-Hebrews 11

How does the Bible define faith? Hebrews 11:1 says

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1 KJV)

The Amplified Bible gives us a more easily understood translation.

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

The definition in this verse is in two parts with “the substance” and  “the evidence” as the main anchors. These two parts are not  distinct concepts in themselves-they are essentially looking at the same thing from a different perspective to give us a better   complete picture.

The Substance

The Amplified versions gives us a more practical definition of what the King James version calls “the substance”. It calls it the “title deed, confirmation”. In today’s world, a title deed is a legal document that constitutes your right to ownership of some property. Your car documents are your title deed to prove that you are the owner of the car. Faith is a spiritual title deed, that what you are believing for is already  yours!

Note these two critical points about the  title deed of faith

1. First, faith tells you that what God has said to you is spiritually real, and is existing already. Note here that it did not say faith is  simply proof that what you are hoping for is existing. Many believers make the mistake of ending here in the interpretation and application of this verse. The second part is even more exciting!
2. Faith is not just proof of spiritual reality but evidence of ownership! It is proof that it is there AND you already have it, like your car document is the proof that you own the car. Therefore faith in the heart of man is spiritual evidence that our spirit has ALREADY  taken a hold of something from God. Faith  is a confirmation  of something that has already happened,that is, in the realm of  the spirit, AND that you have received it already!

When you take a hold of this revelation, you will stop struggling with your faith life  “trying to get something”. Once you get to real faith, true biblical faith, then it is already yours! Faith in the heart is the title deed of ownership!

The evidence

Faith is evidence, that it is yours. It is not merely evidence that it is there, but that it is yours. It is evidence of things not seen. As discussed above, the things not seen are realities of the realm of the spirit, which are brought to us by the Word of God.

When God’s word tells you that by the stripes of Christ, you were healed( healing is an easy practical example to use), that is an unseen reality of the spirit. Your body cannot sense that healing directly. Your body by design is programmed to operate by its natural senses. When you believe that Word and  faith springs up in your heart, that is evidence to you that  your spirit man has already received and  taken a hold of what God said to you. It is already yours, so you stop trying to receive it and start praising and thanking  God. It is only a matter of time for it to move from unseen to seen.

Define Faith- practically

How can we define faith from a practical perspective? If you have taken a hold of the truth shared above, then it is easier to see what faith practically entails. God did not design faith to be a complex scholastic process for our minds to try hard to wrap around what it really is.  Faith is very simple to understand as believers whose eyes of understanding have been opened by the Spirit.

Practically speaking, faith is allowing the unseen realities of the spirit realm brought to us by the Word of God to control our outward natural life here and now. When what you have believed in the Word starts changing the way you speak, act, think and feel, then you are  walking in the realms of faith!

Define Faith-the two components

If faith is evidence of things not seen, then it will begin by first “seeing  those things”. The life of faith is like looking into your lunch box  to see what is there, and then pulling out what you need to eat! You see spiritual realities by faith, and then live by what you see. These are the two basic foundations of faith

Seeing

We “see” the unseen realities of the spirit brought to us by God’s Word by believing the Word. When the knowledge of the Word comes to you and you believe it, it becomes as real to your spirit as your phone is as real to your physical eyes. Believing is seeing!

“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you. (Mk. 11:24 )

Acting

When you see, you act! When you are hungry and you see what you want to eat in your lunch pack but do not take a step to stretch your hand and get it, then there is a problem somewhere. Faith is not seeing, or believing. It is the action you take after you have seen something in the Word. Faith is seen and heard.

What are you going to do about this truth today? Act on God’s Word! Take a step in your faith walk. You can also share this post to enrich another believer or leave a comment below if you have been blessed by it!

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