If you are anything like me, the word faith is tad bit overwhelming. It’s one of those concepts in Christianity that is often abstract. It’s not concrete and tangible. So it can be hard to grasp sometimes.
I like the things that I can touch and see. But that’s not what faith is.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us:
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
To have faith in God, His promises, and His Word means that we stand confident and assured that they exist — whether or not we see Him at work. To have this kind of faith is easier said than done, but it is possible.
When I was thinking about my one word for 2015, a few words came to mind. But the Lord really highlighted one of them for me. FAITH. For some time now, He has been calling me to greater faith, deeper faith. This is difficult for me because I’ve walked through countless seasons, that I call “Job Seasons.” I’ve walked through extreme lack, hurt, loss, and pain.
When I became a Christian, those seasons of hurt and pain didn’t stop occurring. I just learned to respond differently to them.
Here’s my pattern. Something would happen. I would freak out. I would pray, but not truly believe that God would come through. But then God would come through even better than I could have imagined. I would be beyond grateful. A little time would pass, and the cycle would begin again.
This pattern brought me so much guilt. I wondered if I had more faith, the trials wouldn’t come, or at least wouldn’t happen as often as they did.
But that couldn’t be further from how God views the subject of faith. I did a little digging in the Scriptures to get an idea of what He thinks about faith. Some verses were familiar, and some were not. I was encouraged by the numerous facets of faith that lie within His Word.
In the book of Romans, I read that our very faith comes from God Himself. I don’t have to muster up enough strength or energy to create it. He gives it freely to all.
Then, in Luke, I discovered that our faith can be increased. We don’t have to settle for the faith that we’ve always had. If we want more, all we have to do is ask.
In 2 Corinthians 5:7, we are called to live by faith and not by sight. I know the truth of God’s Word, but sadly, I don’t often live by that truth. I live and respond to the circumstances around me. I react to what other people have or haven’t done.
There is this whole other realm that I forget about too easily. God is not confined to this earth and the natural. He is beyond time and space and even our thoughts. He operates in the supernatural. As His daughter, He wants me to live out of that realm.
Throughout the Gospels, I found countless stories about Jesus performing miracles. Usually, somewhere in the story, He would refer to someone’s faith. Some received a miracle and some did not. Those who did receive a miracle, He would tell them that “your faith has made you well,” or “your faith has saved you,” or “your faith has healed you.” Now the Father is not restricted by our faith, but He does many times respond to our faith.
The beauty of God’s heart for us is that even the times when we are completely faithless, He is faithful still.
Just when I thought I was done, God still had more to say about faith.
In Acts 11:24 it says, “Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.”
I have read about Barnabas before, but I didn’t remember this verse. The Holy Spirit brought many people to the Lord through his strong faith. He had the faith that the Lord had given him, but somewhere during his life, it became a strong faith. That’s what I want! I want a strong faith that encourages those around me to both believe in God and believe God. That is a big deal!
Strong faith is developed through trusting in God’s ways — in both the wonderful seasons and the challenging ones.
But the book of Hebrews brought this journey of faith home for me.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Faith pleases God. It doesn’t get any simpler than this. Big faith. Little faith. Strong faith. Weak faith. It doesn’t matter. Your faith pleases Him. You please Him.
My prayer for this year is to be full of a faith that is utterly . . .
Unwavering.
Unshakable.
Unyielding.
Immovable.
My word for the year is Trust. Because although I believe that God exists and I have faith in Him, I don’t really trust Him in the little details of my life. Now, every morning when I wake up, I say, God, I trust you! Its much better than feeling fearful and anxious.
That is such a great word! I am right there with you sister!!!! I love that trust is more than a feeling. It is often an act of our wills. Keep speaking trust. Your emotions and actions will follow. God will honor this process. Excited for you this year!!!!!
Blessings!!!!!!!!!!!
I have always longed for a deeper faith, the questions and doubts to disappear completely. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief has been my prayer for years. My life has also been a series of one painful event after another. Tears shed, heart broken, pain endured. I realize now, however, that it was during those trials that I learned the true character of God. It was during those times He came to me and taught me the secrets of those dark places…trust, eternity, faithfulness, grace, strength, unfailing and eternal love. My faith was strengthened through the very act of walking that storm with His hand in mine. Thank you for this post, it was a great reminder to me of just how far He’s been with me.
http://www.intentionallygraced.blogspot.com
Penny, that is beautiful!!!!!! If only those questions and doubts would disappear! I kind of think that He likes it when we are in those spaces. Those are the times when we run to Him and seek Him and learn to depend on Him above all other things. He is with us always.
Thank you for sharing!!!
Yes I can totally relate to that cycle of praying through the hard times and not really believing that he would come through but then he would and I would be overwhelmed by his goodness. I deeply desire to have a strong faith this year that inspires others to believe and trust God.
Catherine, let’s sojourn together this year! Big faith. Strong faith. May the Lord bring an increase in our faith for His glory!!!!
Karina,
Like you, I used to think that faith was something I had to “muster up”. Over the years, the fact that faith is a GIFT from God has begun to sink in. I am also reassured that no matter what my level of faith (strong, weak, fleeting, fluctuating), God’s love and faith in me remains constant. It is sometimes unfathomable for me to think that God loves me in spite of where my faith lies on any given day. For 2015, I pray for an unwavering faith…one that draws me close to Him through the trials, but also when life seems to be on cruise control. Thanks for these great reminders this morning!
Blessings,
Bev
Amen Bev!
YES to unwavering faith in 2015!!!! I, too, am grateful that His faith in me remains constant. There is something about that that builds up my faith in Him. He is so good!!!
Blessings!
If I could choose one word to represent my goal of faith for 2015, it would definitely be “steadfast”. I desperately want my faith to be unwavering during the times of trial when they come. We all know it’s not a matter of “if” the trials come, it’s a matter of “WHEN” the trials come, because they do! My personal prayer is that when those trials arrive, my spiritual gaze will be so completely focused on God, that all the doubts, fears, worries, etc. that rear their ugly head will fade away only to be replaced by the “steadfast” faith and knowledge of the beautiful fact that God is in control!
Oh Amy! That is such a good word! Steadfast. A deep peace just came over me. That’s it sister! Believing that kind of faith for you this year. He is steadfast and constant. May your gaze be ever in His direction.
I always liked the KJV. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I like that our hopes become a substance and that substance is faith. It’s like our hope rises into eternity and becomes something more than just wishes, wants, and desires….our hope becomes a mass of faith. Then that faith becomes evidence. Not evidence for or against us, but evidence of the spiritual world that we can not yet see. All this leads me to understand why my faith has wavered in the times I struggled to have hope… But, God keeps sending me messages of hope.
Sarah, that is some Holy Ghost revelation there. I love that perspective. I have never thought of that before…”mass of faith”. Thank you for this. And thank you for sharing!
Each year I have had that “One Word” 2 yeas in a row it was Trust. I think because I was so hurt it took a while to trust again. Last year it was Surrender. Wow what a year it was! I learned yo surrender everything to Him, lay it at His feet and wait for the exchange. It was a very big year of change and miracles. And hard. This year I felt the Lord telling me as I wrote my One Word down at church and pasted it to the board in early Dec. As we do for our end of year offering and it was Faith! I fell He is calling me to deeper thing He wants to show me and do thru me but my unbelief sometimes hinders. I know He is able to do abundantly above all I could ever ask or imagine but I just don’t think or believe He could ever use me. I am a very simple minded person. I don’t have any degrees or anything of that nature but I say Yes yo Him whatever and however He wants to use me I’m His. All for Him and His glory!
Connie, you are exactly the soul that blesses His heart! A soul that trusts in Him and depends on His ability and not your own. Believing for a deep faith for you this year. He does have deep revelation for you. Praying that you posture your heart to receive all that he desires to pour out.
Thank you for sharing!
Wow! What an amazing revelation about faith! I love when you said “In the book of Romans, I read that our very faith comes from God Himself. I don’t have to muster up enough strength or energy to create it.” This really resonates within me because I find myself at times trying to create it by myself instead of fully abiding in him so that it flows right through me!
Sam! Thank you for reading and sharing sister!!!!
Yeah, I loved that part and the verses that told me that my faith could be increased. I realized that all of that centered around God. He gives faith and increases it. I just have to trust Him and let Him move through me.
hi Karina, Thanks for your article. I just had a testimony and got reading this. God Bless you.
http://purposefulandmeaningful.blogspot.com/
Ifeoma, thank you for reading. I pray that God builds up a strong faith in you this year! Blessings to you!
Karina,
Thank-you for your very thoughtfully written post.
Penny
Totally my pleasure Penny!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for stopping by! I am glad that God’s truth spoke to you!
I love your word-for-the-year! What a thoughtful and heartfelt prayer for your faith you’ve shared. I love that God has led you to discover His gift of faith and to share these things with those of us who have visited here.
My word for the year is “surrender”, which came as a surprise to me (God loves to surprise us, sometimes – doesn’t He?). Surrender to His love, His plans, His wisdom, His will – that’s all. Just follow Him for real and see where it leads. I’m thinking it will lead somewhere amazing!
LuAnne, thank you so much for reading and sharing! Faith has always been that thing in my life that I have circled around time and time again. I am praying that the cycle is broken this year.
I love your word! I know God will blow you away with how He honors your surrender!
Blessings to you!
What a lovely exploration of faith, Karina; I’m thankful it’s YOUR word so you could share what you’ve learned with me :).
I see you as a faith-filled woman so I can only imagine what you’ll be like with even more faith. A powder keg!! 🙂
My Robin! Thank you for commenting!
I am loving this word! I feel like walking it out with the Lord this year will be the biggest adventure of my life!
You are so sweet! Thank you for see me as a faith-filled woman. that encourages me beyond words! I love you sister!!!!!
Your writing touched me deeply today. I needed to be reminded of my daily walk with faith and to NEVER give up hope. Thank you so much for sharing this today.
Chris! Thank you! I love it when God speaks and touches our hearts! I was out of town. sorry this is so late! Thank you for sharing and reading!
Karina, your faith shines bright, especially when I’ve seen you walk through one of those “seasons”. Can’t wait to see where the Lord leads you with your word this year.
Thank you Amy! I treasure you for walking with me in those “seasons”! Believing for great things this year…for you and for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you sister!
Beautiful words! I find them inspiring. I know Him, but part of that faith is believing Him. That’s what I struggle with. Believing that I’m worth it to Him or that He loves me…That’s my goal this year…to allow myself to feel Loved by Him. Thanks for the great post.
Lisa, that is beautiful! I have been out of town. Sorry, this is so late! That struggle is all too real!!! Praying that He increases your faith to take Him at His Word and that you will tangibly feel His love for you this year!
Thank you for reading and sharing!
The more you walk in faith , the more God reveals Himself to you , the more you walk in faith the more you know God . Which sums up Hebrews 11:6 . Faith is God’s very nature . Great Article .
Thanks Anthony! Amen and Amen!
Thanks for reading and sharing!!!!
Hi Karina,
Thanks so much for this post. You’ve given me a lot to think about and pray about. I’ve always thought of faith as being something we have to muster up. I’ve never thought of it in terms of our faith coming from God. I guess it’s the same thing like courage.:) He calls us to take courage and to brave. But our courage doesn’t come from us, God gives us courage. He gives us the gift of His presence. He commands us to be strong and courageous rather than frightened and fearful because He is with us wherever we are. In Him, we can be strong and brave.
Last week, I wrote down 15 intentions to guide my everyday in 2015.
One of them is: Be bold and brave. God calls us to take courage. It is ours for the taking. Since He knows that bravery can be scary, He gifts us with his presence.
And I focused on this verse. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” || Joshua 1:9
Even though I felt pretty confident God wanted to teach me more about being less fearful and trusting Him completely, I wasn’t 100% sure. It became clear to me a few days ago when I opened my Bible. I started working my way through the gospels last year so I decided to continue. I flipped the page and landed on Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy…”
I looked up and shook my head in amazement. You see, for as long as I can remember finances has always been a major worry of mine. Not that I have an obsession and want more of it, all I need is enough to pay bills and get groceries. But this year, I am confident the Lord wants to teach me more to quit worrying about finances. To quit worrying altogether and to live a life without fear.
I grabbed a folder with paper to write the verse down. When I opened it, the top sheet of paper with the exact same verse scribbled at the top stared up at me! I had written this verse down some time last year. I just shook my head again. I am now 100% positive I am going in the direction the Lord wants me to go.
I also started re-reading Max Lucado’s “Fearless”. It’s really opened up my eyes to what it truly means to live without fear and what it means when faith, not fear is our reaction to threats. I highly recommend it!
thanks so much for inspiring us and sharing your revelation,
God bless,
Donna
Donna! I have been out of town. Sorry that I am just now responding!
Isn’t it the biggest weight lifted when we know that we don’t have to muster up faith?! Indeed His constant presence is why we can stand strong and be brave even when don’t feel it.
Finances seem to always be the thorn in my flesh too! This, however, is where I have grown the most in my trust of Him! When we trust Him, we are in the perfect position for Him to show off His glory and provide a miracle!
I love Max Lucado! I will pick up Fearless as soon as I can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for reading and sharing!!!!!!
Karina,
You and I could be twins. I used to have problems, cry, fret, pray about it but not really believe and pray all the hard that the answer would come. As I’ve grown and matured in my walk My faith and trust in God has gotten much better.
Last year I had numerous trial with my aging dad health issues. We were at ER 4 times and he fell 6 times. During all of that my hubby nearly lost his job, then I had/have job issues.
When hubby’s job issue cropped up I just said “God will see us through this. Let’s just pray and see what happens”. It’s like I knew good would come from it and we got better than we expected.
Now I’m wanting a new different job. I have enough faith to believe that God will give me just what I need when I need it. His timing is soo perfect!
I need to say “I am the Lord’s servant I will do as you say”.
Blessings 🙂
Beth! Yep, we could be twins! Haha!
I have grown so much in my faith but there are moments when I get sucked back into old thinking. But, i am believing for a strong, unwavering, unshakable faith. I pray that for you as well!!!!
Thank you for sharing sister Have a blessed day!!!!!!!!!!!