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Let me begin by saying that this post gets a little more personal than I’d expected. May I say that when you’re intentional about hearing from the Holy Spirit, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to do or say something that you hadn’t anticipated. Later in this post, you will find that I was asked to share a few highlights of my story. I’ve shared my story before, I’ve even written a book about it, but I found it interesting that the Holy Spirit found it appropriate to share again as I talk about “Faith”?!

Over the past few weeks, we talked about “Experiencing Doubt.. but Choosing Joy…and now Having Faith?” So what does the word “faith” mean to you? We use that word ALL the time. We’ve even memorized and recited Hebrews 11:1 numerous times, but what does it REALLY mean to you?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The New Living Translation says it this way…

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. ² Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.³ By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:1-3

As I wrote this post, I had to answer that question for myself. In it’s simpliest form, the answer is, “Believing in God!” The Word really makes it plain, it’s impossible to have faith if you dont believe in God and without faith you can’t believe it God! Boy, is that a mouthful… but think about it. No matter what you need faith for, whatever it is, it can’t happen without God. We keep trying to make it complicated. It is what it is! Throughout the book of Hebrews, there are numerous examples of people who had faith; who believed that God would do exactly what He said.

Here’s just a few:

Abraham and Sarah – to give birth to a child in their 90’s

Joseph – to become 2nd in command of Egypt, after the pit and prison

Moses – to lead the children of Israel, after telling God “they are not going to listen to me.”

David – to face Goliath the giant, as a teenager, after tending the sheep and then he becomes king.

… and then there’s Candy, who had to believe God for a husband, when marriage was the farthest thing from her mind, for a child after 3 miscarriages, for her own business after a 32 year career with no real financial preparation for retirement, for her grown son to have a true relationship with Christ, who may already be on his Damascus Road, etc. etc. etc. As I think back, was my faith really that strong or did my belief in God sustain me? But I can definitely say that my faith is a whole lot stronger now as a result of my life experiences and all that I’ve learnt along the way. The path may have been bumpy, but the Lord has stayed with me every step of the way.

Although, I don’t believe that I’ve given you a recipe for having faith, I guess you just have to believe God for it… and regularly take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…