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

What is faith?  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  The word substance means the foundation, assurance, the guarantee.  The word evidence means conviction.  Simply put, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is being described as an act in Hebrews, an act of the mind and the heart.  Our hearts and minds believe something and we have the assurance and conviction that it is true.  Faith is not something a Christian is going to posses; we already possess it.  We can possess it now, we cannot see it, but we can actually possess the very substance of it by believing and entrusting our lives to it.

William Barclay said:  “Faith means that we are certain of the things we hope for, convinced of the things we do not see”

These two qualities need a secure beginning and ending point.  The beginning point of faith is believing in God’s character; that is believing he is who he says he is.  The end point is believing in God’s promises; he will do what he says he will do.  When we believe that God will fulfill his promises even though we don’t see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith.

The reality is we are living in perilous times.  The economy is unstable, the auto industry is unstable, and even the banking system is unstable.  We must believe in our hearts and in our minds that God has a good plan for our lives and that he will perfect that which concerns us.  The plan that he has for our lives is not conditional nor dependent upon our circumstances, the economy or environment in which we live.

Of course, any Christian can see that that worldview is at odds with faith. For the church, however, what is more significant than secularism, which rejects all forms of religious faith or worship; is sociologically when we start dealing with social questions or problems, focusing on cultural and environmental factors rather than on psychological or personal characteristics. In other words, the world would have us believe that religious ideas, institutions, and interpretations are losing practical social significance.  Nothing could be further from the truth !

God declared in Matt 19:26 “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”  If you are facing tough times, I want to encourage you today to be Strong in the Lord and the power of his might. It is very easy to allow your circumstances and situations to speak so loudly that you cannot hear the voice of God.  Stand up and declare today, I have the assurance and conviction that all things are working together for my good.

In the rhythm of grace, we go to sleep, and God begins his work. As we sleep he develops his covenant. We wake and are called out to participate in God’s creative action. We respond in faith, in work. But always grace is previous and primary. We wake into a world we didn’t make, into a salvation we didn’t earn.  And he asks of us one thing:  Have Faith in God…… God Loves you and so do I….. Pastor Tammy