In Luke 17:5, “the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” Why did they ask that? Because they understood that faith was a key element in their relationship with God.
Abraham is called the father of faith, and he was forgiven (or justified) before God because he showed in his life that nothing was more precious to him than to have faith and trust in God. His faith was severely tried though before he received this title. Abraham fathered Isaac, after waiting for this son of promise for almost half a century. When Isaac became a teenager, God told Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering.” What an incredible request from God! But Abraham obeyed and for that amazing act of obedience on his part and implicit faith in God, Abraham became the “father of the faithful” throughout the ages. The climax of his reward was that through his seed, the Messiah came into the world to save you and me. What a reward!
If faith is so important, and “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6), how can we know what faith is?
Faith is described in the dictionary as: “firm belief in something for which there is no proof”; “complete confidence”; “believe, trust.” Hebrews 11:1, the well-known chapter on faith, describes it as: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another translation renders it, “It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 is of great encouragement to all those who wish to become children of Abraham by faith.
The New Testament is full of accounts of persons that were cured from all kinds of diseases of the body and of the soul, because they had faith in Jesus, the Son of God. Wouldn’t you also be blessed to hear the words of Jesus saying, “go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole”? (Mark 10:52)
But there is also a false faith or a belief that makes people afraid, and it can make even the demons tremble. This faith, however, transforms no one. True faith changes the heart, makes us doers of the word of God, and most importantly, believes that Jesus came into the world to save sinners—such as you and me. We must possess this faith within us, that can overcome mountains of troubles. . . , and do you know how it begins? With little acts of faith in our daily life.
Therefore, “ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).
*Content Image: Man of prayer – Hiper Clips