What Is Faith? Understanding the Word of God as Your Spiritual Currency

The world's system is designed so that nearly everything involves an exchange of money: clothing, homes, and services. Even some places of worship attempt to persuade followers to trade money for salvation, healing, deliverance, or breakthroughs. But is this kind of exchange necessary in spiritual matters?

Today, I want to talk about faith and why understanding it is essential. Many churchgoers do not truly grasp its significance. Some attend out of tradition, others hope to earn God's favor, and some are simply looking for a change in their circumstances.

Regardless of why a person attends church, it is crucial to understand the Biblical rationale not only for attending but also for what God expects of us to please Him during our periods of attendance.

Please pay close attention to what I'm about to say, as it might alter your view of your "faith" or how you apply it. The Bible makes it unequivocally clear:

"It is impossible to please God without faith." (Hebrews 11:6)

This indicates that anything we ask of God should be accompanied by faith. We can also infer that faith serves as the spiritual currency in exchange for what we seek from God.

Considering that it is impossible to please God without faith, it is only logical to explore the Bible's definition of the word "faith." Most Christians cite Hebrews 11:1 to define faith:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

But what does all of that mean? Evidence, substance, hope. Are these just cryptic codes or a language only Christians understand? To the average person, faith still remains undefined.

What faith is not

To understand faith, one must first understand what it is not. Faith is not just about believing. When asked to define faith, the average person will say that you must believe in something to have faith. This is partly true. However, faith encompasses more than just belief.

Here is the biblical interpretation of that scripture. It begins with, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for." The word "now" suggests immediacy, while "substance" refers to a material or source of something. "Hope" means to expect or desire something. The verse further explains that faith is the evidence of things not seen. Evidence means proof that something exists. Essentially, faith is about presenting tangible proof to confirm the existence of what is hoped for.

The spiritual definition of faith

Hopefully, by now, we can agree that faith is more than just a belief, and at the same time, faith is yet to be defined. Faith in and of itself is a spiritual concept. To understand faith, we must address it from a spiritual perspective. So let's revisit the key words in Hebrews 11:1: substance, hope, and evidence. If faith requires one to believe in the substance of faith, the hope of faith, and the evidence of faith, then what exactly are we believing in as it relates to faith? What is the substance, hope, and proof of faith?

The Bible states in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, specifically hearing the Word of God. In short, faith is the Word of God. In context, faith is one's complete, unwavering, and unending belief in the Word of God.

Now that we understand faith is the Word of God, Hebrews 11:1 basically says: the Word of God is the substance of what I am hoping for, and it's this same Word of God that will also serve as the evidence of my hope that has not yet materialized.

Faith in practice: an example

In layman's terms, let's say you are standing in faith for a spouse. The conventional understanding of faith typically involves praying and believing that God will eventually manifest the spouse you are believing for, with the emphasis on the spouse.

Nevertheless, true spiritual faith requires us to focus on the Word of God rather than on the actual spouse or whatever we're believing God for. For example, we search the scriptures relevant to our request. In this case, our request is for a spouse:

"It is not good for the man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18)
"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (1 Corinthians 7:2)
"He that finds a wife finds a good thing." (Proverbs 18:22)
"Delight yourself in God and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 34:4)

These scriptures become the faith needed for the spouse. Based on the protocol of faith and its definition in Hebrews 11:1, the scriptures above are the substance of what I am hoping for: a spouse. These same scriptures also serve as evidence- the promises of God for my spouse- which we patiently wait to see manifested according to God's timing.

Faith is belief in the Word

Now it is understood why the Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is belief in God's Word. He is the Word, and the Word is faith:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

I hope you have been inspired to stop praying about your situation in vague terms and start believing what the Word of God says about what you are believing for. This is true faith.

Jesus said to the man who wanted to be healed from blindness, "According to your faith, be it unto you." The Bible also says the just shall live by faith. In both of these scriptures, replace the word "faith" with "the Word of God." The first becomes: according to your belief in the Word of God. The second becomes: the just shall live by the Word of God.

Starting today, always use God's Word as the foundation of your prayers if you want to see results. I also encourage you to get a copy of my book, Prayers That Work, by Kevin L A Ewing, which will help you saturate your prayers with scriptures that build the faith God requires to settle your matters, according to Hebrews 11:6.

BY: KEVIN L A EWING
ewinglakevin@icloud.com
kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
www.kevinlaewing.com