Faith, what is faith, and how can we grow our faith? According to Hebrews chapter eleven in The Holy Bible we see that it says: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
We see here that faith is not believing in something that you can see in the natural, it’s rather believing even though it hasn’t happened yet. Let’s go now to the book of Genesis chapter 22, we are going to read about a man of great faith named Abraham. After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham”! And he said, “Here I am.” He said, ” Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Now this is very significant because we see that God is asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son. I will give more of a background to this story. Abraham and his wife Sarah were advanced in years and Sarah had been barren and they did not have a child. God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child. God even said “is there anything to hard for the Lord.” Abraham had to wait several years before the promise came to pass and it did, God gave Abraham and Sarah Isaac. Now we see in Genesis chapter 22 God is asking Abraham for the very thing that he blessed him with and the son that he and Sarah waited many years for, God is saying lay him on the altar. This right here takes great faith and Abraham obeys God. He trusted God and took God at His Word that He would do what He said He will do.
Hebrews chapter eleven starting at verse seventeen: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named. He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
What is it that you are trusting God for? What are promises that God has made to you that have not been fulfilled yet. Notice i said yet because the book of Numbers 23:19 says ” God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will he not make it good?
The Lord Jesus was also tested. In the gospel of Luke chapter four Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days and He ate nothing during those days. The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.” And the devil took him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to Him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” And he took him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here for it is written, “He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” And Jesus answered him, ” It is said, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Jesus knew His identity, He knew who He was, that He is the Son of God. We also see that Satan knows scripture, Satan quoted Psalm ninety one to Jesus but Jesus knew that we are not to put the Lord our God to the test. You see when you know who you are the devil can try and come at you but he won’t be able to move you. Jesus had great faith and past the test that the first Adam failed. What a wonderful Savior we have.
I challenge you to have great faith just like Jesus and Abraham, and to believe God without wavering. Do you trust Him?
I hope that you enjoyed this post today on great faith! All of the Bible passages used today are from the English Standard Version and the NASB. I pray you have great faith like Jesus and trust God. Shalom and blessings 🙏
God Girl 