We all operate by faith; almost by the second. Right now you are probably sitting in a chair, or standing in line to get coffee or maybe in a car. Hopefully not driving that car. But no matter where you are, you are practicing “living by faith”. You haven’t questioned if there would be enough oxygen in this coffee shop. You just walked in. You didn’t wonder “will this chair collapse” you just sat down. While it may seem like a stretch to say this, it’s still true: you had faith that what has always been true before (the chair held you up before, the coffee shop had more than enough coffee scented oxygen before) will be true this time.
The Bible has a lot to say about living a life of faith. Take this verse in 2 Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 5:7 (CSB) — 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Or this one in Hebrews:
Hebrews 11:1 (CSB) — 1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
Clearly you and I are meant to live our lives full of faith, and we are also supposed to know that living a life of faith means you won't always see proof for what God is calling you to have faith in.
Faith is really just taking God at His word. If God says He’s good, then that means He’s good. But what happens when all the evidence around us causes us to wonder if God is really good?
The test comes back with an F.
The person we trusted turns out to be the one spreading the gossip.
The relationship doesn’t last like we thought it would.
The doctor tells us the illness has gotten worse.
That thing we prayed for seems to have gone unanswered.
Walking by faith isn’t always easy. Choosing to trust God and take Him at His word, when everything around us tempts us not to, is hard.
But living a life of faith is always the better option. And true faith always leads to action.
James 2:18 (CSB) — 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.
James 2:26 (CSB) — 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Saying you believe God is good is one thing. But believing God is good even when life goes sideways, that’s real faith.
Saying you believe God loves you is one thing. But believing God loves you even when you’ve messed up again, that’s real faith.
Saying you believe God has a plan for your life is one thing. But believing God has a plan, even when it’s going to cause you to have to give up some things or change the plans you have for your life, that’s real faith.
Living by faith requires action. Taking God at his word requires action.
So the question is, are you living by faith or by sight? Does your life reflect who God is and what He has called you to do, or is your life just a reaction to what is happening around you?
Here’s some questions to ask yourself and pray though:
Does my life reflect who God is?
Is there something God has been calling me to do that I haven’t done?
Do I trust God and have faith that He knows what’s best for me even if it makes me uncomfortable?
