In the church today, it is easy to find two types of Christians who speak a lot about faith. The first group recognizes their need and scarce resources, and they are constantly asking the Lord for more faith. The other group speaks confidently and proclaims that they have a lot of faith. However, when this second group is in trouble, they always ask others to pray for them. It is obvious that the subject of faith is little understood in the body of Christ. It is sad because it is, perhaps, the most important issue in Christian life. In this article, you will learn about faith and how to apply it in your everyday situation.

When faced with difficulties, you must have received encouraging words from family, friends, and loved ones. Words like, “Keep the faith; hold up to it; It can be strong now.” And sometimes, you seem to find rest in those words somehow. Other times, you tend to believe that the person encouraging you can not handle what you are feeling at the moment. It can sometimes be painful to go through all of these.

The truth is that today’s world is full of uncertainty, and no one can predict what will happen in the future, not even the next seconds. So it would be best if you had something more tangible than your five senses. You need faith to live in this world. You need something that should keep you going in good and bad times. You need someone you should always look to. Someone who understands every single thought you have. One who understands what you are into.

Biblical Definition of Faith

The writer of Hebrews says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report“.(Hebrews 11:1-2).

Faith can be defined as the unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence before taking any actions. Therefore, faith is the certainty of what is expected, the conviction of what is not seen. The definition of faith is beyond what you can see, beyond the five senses. Faith has to do with things that are not visible, with things that you expect but cannot yet see. Faith is the conviction or certainty that such things are about to come or manifest.

Where Does Faith Come From?

People have tried to believe in innate things that do not have life or cannot see, talk and hear them. So they thought faith came from those things. It is not uncommon to find people to think that faith comes from people who are around them. So they tried to surround themselves with good people. Others think faith comes from the success and achievement they make. And so they tried to work harder to get more of those things. But those things, people, or achievements they trust have failed through the test of time.

The truth is that faith only comes from God. It comes from the person of Jesus. Faith doesn’t come outside of Jesus. Peter affirms this simple truth in his second epistle “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”(2 Peter 1:1). True faith only comes from God and no other way.

So, you must understand that faith does not originate within you. You are not born with the natural ability to believe. If you try to get faith by your own willpower, you will be discouraged. This is because you are not the source of faith. Faith comes from God. God assigns or gives faith. God is not only the Giver of faith, but He is also the Author, the Originator, of our faith. Hebrews 12:2 says, “We set our eyes on Jesus, the Author, and Perfecter of our faith.” Jesus is the Originator of our faith! He is the One who inaugurates it in everyone.

How do we find Faith?

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing, through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17)

You can find faith through hearing the word of Christ. You first find faith when someone preached to you about Jesus Christ and all He did to redeem mankind. As you listened, you began to appreciate it. Then, as the preacher was speaking the gospel, your appreciation of Christ increased until, finally, a spontaneous reaction took place: you believed in Him. Before then, you may never have thought much about Jesus Christ or believed that He was real, but upon hearing the word of Christ, faith was imparted to you.

For example, suppose you don’t know anything about diamonds. At first glance, a diamond might seem like an ordinary piece of glass. But then a jeweler explains how the diamond was formed over thousands of years through tremendous heat and pressure. Then, as you look closely, the jeweler tells you about the different characteristics of the diamond. The more you listen to the jeweler and look at the diamond, the more you appreciate its beauty and value. So if someone offered you a diamond, you wouldn’t hesitate to accept it.

So the source of faith is not you, but the Lord. And in your experience of faith came through hearing the gospel of Christ. It didn’t come because you tried hard to believe. The word of Christ spoken to you imparted faith. This is how you initially obtained this precious faith from God.

How to Receive Faith

To receive faith is not as hard as falling a tree. It is encapsulated in three phrases ” ACCEPT, BELIEVE, CONFESS.” The truth is you do not need any extra ability to accept that God exists. Neither do you need a magician to move his wand for you to believe that God rewards those who seek Him diligently. Once you can accept, believe and confess his word, your confidence or trust will increase.

However, you can only believe somebody you know, communicate with every day, and listen to. So, make it a conscious habit to communicate with God via prayers, study His Word, and help humanity. In conclusion, receiving faith is not rocket science or hard as falling tall trees, it is as simple as ABC (Accept, Believe, and Confess).