Pastor Danny
17th January 2010 

Everyone has a certain amount of faith in them, also known as natural faith. For example, when we sit on a chair, we have faith that the chair will hold our weight. We believe it, because we have sat on many chairs before and it has held our weight. Natural faith is based on our experiences and our senses.
But the faith referred to in the Bible, is not this natural faith.  Biblical faith is not based on positive thinking, history or our senses. Rather it is centered on a person – our Lord Jesus Christ. Biblical faith is based on the character and words of our Lord. We can have confidence and put our trust in who He is and what He says about us and our future. He is the solid rock and our strong foundation.

Let us take a deeper look at what the Bible calls faith. The Bible in Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. And in verse 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Observations about Faith

1. Faith is a response to the revelation of God’s Word. The Word of God reveals who Jesus is and that is what we must base our faith on. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Hold onto the Word of God and don’t give up on it.
2. Faith is an attitude of humble dependence. Though we may be blessed with sufficiency, God is looking at our attitude. Whatever our circumstances we need to keep our eyes focused on Him. He may have blessed us with intelligence, good jobs and families, but we must live lives that acknowledge that His ways and thoughts are better than ours. We must seek Him for our daily bread. Unless the Lord builds the house, the labourers labour in vain. You can buy an expensive mattress, but only God can grant us sleep that rejuvenates us.
3. Faith is an expectation in the power of God. Expect the power of God to change and deliver you. It is an expectation that God’s power will work in us and in our situation. It would have been easy for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to bow before the pagan god’s. But they stood strong on their faith and depended on God, even though they were not sure whether God would rescue them. When you show your faith, God will come down and rescue you. 
4. Our Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prayed fervently for the cup of suffering to be taken from Him. But He ended His prayer by surrendering His will and He prayed for His Father’s will to be done. Faith says not my will but Your will be done.

7 Principles of Biblical Faith

1. Faith works on your relationship or connection with God.
2. We need to be open to God, not hiding anything from Him and open to receive His Words, His plans. Many fathers of faith, like Jabeez, were honest with god about their weaknesses. When the light of truth shone on them, they were able to draw on His strength. 
3. Faith can be activated through your memory. Remember His faithfulness in the past and that will give you enough strength to stand on faith. 
4. When you have faith, God gives you spiritual gifts, gifts for service, according to your faith.
5. Faith is a struggle but it is a good thing. It is a struggle between faith and doubt… between uncertainty and certainty. Our Lord Jesus overcame the world and we too will overcome because of Him. 
6. Exercising your faith is a simple thing. It is not complicated. Jesus said have faith as small as a mustard seed and let your faith be childlike. 
7. Faith must persevere. It must endure and push through situations -  Heb 12:1, 2.
   

How can we develop Biblical Faith?
James 2:14 to 26 Our faith will be visible in the way we speak, act, think, our actions. James calls us to demonstrate our faith. Faith is invisible, but the fruit of faith should be visible in our lives. Real faith is not just something that you believe in, it is something that you do in obedience. Faith needs to be demonstrated by our actions. Actions are not qualifiers to go to heaven. But like Abraham, when we sacrifice our Isaac, we declare that He is our priority, over everything that we hold dear. That is faith in action.