Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1-KJV)

The Bible clearly speaks of the importance of faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.(Hebrews 11:6)

If, it is impossible to please God without faith, then obviously, faith is of the highest priority.

What is faith? In our text the writer of Hebrews says that faith is the substance of the things for which we hope. It is the evidence of what we cannot see with the physical senses. Faith looks to the Word of God. Faith believes that what God says carries greater weight than the physical evidence of this natural life.

Faith is a substance. Faith is a tangible spiritual force. It is not some nebulous, mystical state of mind. Faith has spiritual substance, that is far more powerful than any physical substance or power.

How does faith operate? In II Corinthians 4:12, the spirit of faith is described. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.

Faith operates by believing in your heart what God has said, and then putting your mouth into agreement with what you believe in your heart.

For further evidence look at the new birth experience. Romans 8:8-10, But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Then the gospel writer, Mark, quotes Jesus as recorded in Mark 11:23 saying, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him."

Believe in your heart and say with your mouth. God used the process of faith to create the natural world. He believed that when he spoke light into existence, that it would happen, and it did. That is exactly how we are to operate to please him.

But many believers will say, "I just don't have much faith." They speak truth. We are all growing in faith, but God has given us the method to continue to grow in faith. In Romans 10:17 Paul says, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Faith comes and grows by hearing the Word of God. If you want to operate in the faith of God, you must give your attention to the Word of God. You must hear the Word of God, and then allow that Word to grow in you.

In Joshua 1:8 Moses instructed Joshua in three areas:

1. Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth.
2. Meditate on it day and night.
3. Obey everything written in it.

Then Moses tells Joshua that he will be prosperous and successful.

There is no shortcut to a strong, mature faith in God. It requires daily giving attention to the Word of God. It requires daily keeping the Word of God in your mouth. It require daily meditating on the thoughts of God, rather than the thoughts of worry, fear, poverty, sickness and doubt that attack you. It requires daily obedience to the revelation that the Holy Spirit brings to you.

Do you want to prosper and succeed in God? Do you want to please God? Here is the way, walk in it.

Many of us have tried to believe God, and then we have failed. One important lesson I learned many years ago, God is never the problem. If I fail, the problem is not with God, it is with me.

Continue to feed on his word. As you commit to put God's Word above all other sources of information, faith will begin to grow in you. It may not happen as quickly as you would like, but what do you really have to do, that is more important than giving attention to God and to his Word?

If you refuse to give up, then the day will come that faith has grown in you, and it will become a powerful substance, a tangible force.

Recently my daughter faced the need to pass the NCLEX examination to become licensed as a registered nurse. The process had become a struggle. One Tuesday night at her Bible study, one of the young men spoke out and said, "You are going to ace that exam." In actuality, it is a pass or fail examination, so all she needed was to pass. But when Tom spoke those words to my daughter, I could tell that they were not empty words. His words were more than just positive thinking or positive confession. His words were filled with the substance of faith.

A week before her examination, our pastor led the Wednesday night prayer group in prayer for the blessing of God to be upon her as she took the exam. As the pastor prayed, there was substance to his prayer. There was no doubt. His prayer was filled with the substance of faith.

Obviously, my daughter passed the exam without a problem.

As a young seminarian I was confronted with a theological teaching and experience, that was different from my background. I knew my paternal grandmother was praying for me to receive this experience. I could not clearly see it from the Word of God, so I wrote her a letter, and explained to her, that even though I respected her beliefs, this experience was not for me. I was concerned about hurting her feelings.

But Grandma was filled with the substance of faith in this area. She did not say anything to me. Later, after I had accepted this Biblical experience, she gave the letter back to me, and she showed me what she had done. She wrote on the envelope to give the letter back to me, after I had accepted this experience.

Grandma was not moved by my letter at all. Her faith had true substance.

True Biblical faith has substance. True Biblical faith will move mountains.

Today, you can begin the process of growing in the faith of God. Make that commitment to God and to his Word. Let that tangible, substance of faith grow in you.


Wayne L. Williams
January 11, 2005