We are all called to live by faith, and that means refusing to be deterred by the problems, fixing our hope on the promise, and heading for the goal....                                  David Mansell

"Faith's a good thing, isn't it? I've got a lot of faith, and whenever, we were in need I prayed the good Lord, didn't I, Florrie?"

"Yes, Fred."

"What about now?" I asked, just managing to get a word in. It turned out that Fred was not really religious; had no relationship with God and didn't want one; didn't want prayer for his asthma and didn't want to hear about the kingdom of God. Yet he had a lot of "faith", didn't he, Florrie?

What is Faith?

Faith is not simply the ability to look on the bright side; the power to cause impossible things to happen. Faith, like love, is a thing of relationship. It is not "faith" that is the foundation in Hebrews 6:1 but "faith towards God". That means an attitude of complete confidence in the Person, rather than siply faith in the great things He can do. When God spoke to Abraham concerning His intention to bless him and make him the father of many nations, He said first,

"I am God Almighty," and then added,

"I will establish my covenant" with you,

"I will multiply you exceedingly,"

"I will make you fruitful" (Gen. 17:1-6).

All the 'I wills' depend on the one 'I am'. It is the character of God that guarantees His promises.

Faith in God's Name

When God called Moses at the burning bush to lead Israel out of Egypt, He first revealed who he was, and then spelt out what He would do.

He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham.... Issac and  ... Jacob" (Ex. 3:8-10)

Then He added, " I come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians" (Ex. 3:8-10)

Faith does more than believe in a series of 'I wills', it takes hold of the 'I am' Himself. God is bigger that the mum total of His promises and greater than the works of His hands. His the I am.

The message Moses carried to his people and the to Pharaoh was the Name of God. "Say to the sons of Israel, I am has sent me to you" (Ex. 3:14).

When Pharoah rejected Moses' word, and even laid heavier burdens on the people, Moses was shattered. But God gave His servant a further revelation of Himself, not merely as the God who did mighty things, but as Yahweh (Hebrew for "I am") , the God who is and was and is to come. Don't panic, Moses; everything is alright; I am God; trust Me, not just My power.  Have fellowship with Me as your friend. We too must have this revelation of God's name if we are to have faith in God, and not just in His "prayrer answering service."

Building on the Foundation

"Faith towards God" is spoken of in Hebrews as part of or spiritual foundations. The writer says, "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying against a foundation....  "(Heb. 6:1)  It is not that one leaves the elementary doctrines, but that one actually starts to build on the foundation. What does this mean in practical terms? A man decides to build himself a house. He lays the foundation and has it passed by the building inspector. Then instead of continuing to build on the foundation he builds it alongside, on the next plot.

This is why some people who sincerely believe in God and have received foundational teaching still live up-and-down lives. Their doctrine says "God is the source of my life", but in practice their "source" is the same as they had before the vewr saved - namely, their bank balance, qualifications, status physical strength, charm, or their ability to talk. There is no guarantee that a man's life is on the same "plot" as his theological foundation.

Beware of Extensions

Even if we do not totally identify with the house built beside the foundation, we must watch that we do not try to build extensions. That is building where we don't have faith. Are these areas of our lives where we experience continual pressure, recurring defeat, crippling fear? Then let us check to see if that area has only our own resources an our own worrying as its spring. Every part of our lives must be related back to the faith foundation but how do we do that?

First: never interpret circumstances in a way that conflicts with the character of God.  However the situation may look it never means that God has forgotten, does not love you, or has run out of ideas.

Second: never build into your life security measures to insure against the possibility of God not being the I am He says He is. Fear, worry and scheming are simply unbelief in action; it is building beside the foundation of faith, in case God proves unreliable!

Third: come before God in faith for specific words, directions, or promises. Don't allow pressures to force you to make hasty decisions, take precipitous actions or utter thoughless words. Saul forced himself to offer a sacrifice because it seemed certain Samuel would not arrive in time to do it. An action he regretted all his life.

Faith and Action

Believing in God and trusting His word is only the first step in living by faith. God's resources must be translated into the practical answers we need in our everyday lives. As James puts it, "Faith without works is dead" (Jas.2:26). Reading through the faith chapter, Hebrews 11, we are struck by the men who believed God often in the face of adverse circumstances, Noah built an ark against a flood when the earth had never seen rain before! Abraham set out for a land of promise without an inkling of destination!

Sarah gave birth to Issac when she was over ninety and Abraham was a hundred! Living by faith means letting the promise set aside the problems.

Faith simply asks , " Has God spoken?"  If so, all is well, though mountains seem to stand in the way. If God has not spoken, then what seems possible may very well prove to be impossible, because God is not it. Abraham believed God, looked down at his aged wife and said, "Let's start a family, Dear"! Naturally speaking the possibility was nil; but with God it was 100%, because God has spoken.

Leaving It All to God?

If we would live by faith we must start believing in God and stop trusting in our fears. Faith turns aside from the problems and drives down a motorway of promise. If we continually weigh what God has said against what we see naturally we will end up with a "believism" that puts all the onus for action onto God.

Imagine Noah praying, "Lord, we know You can build and ark;" or again Abraham praying, "Lord, if it be your will that we should leave Ur, then open up the way for us to go and get us to our destination." It sounds ridiculous but that is how many of us have lived - in the land of "visionitis".  A visionary ark would have been of little value to the faithful flock as the rain began to fall. How often we have heard that someone is beginning to see the vision. But unless a man has started out he has not seen the vision. After setting aside the problems and allowing faith to take hold of the word of God, the next step is to set your hope on the promise.

Abraham, when he heard God's command to leave Ur of the Chaldess and go to a land which he would afterwards inherit, set his whole thinking and life on the hope before him. Faith's goal is our hope: hope without faith is just wishful thinking. Hebrews 11 speaks of the men and women of faith seeing the promises welcoming them from a distance, and confessing that they were stangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a coundry of their own. (v 13-14).

Faith's object is not vague, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, were not content to believe the promise while leaving it all to God to work out, while they continued to live thier old way of life.  No, their hope meant a radical change of life-style.

Everything was now directed towards realizing the promise. Noah began cutting wood, Abraham sold his house in Ur, and Sarah began knitting for the baby! Noah knew that a flood was coming. Abraham knew he was going to the father of many nations. Sarah knew she was going to have a boy. Faith always has hope in it.

What are the definite goals that motivate you? For what are you spending your life? It is impossible to live by faith without a hope that consumes you. For some the vision is worldwide. For others it is local, and involves bringing their own household into the kingdom manifestation that God has promised. But, whatever it is, if there is faith in it then there will be a "go" in our goal. Thus, havingset aside the problems and set our hpe on the promise, finally, we must set off.

How did Noah achieve his goal? By cutting down trees one-by-one, sawing them up into planks, and fixing them in place until the job was complete. How did Abraham reach the land of promise? He walked, by by putting one foot in front of the other. How did Sarah conceive Issac?

By Abraham and Sarah coming together as husband and wife.

What then made Noah's carpentry, Abraham's trek and Sarah's childbearing different? It was the faith that believed God was with them as they took action to achieve His purpose. I was faith that enabled Noah to build an ark and not a monster dog kennel.

It was faith that made Abraham's walk a possessing-of-the-land exercise and not a keep-fit exercise. It was faith that enabled Sarah to bear an heir to the promise of God, and not just another baby boy.

God gets to His goals by walking and His servants get there by walking with Him. Instant transportation such as that experienced by Philip was a sovereign act of God and not a sign of his superior faith.

That First Small Step

Abraham was looking for a city - but he began in faith by living in a tent. Jesus fed the multitude but He began in faith by giving thanks for five loaves and two small fishes. Jesus cam to establish His kingdom in all the earth, but He began in faith by calling twelve and making them His disciples. Faith always has a first step, then a second, and then a third, until hope becomes sight and experience. Not one person in Hebrews eleven simply believed their hope into existence without setting off.

The man who lives by faith takes steps towards his hope everyday, by disciplining his life, ruling his house, giving himself to prayer and the word of God, sharing his abundance, and finding his place in the body.   Everyday he sets his course by his hope, everyday brings him nearer to the city that has foundations.

Grasping the Unseen

God who sets the goal supplies the power to enable us to take hold of it, and to live in the good and reality of it.  "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (or evidence) of things unseen" (Heb. 11:1).

Living by faith, which is to characterise the righteous (Gal. 3:11), is not a matter of waiting in this "dreary desert" till "all my labours and trials are over", as immortalized by the hymnology of the last century.

It is a question of taking appropriate steps towards the hope see before us.

It is a life that is filled in every part with God, enjoying His fellowship, drawing on His resources, taking hold of his promises, and reaching out to the goals He sets before us.

It is doing this in every situation of life, in home, in work, in recreation, in relationships, in church, and so being constantly transformed, as faith works by the power of God.