“Faith”

We can define faith in several ways,
I'd like to take a concise definition from a song called
“Faith Is the Victory” #486
the definition is the title and in the chorus.

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!
O, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.

Another definition could be:
Trusting in Jesus Christ to save you from eternal death.

Do we need faith?

The song above told us that yes we do for the opposite of victory is to lose.
-Even diving deeper the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him[God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Our first and greatest personal witness of faith.
-In Acts 16:31 it says: “And they [Paul & Silas] said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and though shalt be saved, and thy house.” In a sense, this was our greatest leap of faith, but we made this leap not alone, for on the wings of the Holy Spirit we made this leap.

What about Doubt?

-Have you had doubts before? Yes, at least I have, and will probably again. This could probably be because I'm relying to much on self instead faith/relying on God.

Let's look at some ways to fight doubt.

-First God gives us many assurances of faith.

Outward Assurances of Faith:

-The saints witness the light of Light within you.

(If you see a brother or sister faltering, reach out a loving hand of assurance.)

-The unsaved wonder why you are different.

God's Assurances of Faith:
-God speaks to you through the Bible, and prayer.
-Two Verses I've listed here are Hebrews 13:5 which says. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Nehemiah 9:31 says: “Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.” There are more verses in the Bible where God hold us, protects us, and more.

-Answered Prayer

-There are times in life when we should be crumbling and falling but God gives peace that passeth understanding, God holds us up.

-We are able to witness the wondrous works God performs in lives around us near and far.

Preventatives against Doubting

-Study the Word of God.
-Prayer.

-A preventative mentioned by Gordon MacDonald in Ordering Your Private World is.
I am reminded that the Lord once had the Israelites save “three quarts of manna” (Exodus 16:33, TLB) so that they would have a tangible reminder of His constant care. The journal became my “three quarts,” for in it I had all the testimony I needed to the faithfulness of God in my life.

Tools to help with Doubting:

-Bring your doubt before God, ask Him to help you with it.
-Bring your doubt to a believer or believers, ask them to pray with you about it, help you with it.

-Look to God's Word concerning your doubting.

Example: You doubt God's Love for you, you could look to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

-Look to words written down by other believers, they can have helpful insights to deal with a problem your facing.

-All of these tools are putting trust in Someone else which is already a step towards stopping doubt.

Do I want a Growing Faith?
Yes! I'm sure we all would say this. You can help your faith grow by getting closer and closer to God, and some great ways to do this is Study God's Word, Pray, Talk with God, Listen to God's People, Worship God in Church, at Home, on the Road, at all times, and places continually.

I'll end with a great promise Jesus left us.

In Matthew 17:20 : “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”