2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
What does faith mean to you? Of course there is no single definition that can contain the nature of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) gives us a description of faith: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Richard Rohr has a great definition of faith. He says, "Faith is patience with mystery."
Faith is the willingness to abide in a reality you don't fully understand the ramifications of. Faith is meant to be more than a formality, a feeling, or a formula. In fact, if you can reduce it to a formula and make sense out of it, it isn't faith. If you can fully explain it, it isn't faith!
We need faith for the things our eyes can't perceive and our minds can't comprehend.
Now ask yourself this question: What is the opposite of faith? Maybe you would say doubt. Maybe you would say fear.
We tend to think that if we have fear, then that means we don't have faith. We believe that the presence of doubt indicates the absence of faith, but it's quite the opposite. Someone once said that the opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is certainty.
Let that sink in.
The opposite of faith is when you think you've figured everything out — when you live your life in such a complacent way that you don't sense your need for God's protection or power.
Faith doesn't always guarantee the outcome, but it establishes the outlook. This means that you can have strong doubts and still operate in strong faith!
Written By: Pastor Steven Furtick
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
What does faith mean to you? Of course there is no single definition that can contain the nature of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) gives us a description of faith: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Richard Rohr has a great definition of faith. He says, "Faith is patience with mystery."
Faith is the willingness to abide in a reality you don't fully understand the ramifications of. Faith is meant to be more than a formality, a feeling, or a formula. In fact, if you can reduce it to a formula and make sense out of it, it isn't faith. If you can fully explain it, it isn't faith!
We need faith for the things our eyes can't perceive and our minds can't comprehend.
Now ask yourself this question: What is the opposite of faith? Maybe you would say doubt. Maybe you would say fear.
We tend to think that if we have fear, then that means we don't have faith. We believe that the presence of doubt indicates the absence of faith, but it's quite the opposite. Someone once said that the opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is certainty.
Let that sink in.
The opposite of faith is when you think you've figured everything out — when you live your life in such a complacent way that you don't sense your need for God's protection or power.
Faith doesn't always guarantee the outcome, but it establishes the outlook. This means that you can have strong doubts and still operate in strong faith!
Written By: Pastor Steven Furtick
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