What is the importance of faith and why we need it to please God? ( Hebrews 11:6 )
Faith is the basic fundamental root of Christianity and to be called a christian you need to have it.
The bible tells us without faith it is impossible to please God ( Hebrews 11:6 ) and from that we can learn that everything about God is about trusting and believe in him. It is not like other religions where you see things before you believe but instead with God of the bible we have to believe before we can see.
Faith is an expression of hope for something not seen at the moment or cannot be done by human effort so we believe in God for it to be done. We act in faith when there is no guarantee or hope and that is one of the unique ways of Christian. We read in history that many Christians died in faith, and that mean they died believing in God who they have never seen but yet they keep trusting in him in faith even in death. When other religions may ask you to died for their God, The God of the bible died for his people instead (John 3:16) and therefore his people (Children) suffer because of him (John 15:18) (John 15:19).
Faith gives us confidence in hard times because we rely on God's strength to carry us through and not our own. When we lose our faith and hope we become weak and unable to face the storms of life. Abraham was strong in faith, giving glory to God and absolute confidence in him that God is able to fulfill his promise even in a impossible situation. Trust in God helps us to face our adversaries with boldness in faith knowing that the God we serve will never leave nor forsake us
- FAITH TO BE STRONG (Hebrews 10: 35-38) (Romans 4 :18-21) (Isaiah 50: 7-10) (Daniel 11 :32)
Faith gives us strength in difficult times . When we lose our faith and hope we become weak and unable to face the storms of life . Abraham was not weak in faith but instead he was strong in faith giving glory to God in absolute confidence that God as able to fulfill his promise even in a humanly impossible situation. Faith in God helps us to face our adversaries with boldness.
2.FAITH TO PRAY (Mark 11 : 24) (Hebrews 11 :6)
Faith helps us to get our prayer answers. When we pray in faith expecting an answer from God , the Lord honours our faith and grants our petitions. Praying with doubt and unbelief is a hindrance to getting answers to our prayers. We must come to God beleiving that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
3.FAITH TO FORGIVE (Mark 11 : 25-26) (Romans 12 : 19-21) (I Peter 2 :21-23)
Faith helps us to forgive those who have harmed us . Because we beleive that God is a righteous Judge we commit all our pain and sufferring to Him . He has said " Vengeance is mine , I will repay " . Therefore trusting in His justice we forgive our enemies and do good to those who have harmed us.
4.FAITH TO LOVE (Matthew 5 : 44-48) (Romans 8 : 35-39)
Faith helps us to love others even those who have harmed us . Because we are the children of our Heavenly Father we demonstrate His divine Love which is different from the love of this world . The world loves those who love them and hates those who hate them . But our faith in God make us to behave differently and show the qualities of our Heavenly Father .
5.FAITH TO SUFFER (Matthew 5 :10-12) (Hebrews 12 :2) (Romans 8 : 18)
Faith helps us endure suffering . When we beleive that a great reward is waiting for us for all the suffering we face for the sake of Christ , we do not get discouraged easily . Jesus endured the cross because he focussed on the joy that was set before Him . He did not dwell on the humiliation and the shame that He was facing . We must meditate on the eternal reward and glory that is waiting for us . This faith will help us to face suffering .
- FAITH TO OBEY (Hebrews 11 :7) (Hebrews 11 : 17-19)
Faith helps us to obey God. Faith helped Noah to obey God and build an ark even when there was no outward sign of rain. Faith helped Abraham to obey God to sacrifice his son Isaac because he beleived that God could still fulfill His promise by raising Isaac from the dead. Faith helps us to overcome our doubt and reluctance and obey God implicitly.
7.FAITH TO PRAISE (Acts 16 :23 -26) (Acts 5 : 40-41) (Hebrews 11 :1)
Faith helps us to praise God even in difficult circumstances. Paul and Silas praised God in prison and were delivered by a miracle. The Apostles praised God when they were beaten up by the authorities . Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Therefore faith helps us to praise God even before we see the answer to our prayers and even before we see the fulfillment of the promise.
Many Christians find it hard to have faith especially in these hard times and because of that I think many fall short of their blessing. Yet they blame God for not keeping his promise in Matthew 7:7-12. But when we read in Mark 11:23 we see that the only way we don't receive from God is if we doubt, meaning we have no faith. The bible tells us that if we had faith as a grain of mustard seed, we can might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, a nd be thou planted in the sea; a nd it should obey you. ( Luke 17:6) Pay attention to the size of the faith he spoke about in the scripture, it is small as a mustard seed the smallest of all seeds so definitely what God is saying is we just need a little faith to get his attention.
One of the easiest promises to believe God for is a return on our tithes and offerings: Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat on mine table, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room to receive it. This is the only verse where God tells his people to prove Him. This is a great place for the new believer to start exercising faith. We must have enough faith in the Word of God to act on it.
As Christians, faith in God is the beginning of our relationship with him and apart from that there is nothing at all, for even Jesus death on the cross require our faith to believe. James 1:7 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering... ; James 5:16 ... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much . We can know the will of God in every situation: Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God . So let us read the Word of God daily, which will renew our minds and build our faith in all the wonderful promises that our most loving Father, God has for our every day eternity.