Now faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen. - Hebrews 11:1 ESV
Let’s
being with a basic definition of faith; what is faith? Faith, according to
Oxford’s Dictionary, is the complete trust or confidence in someone or
something. Faith is a noun, it not simply an action word, but rather, a thing –
faith is to put trust and belief in God.
What
about assurance? Assurance is a positive declaration intended to give
confidence; the confidence that one can rely on someone or something. This
furthers the notion of trust in God, and in His Word. “Things hoped for” are
already expressed in the Word of God; “we have peace with God though our Lord
Jesus Christ... we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God... and hope does not
put us to shame...” (see Romans 5:1-5).
Conviction
is defined two ways: (1) a firmly held belief or opinion; (2) in the court of
law, evidence that the party being accused is guilty of a crime. Conviction, in
light of this verse study, is to have a deep seated belief God will do as He
says He will, even though we cannot see it yet.
Faith
is the basic ingredient to begin a relationship God. Faith enables us to
believe God is sovereign, He is the Creator of the universe (see Nehemiah 9:6)
and He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask, think, or image (see
Ephesians 3:20). “Faith is the assurance that the things revealed and promised
in the Word are true, even though unseen, [faith] gives the believer a
conviction that what he expects in faith, will come to pass.” – source: Hebrew
Roots, The Original Foundation
Based
on my own experience, often when faced with a stressful situation, the concept
of faith is suggested to replace any fear being experienced. For example, when
someone is fearful, one might say to the other, “don’t fear; have faith”. Faith
is not the opposite of fear; faith is actually activated in the midst of fear.
“I have never had faith without being surrounded by fear... Faith springs out
of the ground and the fertility of fear... the real art to life is not to be
controlled by the feeling of fear, but to let faith drive the wheel, even if
fear is sitting in the back seat... because you cannot count on fear to get out
of the car in order for you to be mobile... you want your faith to drive the
car... be driven by faith” - Bishop T.D. Jakes #AskBishopJakes
