What it is and what it isn't.
Hebrews 11:6 (NASB) "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
First and foremost - the faith that is being discussed in the passage above is faith and belief that Jesus is God, the Creator and Savior of the world. If you have stumbled to this blog and don't believe that yet, let me say this to you: If Jesus isn't God, the Creator and Savior of the world... then who is? If you want to talk through that answer, please use the contact page to reach out to me directly.
For many people, the picture above is what they consider walking in faith to feel like. And, at times, that is exactly what it feels like.
Smith Wigglesworth once said:
"Everybody has to have testings. If you believe in Divine Healing you will surely be tested on the faith line. God cannot bring anyone into blessing and into full co-operation with Him except through testing and trials."
But, this is not what faith is all of the time.
This is not what living by faith is to feel like as a "normal". In fact, one (I don't remember who) minister was asked about the fear that accompanies living by faith. They responded that such a thing was not living by faith, but dying by faith.
Jesus told us that faith in Him is the ingredient that moves mountains at our command, but we don't fully understand the power of that faith. Think about this, MANY TIMES Jesus would respond to people seeking healing with "your faith has made you well" or "your faith has healed you". For many years, I fully missed the power behind those words.
Aimee Semple McPherson used to tell her audiences that her job was to increase their faith to the point where the Lord could work in them.
But, we often shy away from faith because it does have those times of testing, those "leaps of faith" into the unknown abyss (like the picture above). And that "shying away" from faith cripples our prayer life and strength of connection to Jesus. I believe that it is very difficult to pray a prayer of faith, one that can move mountains, if we are not living a life of faith.
And so, if occasionally taking those "faith leaps" is part of living a life of faith that releases the Lord's power into and through my life... and more importantly, if living the life of faith pleases the Lord - than that is the life that I want to live.
What about you?