Faith Foundations
“A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’”
Mark 9:17-24 (NIV)
In this passage, the father’s response is a response of faith. He believes, but what he sees happening to his son does not line up with what he believes. This is a faith issue. The Bible teaches us that it is impossible to please God without faith. The definition of faith in scripture is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11). However, the Bible also says that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). So faith in its purest form is believing inwardly and then behaving outwardly in a way that is in complete harmony with that inward belief. Faith is both belief and behavior. But, it is hard to behave like a believer when what we are believing for is not happening. Hebrews 11 is often called the Hebrew Hall of Faith and we can learn great lessons from those who came before us of what faith looks like.
From Abel we learn to put God first. Abel believed in God because he walked with God and talked with God (Genesis 4). So did Cain. Abel brought the first fruits as an offering to the Lord. But, Cain brought his offering over the course of time. Abel put God first. If you want to please God with your faith, God must be first and foremost. It's not just what you do, it’s the order in which you do it. Your priorities matter.
From Enoch we learn to walk with God everyday. Enoch was a “learned one” who spent time with God and was so in step with Him that he did not experience death (Hebrews 11:5).
From Noah we learn to listen to the voice of God and act on His word. God spoke to Noah once and Noah obeyed for 75+ years as he built the ark based on one word from God. We have access to read and listen to the word of God everyday! Faith listens to the whisper of God and acts.The greatest faith adventure is to act on God’s word. Our maturity as believers is evident by the time between when God speaks and when you act on it. Has God been nudging you? He’s wanting to demonstrate that you can trust Him.
Embrace a faith that works by putting God first, walking with him everyday, and acting on His word.
