Faith perceives the invisible and depends on God to achieve the impossible.
But faith always has an object. Oh, my how the devil would love for us to miss this detail!
I did for many years as I put my faith in people and not the Lord. This created people pleasing, a lack of boundaries, and a lifestyle of codependency camouflaged by “helping others”.
The problem was not with the people in my life, it was with my perception of those people.
What is at the center of your faith?
A Closer Look at Faith
Let’s take a look at faith itself. The Bible tells us that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is complete trust. Believing in something we can see and understand does not require faith.
Faith is complete confidence in something or someone we cannot see or necessarily understand.
Every day all of us act by faith in something or someone. What we believe drives our actions and determines our steps. I don’t understand how flipping a switch can turn my lights on, but by faith I flip the switch and the room lights up. If I don’t have faith that the lights will turn on by using a switch, I will never flip the switch and will fail to see the light. Although the power source is there, I will live in the dark.
Our Savior is our power source. His power is always available. But we won’t experience his power in our lives unless we “flip the switch” by trusting him. By having more faith in his power than in our own abilities or understanding. By having more faith in him than in what we see. “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Walk by Faith
The object of our faith is as important as the depth of our faith.
If I trust a water faucet to turn the lights on, my house will remain dark. If we trust anyone or anything other than Jesus with our lives, we will live in frustration and never become all God has designed us to be.
In our Nourish Scripture this week Jesus asks Peter an important question:
“Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29)
I imagine Jesus must have held Peter’s gaze as he posed this question to the disciple who had left his nets to follow him. The adventure that began the moment Peter dropped his nets was amazing for him.
I wonder if during the time between Jesus’s question and Peter’s response, memories of miracles played back through Peter’s mind. So much had happened over the last months. Walking on water, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes. The living water surged freely. Divine provision and restoration flowed from the compassionate hands of this carpenter. Peter’s response came quickly and simply:
“You are the Christ.”
Those days were great and glorious, but Jesus knew the cross was on the horizon. If Peter based his faith on what Jesus did instead of who he was, offense and unbelief could invade his heart when trouble came. Looking deeply into Peter’s soul, Jesus was inviting him to search his personal convictions and define his faith.
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
“Who do you say I am?” Allow that question to linger in your thoughts. Peter was already a disciple, but Jesus paused to ask him about his personal faith.
Jesus invites you to explore your heart. He says you are his beautiful, beloved bride, but who do you say he is? Your answer is of utmost importance to a sure foundation of faith. Turn your eyes to your heavenly husband. Listen to his heart as he calls you to search yours.
Years later under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter wrote his second letter “To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours” (2 Peter 1:1). Faith in Jesus is precious. “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6).
Jesus is eternal and everlasting.
The name above every name.
The Bread of Life, the Light of the World.
Our Anchor in the storm.
Emmanuel—God with us.
Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer, the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End.
Jesus is our strength when we are weak. He is constant and never changing, an anchor of hope (Hebrews 6:19).
Our faith in Christ alone is fundamental to experiencing his power in our life. We “live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20 AMP). Rest your expectations in Jesus alone and watch your faith rise above your circumstances.
Nourish Scripture: Mark 8
To experience Christ’s power, you must have faith. Discover how you can connect with God’s Word and transform your life by downloading Nourishing Your Heart.
Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.
