Fruits of the Spirit: LESSON 7 PART 2 – Faithfulness (Hebrews 11:1)
Lesson: FAITH (What is faith?)
Memory Verse: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1
Bible Lesson:
What is faith? The dictionary tells us that faith is “strong belief or trust in someone or something,” or “firm belief in something for which there is no proof.”1 Most of the time, we believe something because we’ve seen it. It’s quite natural to want some proof before we place our trust on something or someone. Faith is just the opposite. It means believing first, then seeing it happen.
The bible gives us what we need to have this faith. It is filled with stories that show us who God is and who we are in his sight, and how God always is true to His promises. He shows us through the lives of many people like Abraham, Noah, and Jesus how God can be trusted because He always does what He says He will do.
God promised Abraham that he would be made father of many nations, and Abraham trusted God’s voice. This is why even when God instructed Abraham to offer his son Isaac on the altar, Abraham still obeyed God because he had faith that God would do something; maybe even bring back Isaac’s life. Noah heard God’s voice and followed the command to build an ark even though there was no way to tell that there would be such a flood that would be enough to cover the earth.
Abraham and Noah believed God because they actually heard God’s voice. In the New Testament, We find people’s lives changed by faith in the one who shows us what God truly is – His Son Jesus. Jesus showed us the character and the heart of God which was to give people freedom from sickness, slavery, blindness, heartaches and any other oppression from the devil.
In a story found in Mark 5:24-34, there was a woman who had been very sick for 12 years who believed that if only she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. And sure enough, when she squeezed her way into the crown and reached out to the edge of the robe of Jesus, healing flowed through her body and immediately, her sickness went away. Jesus said her faith has healed her. She was sure that Jesus could heal her, and that show of faith was acknowledged by Jesus.
Indeed, throughout the bible, we find these many different stories of how people believed in the power and the Word of God and they received what they believed for. Because God is faithful, we can also put our faith in Him. We can believe, then receive.
When we pray with faith, even though we do not always see the result right away, we still believe we received. This is because our faith is not like wishing on a shooting star. A shooting star has no power to make things happen. But we know our God who holds everything in His mighty hand has that power. And when we pray according to what He says in His Word, we can be sure it will happen. That is praying with faith – praying knowing God will answer it according to His Word and His will.
