What Faith Really Is—and How It Works

What Faith Really Is—and How It Works

Faith is something most Christians talk about regularly. It’s part of our language and our spiritual doctrine. But just today, I heard two different people talk about faith, and it reminded me that faith is still a mystery to many.

The Bible gives us verses like Hebrews 11:6: “But 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 diligently seek Him.”

That tells me that faith is very important to God—because without it, we can’t please Him. That makes it something I want to understand—and have plenty of.

So, let’s take a few moments to dig a little deeper into what faith is and how it works. A couple of key principles quickly come to mind.

Romans 10:17 tells us how we get faith: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

I remember fighting fear with faith during my battle with cancer. Every time fear came—and it was often—the only way to counter it was with faith. They are opposites. They cannot co-exist. Faith became my antidote to fear.

Almost every day, something would try to trigger fear. A comment. A symptom. A report. The doctor’s words. The statistics. Everything seemed to point toward fear. It was around every corner.

So, I made a decision—I would build my faith every day. Sometimes several times a day. Certainly, whenever fear showed up.

Every time I needed more faith, I would pull out my pages of Scripture—God’s living Word. Something so strong, so unchangeable, so powerful that nothing could stand against it. I read every verse out loud. I thought about the power in it. The promise of it. The authority it carried over my situation. It was mine—and I took hold of it, hour after hour, day after day.

Out loud—because “faith comes by hearing.” God said so. That means there has to be something to hear.

One of the biggest lessons I learned during that time—yes, the greatest battle I’ve ever faced—was that I had to do things God’s way, not my own. That wasn’t always easy. But His way works. Mine usually didn’t.

It’s no wonder He tells us to renew our minds—to stop thinking the way the world thinks and begin thinking the way He does. That changes everything.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

Because when we think like God, we begin to see His will demonstrated in our lives. How powerful is that?

Another truth about faith is found in Hebrews 11:1—the verse that defines it. For years, I didn’t fully understand it. Then one day, I did. And it changed everything.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Start with the very first word—Now. Why is that word there? Because faith only exists in the present. Not in the past. Not in the future. Faith is always now. Only now. That alone is powerful.

That’s why I spend so much time reading Scripture out loud—so I can hear it and stay rooted in faith.

If it’s true that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, then the opposite must also be true—fear and doubt grow where the Word is not being heard.

One of the primary reasons I overcame cancer was because I made a decision to stay in faith as much as possible. I didn’t want to go back and forth between fear, doubt, and a little bit of faith. I wanted to stay anchored.

Faith is something we can cultivate. It’s how our prayers are answered. It’s how we experience God’s will in our lives. Heaven responds to faith—it’s drawn to it. Faith is how we receive what God has already made available.

Faith isn’t willpower. It’s not trying harder. It’s not about being good enough.

It’s simply spending time in God’s Word—hearing it, agreeing with it, thinking on it, and receiving it as truth.

I love talking about faith. It’s one of the most powerful and exciting parts of the Christian life. It’s what connects us to God’s power—and there is more than enough to overcome every challenge.

And there are still more treasures in Hebrews 11:1. Maybe next time we’ll take a closer look at what “the substance of things hoped for” really means. So much good there.

 Standing in faith with you,