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What does it mean to walk by faith? 

Does it mean you don’t save for retirement because doing so might suggest you don’t trust God with your future? Does it mean you swim with crocodiles because you have faith God will protect you? Does it mean you shouldn’t undergo cancer treatment as proof that you trust God as Healer? 

Walking by faith can seem mysterious. After all there’s no faith thermometer to indicate how hot or cold your faith walk is. There’s no fuel tank to measure how full or empty your faith levels are. There’s only . . . well . . . faith. 

And before you think that faith is only a religious thing that some people have as a life supplement to help get through the tough times, remember this . . . 

Everyone lives by faith. 

Driving down the interstate, you are living by faith that others will obey the traffic laws. 

When you fill up your car at the gas station, you are living by faith that the amount of gas pumping into your car (which you can’t see) matches the exact number of gallons you are being charged (which you can see). 

When you order food from a restaurant, you are acting on faith. 

When you sit in a chair, you are acting on faith. 

Every day, we make hundreds of faith decisions. Everyone lives by faith. 

The real question is, where do you put your faith? 

• The scientist puts his faith in the interpretation of the scientific data. 
• The agnostic puts her faith in a system of belief, mainly the unknown. 
• The empiricalist puts faith in objectivism. 

You see, faith is not an abstract, blind belief system. Faith is the confidence you have in something or someone. 

Only the one, true God can bear the weight of our confidence. Science will change. Agnosticism will change. Empiricalism will change. God is the only one who does not change; therefore he is trustworthy of our faith. 

Now . . . back to our original question. What does it mean to live by faith? Specifically, how do we, as followers of Christ, live in such a way that displays our confidence in God?

1. It means you’re confident God is good. 

Living by faith means every day, no matter what, you have a quiet confidence that God is good. He is not withholding his goodness from us, but rather He is working out all things together for the good of those who love Him (see Romans 8:28).

“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decree.” (Psalm 119:68)

Instead of complaining about what’s wrong in the world, take a moment today to thank God for his goodness! Recognize that God is still at work, and his work is good. 

2. It means you’re confident God is in control. 

Remember that time Jesus and the disciples were in a boat in the middle of the sea when a giant storm came? The disciples were on the deck of the boat afraid of dying at any moment. Jesus was taking a nap. 

“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matthew 8:26).  The winds and the waves obeyed Jesus. Nothing is outside of his control. I’m sure that moment was a growth spurt for the disciples. Their faith grew as they recognized God’s sovereign control over everything. 

3. It means you’re confident God knows best. 

It’s one thing to know God is good and in control. It’s another thing to believe that God knows best. When I encourage my kids to eat their vegetables, I’m not asking them because I’m the boss. I’m asking them because I have their best at heart. 

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). You live by faith when you live by God’s commands. Not just because he’s the boss, but because God’s knows best! 

4. It means you’re confident God answers prayer. 

Living by faith means you aren’t afraid to ask God for ______ (fill in the blank). Think about it, simply asking for something shows a lot of confidence in the person. When you ask someone to mow your yard, you are doing so with some level of confidence in that person. 

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:4)

When you pray to God, you are displaying faith by showing your confidence in him. Pray bold and pray big!  What else happens when you pray? 

Are you living by faith? Are you living with the confidence that God is good, in control, knows best, and you can ask him anything? 

Everyone lives by faith. Make sure your faith is in the right place! 

“For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Copyright © 2020 by Andy Comer @ https://www.andycomer.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-live-by-faith/. Used with permission. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org.