"He staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God"
- Romans 4:20
There is something about living a life of faith that lives, breathes, and embraces the unseen realm. It is the kind of life that knows how to stay resolute when the conditions around it seem so unpredictable. It's not moved by how good things look or how bad things appear. It forms its conviction based on the reality of things that are not visible to the naked eye just like heaven. No one has seen the city of God with their natural eyes, yet we see it clearly through the eyes of faith. We have envisioned the throne of God, the river of life, the streets of gold, the pearly gates, and the splendor of God's magnificent glory.
This is where living a life of faith finds its solace. It doesn't have to see anything with its natural eyes to believe. It can take God's Word and enjoy the blessedness of things promised without any natural evidence to cling to. That is one of the reasons why I so love what Paul told the church of Corinth, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). So much of what we do depends upon what we see and what we hear. We make adjustments to our thinking based upon what our senses are telling us. We let the natural realm form our opinions and we do so almost unconsciously. But the moment we step over into a life of faith none of those things matter anymore. We joy in believing because we know God's Word is forever settled in heaven (Psa. 119:89). We know that heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word will never pass away (Luke 21:33).
There is no surer foundation to base our faith on than the Word of God. That is why faith is called the "substance of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1). Whatever it is you are in need of or hope for has to have substance if it is going to become real. The Greek word for substance is HYPOSTASIS. It means to place under as a support; similar to the substructure of a building. In constructing any building you have to first dig a footing. The more demand that is going to be put on that footing requires a deeper more supportive foundation. Faith in God's Word makes up that substance. The Amplified Bible says, "It is the conviction of its reality, perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses" (Heb. 11:1).
I like that! I like the idea that faith has a conviction of the reality of things not seen. If we can ever get to the place where the things not seen are more real to us than the things we do see, then we won't be so up and down about what we face day in and day out. I think this is why we see such stability in Christ. He never let anything upset him. Never do we see him wring his hands or worry about what will be. He knew the truth on the inside that God is faithful and that "with God nothing shall be impossible" (Matt. 19:26).
Even Abraham, who was just a man, learned how to live a life of faith. In fact, it says he became strong in faith giving glory to God. Why? Because he knew God could not lie. He knew that if he said it, then he knew he could also make it good. We have to come to that place where we are willing to throw everything on the line and trust God's Word regardless of the circumstances. To live a life of faith we have to come to that place where we live by an unalterable conviction. Are we convinced or are we still vacillating? Do we know on the inside or are do we need something physical to encourage our believing? Once it is settled within, then there is nothing that can shake that conviction. That is what it takes. It is coming to know that believing God's Word has to become a settled issue...a done deal. We know it. We believe it, and we enter into the rest that what we hope for will be a reality.*
