There are two kinds of faith — natural faith and spiritual faith. Natural Faith comes by natural birth and relies on our physical senses. Spiritual Faith comes from God (Eph 2:8) and relies on Him.
We all have natural faith. Every time we take a drink of water we trust that what we are drinking is pure. Every time we climb onto an airplane we are displaying faith in the pilot, the maintenance crews, the builders of the plane, the air traffic controllers and many others.
As long as our senses assure us that everything seems fine, we follow through. But if the water smells funny or looks odd, we don’t drink. Or, if the pilot smells like alcohol, or does not seem in control of his faculties, we don’t get on the plane.
We need our senses and natural faith to live our physical lives. But we also need spiritual faith if we want to experience God’s best for us.
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Hebrews 11:1-3, NLT)
Faith is being certain about “what we hope for” (the future) and “things we cannot see” (the invisible, spirit realm).
The African impala antelope can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.
Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.[1]
Faith is believing God and living accordingly — even if what God says is not visible or is to happen in the future.
Are you demonstrating this kind of faith in God in your daily life? If not, what’s holding you back?
