The Book of Hebrews tells us, "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 seek Him" (11:6). Faith is central to all of life. It is a gift from God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it. So is bread, but you have to eat it. So is water, but you have to drink it.

So how do we accept this gift? Not by a feeling, for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). It is not for me to sit down and wait for the faith to come upon me with a strong feeling of some kind. Rather, faith comes when we take God at His word.

True Bible faith is not blind optimism or a manufactured "hope-so" feeling. It is neither an intellectual expression of approval of a doctrine nor an act of believing in spite of evidence.

True biblical faith is confident obedience to God's Word in spite of circumstances and consequences.

This July/August, we will embark on a faith journey to grow deeper in living out our faith. Through this study, you will be able to learn what faith is and how it can be demonstrated in your lives. The best way to grow in faith is to follow the examples of godly men and women of faith in the Scriptures. They heard God speak through His Word; their inner beings were stirred in different ways; they obeyed God and He bore witness about them.

It has been said that if you do something for 30 days, it becomes a habit. 40 days of focused time on faith will help you transform from being "hearers" of the Word to "doers" of the Word and put your faith into practice.

How does this faith operate in our lives?

The Holy Spirit enables us to hear God's voice as we read His Word. We trust His Word and act on it no matter what the circumstances are or what the circumstances may be. The circumstances might be impossible and the consequences frightening and unknown; but we obey God's Word just the same and believe Him to do what is right and best.

Therefore, faith is our total commitment and response to what God has revealed in His Word. The writer of Hebrews says that faith is a very practical thing (Hebrews 11:3). Faith enables us to understand what God does and enables us to see what others cannot see. As a result, faith enables us to do what others cannot do.

I look forward to you, your family and friends joining me for this 40 days of faith journey beginning Sunday, July 3 through August.

Blessings,