“Your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.” 1 Peter 1:21 NLT.

The truest expression of your faith is obedience.

My thoughts and comments today are about “simple faith.”

By some, faith is considered intangible, maybe less than real somehow. According to the Bible, faith is tangible, and very real. It touches God; it releases God’s power to accomplish what He wills to do. Real faith is simple, not complicated. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 NKJV.  Substance and evidence are tangible. And those are what faith produces. Jesus observed of some, “You have little faith,” and asked others, “Where is your faith?” Matthew 8:26/Luke 8:25. Faith is essential for God to work as He wills.

God looks for faith where He desires to work powerfully. It is not a question of whether or not you have faith. “God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Romans 12:33 NASB. Everyone has and expresses faith daily in the most ordinary and common ways. The issue is, do you have faith in God and His Word? Peter, who had a few struggles of his own, later wrote, “Through Christ, you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead . . your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.” 1 Peter 1:21 NLT. Faith is confidently placed upon the truth and power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If your faith is placed in someone or something that can change, your faith is misplaced and will fail. Your assurance can be that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”  Hebrews 13:8 NIV.

Jesus warned people who build their life “on sand” – the instability of opinions that change, easily affected by circumstances. Read Matthew 7:24-27 NIV. The result is disastrous, leaving in shambles everything that person works to achieve. Jesus compared that to hearing the Word of God, but not building your life upon its sure and strong foundation. The Bible teaches, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing [comes] by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV. Be diligent; give time each day for God’s Word. It is essential to a living and growing faith.

You have faith; God has given you faith. Trusting God does not take a lot of faith, just all the faith you have. “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed . . nothing will be impossible for you” Matthew 17:20 NIV. See also Matthew 13:31-32 NIV. Your faith can lay dormant and unused, or can be active and applied. You choose. Real faith is believing that in any situation God will do what He said He would do when you rest all your faith in His character and Word.

Obedience is the truest expression of your faith. “[Abraham] was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did – by his actions.” James 2:22 NLT. Obedience, to simply do what God says, is the simple expression of faith. Faith cannot be described more clear or sure than this, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4-5 NIV.

My prayer for you today is that God finds confident faith in your heart.