What is Faith?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.
It is not essential to the exercise of faith that the feelings should be wrought up to a high pitch of excitement; neither is it necessary, in order to gain the hearing of the Lord, that our petitions should be noisy, or attended with physical exercise.
It is true that Satan frequently creates in the heart of the suppliant such a conflict with doubt and temptation that strong cries and tears are involuntarily forced from him; and it is also true that the penitent’s sense of guilt is sometimes so great that a repentance commensurate with his sin causes him to experience an agony that finds vent in cries and groans, which the compassionate Saviour hears with pity. But Jesus does not fail to answer the silent prayer of faith. He who simply takes God at His word, and reaches out to connect himself with the Saviour, will receive His blessing in return.
Faith is not feeling…. True faith is in no sense allied to presumption. Only he who has true faith is secure against presumption, for presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith.
Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequences of their sin. It is not faith that claims the favor of Heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.
To abide in faith is to put aside feeling and selfish desires, to walk humbly with the Lord, to appropriate His promises, and apply them to all occasions, believing that God will work out His own plans and purposes in your heart and life.
The Faith I Live By p. 122
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for 31 year old Sara. She is in London with her father and was hit by a car yesterday. She was taken to hospital in critical condition. She has required 2 blood transfusions because of blood loss. Please pray for her recovery. She is many miles from her home and family in the USA. Carla
—-Please pray that Jesus keeps my child safe at school. Today a child threatened to kill her with a knife. Yes, the school has been informed, please include their wisdom in dealing with the situation in your prayers. Daisy
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in Utah, we often hiked up into the Wasatch mountains. Ronnie Jay and I like to collect rocks, so usually our pockets would be filled with them. One day as we were walking, I turned around and saw Ronnie Jay, who was lagging behind, carrying a rather large rock. It was not a bit pretty and I wondered why he was wasting his time on that ugly rock. Knowing children’s ways, I was sure that he would soon be asking me to carry it, and I had no intention of carrying such a worthless specimen. I told him to put the rock down. He protested a little, but I kept walking and would not listen. Obediently, he put the rock down.
Later, Ronnie Jay sadly told me that what I saw as an ugly, worthless rock, had a perfect fossil of a fish on the side that was next to him. You can imagine how I felt. I have always wanted a fish fossil. I was so sorry that I had not listened to my son’s protests. What I saw as a worthless rock was the very thing I had been looking for all of my life. I was very upset with myself, but it was useless to go back and search for it. My opportunity had passed. That rock was lost forever.
So often people are like that rock. There is nothing on the outside that is attractive. We look at their actions, judge their motives, listen to their words, and consider them worthless, not worthy of our time. How many times we turn others away, because of our attitude. We do not see what is in their heart. We do not understand the trials and heartaches that they have endured. How often they are the very ones who feel their need of something better. Yet, we do not see them as a precious soul, looking wistfully toward Heaven, longing to be delivered from the chains that bind them.
Our Great Redeemer reminds us, “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7 It is only by looking beneath the surface, that we find the value. When He was upon this earth, our Loving Saviour attracted publicans and sinners to Himself. He did not to join them in their lifestyle; instead, He “drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love” and lead them to His Father in Heaven, Who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Hosea 11:4, John 3:16,17 They were as unattractive on the surface as Ronnie Jay’s rock, but He saw the value in each one of them. He saw what they could become if they followed Him. Many of those publicans and sinners left their old lifestyle and followed Him. They did not stay in their sins, but came to Him for cleansing.
May we see others as our Great Creator sees them, looking past the rough exterior and seeing the tender heart beneath. May we, through the guidance from the Holy Spirit, help those we meet to accept our Dear Saviour’s great gift of salvation. May we be willing to consecrate all of our actions, all of our words, all of our thoughts, all of our attitudes this day unto the LORD.
Rose