Hebrews 11:1,6 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…. But 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 diligently seek Him.
Faith is simply putting our trust and confidence in God and His Word. It is impossible to please God without faith. God wants us to approach Him by faith and to anchor our faith in His word. Faith is believing in God, His abilities, His love, and His character.
We need to be like Naaman. Elisha instructed Naaman through his servant to wash himself seven times in the River Jordan to be healed, and Naaman was healed when he listened to the gentle advice of the servant girl. Therefore, we ought to just take the word or the instruction as it is. However, while Naaman had a miracle, we also need to know that not every answered prayer is immediate because some will take time. That is when we need to hang on to our faith in God.
God backs up every word that He has spoken, and His Word comes to life in our lives. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Simply believe that He will fulfil what He has spoken, even though we do not see it yet. However, having faith doesn’t mean that God acts as we expect. Rather, it is resting in the Word of God and acting on what is being spoken to us.
Faith is not established on what we see because faith is not required if we only believe after we have seen it. Often, our minds tend to agree with what is being spoken but struggle to believe when a crisis hits. Other times, the mind can act as an obstacle, like in the case of Thomas, who believed after seeing. This is where we are tempted to give up, get offended, disappointed, or even disillusioned.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
There is always a struggle between what we see, experience, and feel through our senses, which causes the mind to doubt. As a result, we must learn to remain unaffected by circumstances and stay convinced, assured, and confident that whatever we pray for, when it aligns with God’s will, He has heard us, and the answer will be manifested in His time. True faith is firmly convinced in God’s Word regardless of the lack of physical evidence to support it.
Sermon Series：We Need to Have Simple Faith
真实的信心是扎根在神的话语里
希伯来书11:1,6 “信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据……人非有信，就不能得神的喜悦；因为到神面前来的人，必须信有神，且信祂赏赐那寻求祂的人。”
信心就是将我们的信任与倚靠放在神和祂的话语上。离开信心，我们无法讨神喜悦。神愿意我们凭着信心来到祂面前，并让祂的话语成为我们信心的根基。信心是相信神、相信祂的能力、祂的爱与祂的属性。
我们需要像乃缦一样。以利沙透过使者吩咐乃缦到约旦河中沐浴七次，他最终听从那位使女温柔的劝告，就得了医治。因此，我们也应当简单地接受神所说的话或指示。然而，即便乃缦经历了立即的神迹，我们也要明白，并非每一个祷告都会马上成就，因为有些应许需要时间。这正是我们需要紧紧抓住信心的时候。
神为祂所说的每一句话负责，祂的话语也会在我们的生命中活出来。信心是从听神的话而来。即便我们还没有看见，只要单纯相信祂必成就祂所说的。然而，信心并不是让神按着我们的期望行事，而是安息在神的话语中，按着祂对我们所说的话去行。
信心不是建立在眼见上，因为若是看见了才相信，就不需要信心了。许多时候，我们的思想会同意真理，却在危机临到时难以真正相信。有时，思想甚至成为拦阻，就像多马一样──他看见之后才相信。这些时刻，我们容易感到想放弃、受挫、失望，甚至迷惘。
罗马书10:17 “可见信道是从听道来的，听道是从基督的话来的。”
在我们所见、所经历、所感觉的层面之间，总会有挣扎，而这些常常让我们的思想产生怀疑。因此，我们必须学习不受环境影响，坚定地、确信地、充满信心地相信：只要我们所求的是按着神的旨意，祂已经听见，并会在祂的时间里成就。真实的信心，就是在没有任何外在凭据之前，仍然完全坚信神的话语。
讲章系列：我们需要简单的信心