Faith is a characteristic that all Christians possess.  I know this because it is impossible to be a Christian without faith.  The Hebrews writer tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and there is no such thing as a Christian who does not please God.

While we all have a degree of faith, few would disagree that some Christians have more faith than others.  Our goal individually should be to have a strong faith that is always increasing and never decreasing.  What kind of faith do you have?  A great example of faith is that of Abraham.  He is described by Paul as one who was fully persuaded (Romans 4:21).  Why was Abraham’s faith so strong?  It was because he trusted God, which is a characteristic of all true faith.  Here is what Thayer says about faith.

Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; “in the N.T. of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust.

To have faith, then, is to believe in God, with an underlying sense of trust.  Having true faith in God and trusting God are two inseparable concepts.  We trust God because we believe in Him.   So, when you are examining the kind of faith that you have, consider your level of trust in God and that will tell you a lot about your degree of faith.   Let’s consider some areas where we will trust in God completely if our faith is what it should be.

If our faith is strong, we will trust God’s providential care.  We will not be overly anxious about the necessities of life because we believe in God’s promise to take care of us.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The “things” Jesus refers to here are the necessities of life (eating, drinking, and clothing our bodies – ver. 25).  As long as we seek the kingdom of God first in our lives, our heavenly Father will take care of these things.  That is His promise.  The question is do we trust God enough to believe His word?  The strong in faith do not hesitate to do so.

If our faith is strong, we will trust God to help us in times of trouble.  Trouble invades all of our lives.  Job was right when he said, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).  But just as God has delivered us in the past, we should be confident that He will do so in the future.  Paul discovered this to be true in his life.

2 Corinthians 1:9–10 (ESV)
⁹ Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  ¹⁰ He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

We should have this same level of trust in God to deliver us.  The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).  Do we trust God enough to believe this?

Finally, if our faith is strong, we will trust God’s grace in our salvation.  The Bible clearly teaches us that we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).  This does not mean that God does not require anything from us to obtain salvation because He does.  We must obey the gospel to be saved (Romans 1:16).  To maintain that salvation, we must walk in the light and be faithful until death (1 John 1:7; Revelation 2:10).  What we do not have to be is perfect.  We all sin (Romans 3:21).  We must trust God when He says that He will remember our sins no more.  Since we have all sinned, we deserve damnation, but by His grace, He forgives our lawless deeds and covers our sins (Romans 4:7-8).  If we trust God as we should, we will believe this to be true.

What kind of faith do you have?  I hope it is strong enough to fully trust in God.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.