Faith Pleases God
And without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
- Hebrews 11:6
Many people who read this verse have focused on the negative: “…without faith it is impossible to please God….” But I have good news. If it is impossible to please God without faith, then the opposite is also true: with faith it is possible to please Him!
How can you live a life that is pleasing to God? It’s not complicated—live by faith! This leads to two more questions. First, what is faith?
I’ll give you the standard definition that I learned all the way back in Bible college: Faith is trust; it is confident assurance that what God has promised, He will perform. I’ll go a step further and tell you what my pastor and mentor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, told me about faith the first time I had dinner with him. “Faith,” said he, “is knowing God.”
The second question is, “How can I have faith?” There are several ways, but let me share two of them. One is that God gives you faith when you are born again, according to Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.” Another way to have faith is found in Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
When you are born again, you needed the faith God supplied to be saved. Now that you are saved, you can feed your faith (and starve your doubts) by reading, studying, understanding and applying the word of God to every situation of your life. As you do, your faith will grow, you will please God, and you will experience the abundance of life that God has always wanted you to have. And here’s even more good news: Hebrews 11:6 promises us that not only does God exist, He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Your life of faith will be rewarded by a gracious God who will grant you benefits for your diligent seeking. When God is pleased, you are sure to be blessed!
Lord, continue to feed our faith and understanding. As we continue to apply Your Word to every situation of our lives. We believe our faith will grow and we will experience the abundance of life that You have always wanted us to have. Amen.
Further Reading
- Hebrews 11:6
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- Romans 10:17
