Think about the first time you ever Doubted. When you began to question the safety of the world around you. When you wondered whether or not you really could succeed at work, school, or even at home. Or when you began to question whether God really did exist. At that very moment, you traded a portion of trust for skepticism. You redefined trust. No longer was your trust blind and unwavering. Instead, it became measured. Caution and fear of disappointment tempered trust.

Anyone who has experienced a broken trust (and that's probably just about everyone) learns the importance of anchoring trust to a tangible, knowable object -- to something you can see, touch, taste, smell, or hear. You can trust that a chair will hold your weight because you've sat in chairs before. You can trust that the air will be breathable because it's always been breathable. You can trust that the food you eat will be safe. The electrical outlets, grounded. The car's wheels, firmly attached. You trust dose friends because you know them and you know they're for you. You know when it is okay to trust because your skepticism has taught you to always know whom or what you're putting your trust in. But don't let skepticism rule your world. Though trust may come with difficulty at times, it's an important aspect of a healthy life.

Consider Faith, trust's older cousin. Faith is an unwavering trust in the existence, omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence of God. It is the earnest belief that God really did send his Son to die for your sins and that He loves you. When you encounter an opportunity for Faith, all that you've learned about trust becomes meaningless. Faith doesn't fit the mold you've created for trust. Where do you toss the anchor in Faith?

Faith requires complete acceptance of the invisible. Faith in God demands belief in something that is beyond belief. Even the Bible recognizes the unique properties of Faith. The author of Hebrews used this wonderfully perplexing description: Faith is "the evidence of things we cannot yet see' Wouldn't it be easier if God just knocked on your front door and greeted you face-to-face? Maybe God won't appear on your doorstep, but God does reveal Himself in the Bible. The Bible is your glimpse of both the character of God and of His plan for the world.

Even if you read the Bible a hundred times, however, you're still going to need to forget what you've learned about Doubt and distrust if you desire Faith. Think of it this way: Faith is jumping off a cliff blindfolded in the black of night and knowing that someone is there catch you. Every time. Even though you've never jumped off that cliff before! Of course, you do know something about where you might land -- the Bible promises God will be there for you. Faith is trusting that Biblical Truth. Only you can discover Faith for yourself. A friend can introduce you to God, but that same friend can't hand you a helping of Faith. You have to get that for yourself And here's how: Ask God for it. (John 3:16-17; Romans 10:9-11; Jeremiah 29:11-13;...)

Faith doesn't come easily for some. It doesn't come at all for others. Once you've embraced a Faith in God, you discover that Faith is not static. Your Faith can grow. As it does, you can learn to leap from higher places with full confidence that you will land in God's arms (such as following God's will to a new career, sharing your Faith boldly with a friend, or giving of your time, talent, or treasure sacrificially).

To grow your Faith, get to know God. Read the Bible often. Examine how God worked in history and discover what message His word has for you today. Seek the wise counsel of friends. Join a Bible study or small group if you're not already in one and learn from others' experiences of God. Some people have the gift of Faith -- seek them out and learn from them. Pray daily for a greater Faith. You'll discover in time that your storehouse for Faith is far larger than you ever imagined.

There will, however, still be times of Doubt. UnDoubtedly. You may even have long seasons where Doubt reigns. Yet without the possibility of Doubt, Faith would be meaningless. Hang in there. Keep your eyes open for the evidence of things you cannot see. And when you're ready -- maybe even when you're not ready -- leap off the cliff again, fully confident of a sure landing place in God's arms.

-- Checklist for life

It is the nature of Faith to believe God upon His bare word.... It will not be, saith sense; it cannot be, saith reason; it both can and will be, saith Faith, for I have a promise. -- John Trapp

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation. -- Andrew Murray

Faith is a tool, not a toy.

Faith is personal, but never private. - Henk Eilander



-- Matthew 7:7-8
7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

-- Matthew 21:21
Jesus answered them, "I can guarantee this truth: If you have Faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen."

-- Matthew 14:25-33
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little Faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

-- Luke 7:6-10
6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Him: "Lord, don’t trouble Yourself, for I do not deserve to have You come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, "I tell you, I have not found such great Faith even in Israel." 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

-- John 12:44-50
44 Then Jesus cried aloud: "Whoever believes in Me believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And whoever sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me should not remain in the darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects Me and does not receive My word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told Me."

-- John 20:30-31
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

-- John 6:66-69
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of Eternal Life. 69 "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God."

-- James 1:5-7
5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6 But ask in Faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

-- James 2:17-19
17 Thus also Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have Faith; I have deeds." Show me your Faith without deeds, and I will show you my Faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!

-- Romans 8:24-28
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

-- Hebrew 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

-- Psalms 42:5, (11; 43:5)
Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise Him. He is my Savior and my God.

-- 2 Corinthians 4:18
We don’t look for things that can be seen but for things that can’t be seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can’t be seen last forever.

-- 1 Peter 1:8-9
8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your Faith, the salvation of your souls.

-- Galatians 2:16
Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by Faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our Faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by Faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

-- Galatians 3:11-12
11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by Faith." (Hab.2:4) 12 The law is not based on Faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."

-- Hebrews 10:38
But My righteous one will live by Faith (Hab 2:4). But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

-- Acts 16:30-31
30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved -- you and your household."

-- Romans 10:9-10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 The scripture says, "No one who believes in Him will be put to shame." (Joel 2:32)

-- Romans 5:1-2
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through Faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by Faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

-- Jude 1:21-25
21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 Save others by snatching them from the fire of hell. Show mercy to others, even though you are afraid that you might be stained by their sinful lives. 24 God can guard you so that you don’t fall and so that you can be full of joy as you stand in His glorious presence without fault. 25 Before time began, now, and for eternity glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- Epehsians 1:13-17
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession -- to the praise of His glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your Faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.

-- 1 John 5:13
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

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-- Hebrews 11:1-40
1 Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By Faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By Faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By Faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by Faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By Faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7 By Faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his Faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by Faith. 8 By Faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By Faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By Faith Abraham, even though he was past age -- and Sarah herself was barren -- was enabled to become a father because he considered Him Faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by Faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country -- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By Faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." (Gen. 21:12) 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. 20 By Faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21 By Faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By Faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. 23 By Faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By Faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By Faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By Faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By Faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By Faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31 By Faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through Faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their Faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.