Lack of faith in the promises of God is one of the first steps leading to the backsliding of the Christian.
“We are not of them that draw back, but of them that believe,” exclaims the writer of the Hebrews.
Faith is the great dynamic force in the life that is pleasing to God. “For without faith it is impossible to please Him.” There must be always in the Christian that disposition to believe in God, and a committal of oneself to act upon the conviction which is the result of the evidence of faith which God presents to men in His Word, and dealings with them. And it must be a real faith that is being exercised in the life, if it is to prevent our backsliding.
There is a great difference between belief and faith.
Belief is the acceptance of a thing or fact being true; faith is acting upon that truth.
Belief lives in books, in the intellect, in the study; faith lives in the streets, in the heart, in practical life.
Faith takes belief as a basis, and works upon it. It is one thing to say, “I believe the promises of God to be absolutely true and genuine;” and an altogether different thing to step out upon these promises, thereby giving substance to things unseen and seemingly intangible, and manifesting conviction in things which are above, and sometimes apparently contradictory to, mere human reason. Faith is putting God to the test.
The elders tested God, and God attested them; that is, He bore witness to their faith by honoring it. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is full of illustrations of what faith is and does, and how the children of God lived by it.
God sometimes allows His people to be tested up to the hilt. We are to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” – that means food sufficient for today. For tomorrow and its needs we are not to pray.
“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Lord, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray;
Keep me, my God, from stain of sin,
Just for today.
Let me no wrong or idle word
Unthinking say;
Set Thou a seal upon my lips,
Just for today.
Let me both diligently work,
And duly pray;
Let me be kind in word and deed,
Just for today.
Let me be swift to do Thy will,
Prompt to obey;
Help me to sacrifice myself,
Just for today.