“Faith is also evidence.”

A thought by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 192). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Hebrews 11: 1 (NKJV) says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for” but it then says, “the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is not only substance but it is also evidence.

Think about this. Let’s say that you have bought stuff over the internet before. Yes, your receipt that you printed off gives you confidence that your going to get your stuff but also the fact that you have gotten stuff delivered to you before is evidence that you will get something again. Faith is substance and evidence.

As James says, “So I don’t feel like a fool every time I walk to my front door and check to see if they have delivered the product yet. I don’t feel stupid, or presumptuous, or even silly, because I’ve done this before and I know how it works. So my past experiences are the evidence that I hold on to while I wait for the doorbell to ring.”

He goes on, “Now, in the same sense, faith is the evidence that God is faithful. Did you know that we’re not the first people to trust God? Psalm 90: 1 says, ‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.’ People have been trusting God for thousands of years. This is not a foolish thing to do. The faithfulness of God— not just in generations past, but in my own life— provides me with evidence.”

He then says, “I’m sure you can think of specific times and places where God has come through for you, showing Himself faithful. He has met your needs in the past. That’s the evidence of things not yet seen for the future. We know how He works— we’ve seen it before— so we don’t feel foolish waiting upon God to meet our needs again. Faith is active confidence in God. Faith is substance and evidence.”

So why don’t you stop for a moment and think about the times that God has been faithful in your life. That will reinforce your faith. It is evidence that your faith works.

Remember, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

So what are some specific times and places that God has come through for you?

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