Faith is believing the Word of God (Hebrews 11:1) and acting upon it (James 1:22-25) no matter how I feel (Hebrews 11), knowing that God promises a good result (Hebrews 11:6).

I’ve been studying the Hebrews 11’s hall of faith to get a grasp on how to act in faith and not on feeling. In just about every example, the Bible describes these heroes’ fears, insecurities, uncertainty and anxiety, and, yet, they acted in faith, trusting God in whatever steps they were led to take. The results were righteousness was credited to them, and they were heirs of God’s promises in heaven. Just one example is Abraham who packed up everything and left all he knew to be a stranger in a strange land. He couldn’t google where he was going and he had no idea what was in store for him. He was uncomfortable, living in a tent. But he had faith, obedience and trust in God’s instruction.

Now the difficult question is: How have I acted on feelings instead of in faith (or vice versa)? There’s times when I have done both. There’s one clear example of a time I took a leap of faith, so to  speak, to lead a women’s Bible study, although I felt no “qualifications” and lacked any self-confidence. It was a time I clearly remember putting my confidence instead on God and using His strengths in place of my weakness to bring glory to Him. But, I know I have also taken no action in times of uncertainty and gone the opposite direction because of fear. Being aware of the difference between acting in faith and on feelings will make an impact in my future decisions, though, even in everyday situations that don’t appear to be spiritually significant (like my kitchen remodel!).

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1