WHY DO YOU NEED FAITH? (part 1)

By Danelle Carvell

                                                                                    

When this sharp-dressed man opened the door to the Fort Hunter mansion, I expected a great first-time adventure. When it comes to faith, you must open the door yourself, but the adventure is like no other. 

What is the number one reason why you need faith? Because it is impossible to please God without it. There are so many benefits to pleasing God that your entire life can be transformed by striving to do that one thing. 

Hebrews 11:6 says, "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him."

The rewards mentioned in that scripture will be the topic for part 2 of this post. But for now, I will offer two other reasons why you need faith in your life. 

The definition of faith is believing that what God says is true, and having a deep conviction that it is impossible for God to lie.  In other words, you believe that the Bible is God-inspired and every word of it is true...with no ifs, ands, or buts. 

The second reason why you need faith is because it is the lifestyle that God commands. Faith is God's chosen way for us to live. Hebrews 10:38 says, "But my righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in Him." 

People who have no faith will stumble through their lives rejecting God and even being mad at Him for their unhappiness and their misfortune. They still haven't figured out that the reason for their unhappiness and misfortune is because they are rejecting God. They are caught in a cycle of unbelief and misery that has no end because they are not willing to swallow their stubborn pride and make a change. 

God doesn't force Himself on anyone. He gives everyone free will. And because we have free will, we have only ourselves to blame when our lives are completely void of God's blessings, guidance and favor. It's like closing the door before your meal is served and then complaining that you didn't get fed. You are the one who closed the door, so stop complaining that you're hungry and unhappy. 

God simply cannot work in the life of someone who rejects Him. When a blessing does come into that faithless person's life, it will always be the result of someone else's prayers and someone else's efforts. A person with no faith cannot open a door to blessings. 

And the third reason why you need faith in God is because it is your method of victory over Satan. 1 John 5:4 says, "...because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith." Without faith, we have no weapon to use against attacks from the enemy. 

When David went up against Goliath, it was his faith that gave him a victory. David was smaller, and physically weaker than the giant Goliath. But because he had faith, he had God on his side. And if God is for us who can be against us? What can mere man do to me that could possibly hurt me when I have favor with God?

The benefits of faith for the believer are so many that I couldn't possibly cover everything in one post. Each day I would think of another perk to having faith, and I would have to go back and add it to the list. That is the adventure that people miss out on when they live without faith. 

In my next post, I will go into more detail and examples about the adventure that faith brings and how your life becomes so much better when you open the most important door that will ever be knocked on.