Made From Faith

Hebrews 11:3 "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

Natural Substance vs. Spiritual Substance

You and I were born into this natural world. We understand how things work here. We have a grasp on the natural laws and physics of how to operate in our natural environment. For example, we know that things don't just appear out of thin air - they must be made from something.

When we were born again, we literally entered a new world. Sure...we still live in the natural and operate in the natural. But with the supernatural recreation of our spirit, we became creatures that operate in two realms; the natural and the spiritual.

Just like this natural world, the spiritual world has laws that govern it. If we want to be effective in the kingdom of God, we must dig into the Word of God and learn the laws of the spirit. As you do, you will begin to realize that the spiritual laws actually supersede the laws of the natural.

Jesus, operating in the spirit, stopped a storm with a single word.
Moses, operating in the spirit, stood liquid water up on end.

Joshua, operating in the spirit, stopped our entire solar system in its tracks.
Why? Because the spiritual is more real than the natural world. If you recall, the spiritual came first....then the natural.

In the natural, we refer to substance as "matter". It is the essence of all natural things; from the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the ground we stand on. The substance of matter even makes up our own bodies! Everything in the natural world is composed of this natural substance - matter.

But according to Scripture, God made matter out of other things....things that are unseen. We can see this concept in our opening text. When God created the world, He did not create it from nothing. Hebrews 11:3 says that God made the world from things that "are not visible". There were spiritual substances that He used to create everything in the natural world.

One of these substances is actually mentioned in this same verse...His Word. Far from being informative, God's words are actually creative. They are one of the spiritual substances that He used to make the natural world.

Another substance God used is found in Jeremiah 32:17, "Ah, LORD God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm." The power of God is a spiritual substance - one that He used (together with His word) to make the world that we see.

There is another unseen substance in the spiritual world - one that will actually bring the others on the scene when it is used. I'm talking about the substance of faith.

Faith Is The Substance Of The Promise

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Too many Christians read this verse as if it were merely saying "Faith is how you can be sure of what you hope for." But read it carefully...it is the very substance of what you're hoping for! The Greek word for "substance" is "hypostasis" - it means "that which has actual existence, real being, structure, or substantial quality." In other words, it is the spiritual "matter" of what is hoped for.

When your hoping for a promise from the Word, faith is literally the material that promise is made from!

Let use healing for an example. We've already learned that every promise of Scripture - including divine healing - has to be received by faith. But this verse from Hebrews takes it even further than that. We can now see that faith (believing what God said in His Word) is actually the substance that healing is made from. 

Divine Healing is made from faith.
Eternal Salvation is made from faith.
Supernatural Prosperity is made from faith.

Whenever a promise from the Bible manifests in a believer's life, it made out of the substance of faith!

This explains one of the most amazing miracles in the Gospels - found in Matthew 14.
In verse 24, we see the disciples stuck on a boat in the middle of a storm. Jesus came to them, walking over the top of the water. Once again, this illustrates how the spirit world is more real than the natural world. Operating in the spirit, the natural laws did not apply!

What's most amazing is not that Jesus walked on the water. What's amazing is that, at His command, Peter did the same thing! What was it that Peter was really walking on? Faith! Faith was the substance beneath his feet, keeping him above the waves. Jesus told him to come out on the water, and it was faith in His word that Peter was walking on.

That sounds like a good inspirational saying...but how can we know for sure it was faith under his feet? Because as soon as he lost it, Peter sank. Jesus had mercy on him and pulled him back up; then the two of them walked back together. But notice what Jesus said to Peter as He took him by the hand. Matthew 14:31 "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Peter's doubt crippled his faith, and literally removed the substance out from under his feet.

How many believers are doing the same thing to themselves? They want what God has promised them...they even pray and beg God to do it for them. But without faith, there is literally nothing for that promise to be made from!

Operating By Faith - Just Like Jesus

Most people have no problems believing that Peter walked on the water by faith. But it would surprise a lot of Christians to know that Jesus was walking by faith as well. Jesus, although fully God, left His divine power behind when he arrived on earth. He lived, taught, and functioned on earth as an anointed man. As such, He had to live by faith the same as anyone else. He walked on water the same way Peter did...Someone called Him out, and He walked on the substance of faith!

Do you remember the story of Jesus feeding the multitude? This story clearly illustrates Jesus' operation by faith. In Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41 and Luke 9:16, we read that Jesus "blessed" the bread and then distributed it. But notice how John 6:11 puts it: "And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples..." Jesus gave thanks, and that brought a blessing on the bread and fish that He had.

But what did Jesus give thanks for? This anointed man knew by faith what was about to happen...and He thanked His father for it! This was the substance of the miracle - the multitude literally at fish and loaves that were made out of Jesus' faith.

Glory to God! Faith is substance! Faith is a real thing! It's not just a mentality, not a feeling you get during a church service...Faith is what miracles are made from! So have faith in God's Word, and give Him some substance to work with!