Answer: You don’t.
Hebrews 11:1 states: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (NKJV).
In the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Hebrews 11:1 states: “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.”
Each one of us has received a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). And there will come a time in our walk with the Lord when our faith in God and who He is will be tested.
God is going to test your faith by asking you to believe what you cannot see. He’s going to ask you to have certainty in something that your circumstances negate. He’s going to ask you to look beyond what you see in the natural and believe what you know to be true in the Spirit.
This is what God asked the patriarchs of the Christian faith to do, and we remember them for it:
Noah
“By faith, Noah being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith (See Hebrews 11:7).
Abraham
God told Abraham to leave his country and everything he knew, for a foreign land that God would show him. God didn’t tell Abraham where he was going before he left. Abraham had to have faith in God and trust that He would lead him to this new land and that he would receive the promised inheritance. (See Hebrews 11:8-12).
Moses
“By faith, Moses left Egypt, kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, and led the children of Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea on dry land” (See Hebrews 11:27-29).
Hebrews 11 tells us that not only did Noah, Abraham, and Moses overcome by their faith, but so did Gideon and Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David and Samuel, and the prophets.
“Through their faith, they subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens (See Hebrews 11:32-34).
Similarly, when God tests your faith or the storms of life come to try your faith, you will overcome the same way the patriarchs did: by faith in God–believing that He is who He says He is and He will do all that He says He will do.
God may not call you to leave your land for another, build an ark, or deliver a nation from a Pharaoh.
However, He will require you to live by faith like those who came before us. He will ask you to pick up your cross and follow after Him. He will require you to have faith in Him and His plan for your life as He unfolds it day after day, month after month, and year after year.
God is currently testing and growing my faith. And in case you find yourself in a similar season, I want to share three things that I’ve learned:
- When your faith is being tested or tried, you must know how to hear and discern God’s voice. When God tests your faith, the things He leads you to do will be counter-culture. They will go against what makes sense in the natural and to those around you.
Therefore, you must know, that you know, that you know that you’re hearing from God. One way to ensure this is by maintaining your intimacy with God: (1) Read His word, (2) Pray to Him, (3) Worship Him, (4) Obey Him, and (5) Turn away from all sin and don’t give place to the devil.
- SURRENDER! SURRENDER! SURRENDER! When your faith is being tested or tried, you must surrender all to Him: (1) Who you think you are, (2) What you think you should do, and (3) How you think it should look.
You must give God your entire life, and let Him do what He wants to do with it (Galatians 2:20). It will be better and more rewarding than anything you could ever choose for yourself.
- We have to trust God’s way, His will, and His timing. When your faith is being tested, more likely than not, it’s not going to look and happen how you think it should. God is not going to do it how you think He should do it, in the way you think He should do it, or when you think He should do it.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts and My ways are not your ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Don’t try to figure it out. That’s just going to lead to anxiety and frustration. Don’t try to work against God by going another way. You could forfeit or delay what God wants to do in your life. Rest in Him and trust that He knows best and will do what’s best for you.
Be encouraged! You are loved! ❤️
True Love's Revelation 