You can't live without faith!

Faith is not a side issue in the Bible. It is central. It is foundational. It is everything. Sadly, because of some excesses in the Word of Faith movement and the Prosperity Gospel theology, the very mention of faith being essential to experiencing God can actually be triggering. But what does the Bible say about faith in the life of the believer?  

The writer of Hebrews tells us plainly: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” and “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists” (Hebrews 11:6). How can I come to God if I don’t believe He exists? Faith is the basis. I don’t know any atheist believers. 

Our life with God begins in faith — and it continues in faith. What if there’s war tomorrow? (which for us in Israel is a real possibility…with Iran!) What if the economy collapses? What if the doctor gives you bad news? Faith is not just how we start; it is how we stand. 

Faith in Someone 

It’s important to understand that our faith is not floating out there alone in the galaxy. It is faith in someone. Biblical faith is not faith in faith. It is faith in Yeshua. 



It’s like a life preserver. If I fall off a boat and it looks like I’m going to drown, and the people on the boat throw me a life preserver, it doesn’t do me much good if it’s not connected to a rope, which is connected to the people. Sure, I might survive for a little bit, but eventually, I’m going to be drawn out further away, with only a life preserver. To truly preserve my life, they’ll need to be able to pull me in. Faith alone is not enough. Faith has no power. It’s God who has the power, but the way we connect to him is by faith.



Faith Changes How We See Life



Paul also says, “We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith determines how I see things — not my circumstances. We don’t look only at what we see with our eyes. We believe the promises of God.



When I was 18, I suffered from a hernia. I got an operation and about six years later, I was exerting pressure when suddenly I felt the exact same feeling as when I got the hernia. I had no doubt. And I panicked. I did not want another operation. But then I realized that my faith was stronger than it was when I was 18 and a new believer. I asked the Lord to heal me and I never had that strange feeling again.



A few years later, we were planning to move to Ukraine. We shipped a container full of things that we would need including a small car. I got a phone call a few days later from the customs agent, explaining that our container was chosen to be inspected—a one out of 1000 chance. I prayed and ask God to intervene because we would not get our things for an additional three months. A few days later, I got another phone call, and they said, “We don’t know what happened, but your container is on a boat heading for Ukraine.” 



It’s important that when you hear bad news or you have difficult circumstances, that you don’t give in to those feelings, but turn to God. He may be looking for an opportunity to show you how strong he is.



Faith Is a Relationship



Faith is not a thing. It is a relationship. The great English Bible teacher David Paulson was teaching at our Bible school in 1985. I had to write a paper on faith so I asked him for some advice. He simply said this: faith is a relationship. Then, he walked away.



I thought about that for some time and then suddenly it made sense. Faith apart from a vibrant relationship with God is fruitless. That is part of the problem with the word-of-faith movement, which focuses more on faith than on God. 

Faith does not develop overnight.



I’ve been married for 38 years. My understanding of Elana today is far deeper than the day we got married. The more time you spend together, the more you know each other—the more you can predict how to be a good spouse because you know their needs.



If someone calls me and says, “Meet me at the airport tomorrow. I’ll be arriving, and I plan to give you $1 million,” I might go. But do I really believe? Now imagine that they show up with the money. That makes it much easier to believe next time because I’m learning that this person is faithful to their word. 

That is how faith grows. We trust God. He does what He promised. Our faith grows. 



“How do I know you will do what you promised?” What if one of my daughters asks me that after I promise to take them to do something fun? Of course, they’re now in their 30s—but when they were young, I might respond, “I always do what I tell you I will do.” God wants us to trust him, and I think it hurts him a little bit (not that I understand the emotions of God) when, after he has shown himself faithful, we fall into doubt and unbelief.



Zechariah struggled when he was told he would have a son. The angel must’ve been a little bit incredulous. “Zechariah! I am an angel. In fact, I’m Gabriel! I’m not your average run-of-the-mill angel. You don’t see an archangel every day.” He got punished: “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” You want a sign? I’ll give you a sign!

The more time we spend with God, the more we learn His character. His faithfulness becomes real to us.



It is hard to develop that kind of faith if we do not spend time with Him — in His Word, in prayer, in worship. If we waste our lives doom-scrolling, we should not be surprised if our faith is weak.



And faith grows in crisis.



The children of Israel learned faith at the Red Sea. David learned faith before Goliath. He did not say, “I read a book about defeating giants.” No. He said, “The lion. The bear, hellooo.” He had a history with God. He learned how to trust God in secret, so he was ready when the big test came.



That is how you learn.



What Does Jesus Say About Faith?



Jesus says, “Have faith in God… Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes… it will be done for him” (Mark 11:23-24).



That’s a big promise, but it comes from Jesus. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to go around moving mountains, but it clearly means that when great difficulties are put in front of us, we overcome them through faith in God.



Faith is not magic. It is not a mansion generator. James reminds us to pray in accordance with God’s will (James 4:13-15). There are certain things I pray for every day, big things, but I always add, “Lord, I don’t want any of this if it is not your will.” I believe that the Lord has an expectation that once we are born again, we are going to only want his will and pray for things that he wants—souls to come into the kingdom, funds in order to be a blessing, and that his glory would cover the Earth.



Jesus also said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20).

The mustard seed was the smallest seed they knew. Use what you have. This was spoken when a father brought his demonized son to Yeshua. His response was that he believed, but “help my unbelief.” Faith may start small — but it connects to a powerful God. Your faith may be as small as a mustard seed, but if you use it, it can grow into something huge. If I go to the gym to work out for the first time, and I see a bunch of people who are in really good shape, I don’t get intimidated; I get to work. I use what I have.



Faith and Action



Faith is never passive.



The woman who had been bleeding for 12 years was weak and frail. Yet she added to her faith, action, and pushed through the crowd to touch the hem of Yeshua’s garment. I love this story because Yeshua says, “Who touched me?” And the disciples are like, “Eh… everybody’s touching you.” But only one person touched him with faith, and she got healed immediately.



Faith is not blind optimism or religious effort. It is a relationship with Yeshua. It grows over a lifetime of trust.