Faith is inseparable from religion, especially Christianity. You might even call it the bedrock for anyone who believes anything. Faith is mentioned over two hundred times in the Bible. Jesus spoke about it often and grieved several times because of people's lack of it. In Hebrews 11:6 it says that without faith it is impossible to please God.

With this much emphasis placed on faith, it's obvious that God placed a lot of importance on faith. But what is faith? What does is mean to have faith in God? Are we supposed to take leaps of faith? We'll discuss all this and more today!

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines faith as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof, or belief and trust in God.

The biblical definition of faith is, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1, NASB. In other words, faith is believing something will happen, even though we have no proof. It's trust and confidence in God and His love, abilities, and plans. It also implies we don't know the outcome or all the pieces of the puzzle.

Without knowing it, we have faith in all sorts of people and things every day. We trust that our car is going to run when we stick the key in it. We believe our family will come back home after they go out. We have faith that the people we listen to won't lead us astray. At first faith may seem like a foreign concept that doesn't connect to real life. But in reality faith is a part of daily life.  

For some, taking a leap of faith might mean trusting in Jesus as their Savior for the first time. The singular most important thing to put our faith in is salvation through Jesus. Without believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, we are doomed to an eternity in hell, separated from God and His love forever.

Even after we accept Jesus as our Savior, we still need to cultivate faith in Him. There are times when we wonder if the Bible and the gospel are hocus-pocus. God does not condemn doubt but He wants us to give Him the opportunity to show Himself to us so we don't have to continue in doubt.

When we find ourselves doubting our salvation, whether or not the Bible is true, or if God is real, or any other questions, then it's time for us to go to God and ask that He show Himself to us. He may reveal Himself through His Word, another believer, a hike, a book, or any number of things. There's no set way to finding God; He knows what will answer your questions and He will reveal Himself in a way that will help you see the truth. Faith doesn't come naturally to anyone. But if we ask for faith, God will give it to us.

A few posts ago we looked at how to find our purpose and using our gifts for God. Talking about doing these things are one thing, but putting them into practice is another. Why? Because in order to do these things, we have to step out in faith. We don't know if using our gifts will do any good, or if we pursue our purpose it will pan out.

So how can we take leaps of faith? Each person has their own way of doing it, but here are a few ideas.

God has made us a plethora of promises in His Word. When you're struggling and doubting that God will use you or fulfill the plan He has for you, turn to God's promises. Some of my favorites are in Psalms and Isaiah. These will bolster you up and encourage you.

God has called you to your purpose for a reason. He has a plan for you that He means to fulfill. It doesn't matter what other people say, if God is for you, it doesn't matter who's against you (Romans 8:31). He has promised multiple times in Scripture to be with you and stay by you. He has also promised that if you stumble, you will rise again (Proverbs 24:16).

Sometimes it helps to talk out your doubt and worry to other believers. They can then encourage you, lift you up, and potentially give you advice. Also, you can ask them to pray for you as you navigate the road you're on. Knowing there's a whole body of praying Christians at your back can strengthen you like nothing else.

Here are some verses on faith to encourage you. Also, if you wish to study faith more deeply, you might want to use these verses as a starting point. All of these come from the NASB version of the Bible.

• Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.”

• Hebrews 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.”

• Matthew 17:20 - “And He [Jesus] said to them, 'Because of your meager faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

• Matthew 9:29 - “Then He [Jesus] touched their eyes, saying, 'It shall be done for you according to your faith.'”

• Romans 1:17 - “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: 'But the righteous one will live by faith.'”

• Matthew 9:2 - "And they brought to Him [Jesus] a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, 'Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.'"

• Matthew 21:21 - "And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, "Be taken up and cast into the sea," it will happen.'"

• Isaiah 26:3-4 - "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock."

What about you? What helps you take a leap of faith? Tell me in the comments below!