Faith is the The seventh of 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit. Or, faithfulness in some translations. But, what is faith as it is talked about in the Bible? Specifically as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit?
It is:
“steadfastness, constancy or allegiance; it carefulness is keeping what we are entrusted with; it is the conviction that the Scriptures accurately reflect reality. Biblical faithfulness requires belief in what the Bible says about God- His existence, His works, and His character.”
http://www.gotquestions.org
God Never Changes
Faith, as a fruit of the Spirit, comes as a result of the Holy Spirit working in us.
It is trusting God because He is faithful no matter what our eyes or ears tell us. You can trust Him and His Word. He never changes.
See my post on “All God’s promises are ‘yes and amen’.
He never changes.
Because I know he is faithful to me, I can hold onto faith in Him when I don’t understand why something is happening.
We See Through a Glass Darkly
I have always held on to Romans 8:28 for as long as I could remember. I always knew that no matter what I was facing, He would work it for good. It was one of the first verses I memorized for that very reason.
“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 MEV
The world and our natural senses seem to tell us one thing and the Word of God another. They are often in contrast to one another.
Also, we often “see through a glass darkly” while God sees clearly. He is outside of time. He sees all things and knows all things because everything began with Him.
God is Faithful
“He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
Revelation 22:13 MEV
It says in Hebrews,
“Now faith is a confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1 MEV
In Genesis 21: 1-34, Abraham believed God’s promise that he would have a child in spite of their age and everything their natural instincts told them because he knew that God was faithful.
We are able to be faithful because of the Holy Spirit working in us and because God is totally faithful to us and to His promises. This means that if He said it, He will do it.
Our Shield of Faith
In Ephesians, we are told,
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Ephesians 6:16
Faith is what protects us against the attacks of the enemy. In fact, God’s faithfulness is actually our shield. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Psalm 91:4
We can be faithful and exude faithfulness in our own lives because we know He is faithful. We can stand against spiritual attacks of the enemy because God’s faithfulness is our shield.
By taking hold of God’s own character, His faithfulness to us, and His promises, we can, in turn, be faithful to God, to our families and friends, and to the people we meet. Being able to exemplify the fruits of the Spirit is a gradual process of letting the Holy Spirit have control of our lives and daily turning over everything to Him.
It is this process of letting the Holy Spirit work in our lives that makes us more like Jesus.
Conclusion
We will never be perfect like Jesus in this lifetime, but that’s where God’s grace and faithfulness to us come into play. Even when we want to give up, He never does. When we give in to the flesh and sin, He is still faithful to forgive us and restore us. He loves us perfectly and wants us to show the same kind of love and faith to those around us and to trust Him.
Check out my previous posts on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit- Goodness- The Sixth Fruit of the Spirit, Gentleness- the Fifth Fruit of the Spirit and Patience- the Fourth Fruit of the Spirit.
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