Faith Matters

Faith Matters

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.”
- Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

What do you think of when you read the above verse?  Do you get it? Does it make sense?  Or does it sound like a riddle or a mystery?  I was confused about this for a long time.  Since faith is intangible, how can it be the “substance of things hoped for”?  And since you can’t see faith, how can it be “evidence”?

Our pastor helped me to understand this verse by likening the faith in our heart to a blueprint for what you want.  Let’s say you want to own your own dream home.  The blueprint is not the house, but it is the evidence that you plan to build a house.  It is the guide that shows you in great detail what the finished product is going to look like.

What is faith?  Faith believes without a shadow of a doubt that the dream in your heart will happen.  You may have been too afraid to believe for big things for your life.  You may have tried before and failed.  You may have been disappointed by other people letting you down.  I encourage you today to never give up the faith.  The Bible tells us “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)  So go diligently toward your dreams and have faith.

You might not know what your body will look like after you lose thirty or fifty pounds.  So many of us have been overweight for so long, we cannot even grasp what it’s like to live like a thin person.  Let faith fuel you to seeing yourself as a thin person.  Let faith fuel you to picture yourself finally fitting into your old clothes.  Let faith fuel you to picture yourself running around with your kids on the playground.  Maybe you have only a little faith right now and can’t fully fathom reaching your dream weight.  Just focus on a smaller goal, such as losing ten or twenty pounds.  The closer you get to your goal, the more your faith will stretch.  Don’t give up!

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Faith works by love so if you have unforgiveness in your heart toward anyone today, release that burden to so God can work in your life.  Write a letter to the person who has hurt you (you don’t have to mail it if you don’t want to).  If you feel the need, you can pick up the phone and call them, or just release this burden silently from your heart.  The less emotional baggage you have, the easier it will be to focus on losing the physical weight.

Tip of the Day

Do you need some inspiration or motivation while you work out?  Try an audio book or download a faith message to your iPod.  It will give you the strength to keep on striving toward your DREAM.

-Amy Parham

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

This was from the book “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on TV’s “The Biggest Loser”.