Faith, By Andrew Wu

I describe faith as defined from Hebrews 11:1, it is what one has when one is certain of what is hoped for and sure of what one cannot see. It is the knowledge of something without that something being verified through the senses. It is the having of, the assurance, the awareness of the validity of something without it having to be proved through outward expression or obvious demonstration.
To obtain faith, it must be given by God through Christ Jesus. It cannot be taught by men, for if this is attempted, this "faith" will be from man, from the world, and not of spiritual origin. Faith must be received by oneself, with the only ones involved being God and the person. Others may play an important role in helping one obtain faith in Jesus, but this is only by others living an example, not directly telling one how to obtain faith by steps or a procedure. One may be inspired by others to seek faith, but the only source of faith and insight and wisdom can be from God alone.
We need faith because it is by this we are saved. In the prison, Paul and Silas told the jail guard to believe and he would be saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 also says that we are saved through faith by His grace. One thing I have found faith to be significant in is when feelings of doubt arise. Faith and feelings are often confused; however, an important difference is that faith is knowledge while feelings are just that. Feelings change all the time and can distract us from truth. But if we live by faith and not by sight, we will find that we can find peace. We need faith in order to keep walking in the light. We need faith because it is through faith in Christ Jesus that we may know God.
We can use faith, as Matthew 17:20 says, to move mountains. Even if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. Many times in the Bible, such as in Habakkuk 2:4, it is siad that the righteous live by faith. When Corinthians says that we shall walk, not by sight, but by faith, this means to have our lifestyle fixed around, revolving around, focused on, based on faith: our action, our thoughts, our words. We use faith to stay on the right path, the narrow path (Matthew 6, I think). We use faith in order to live, to know what to do and what not to do. Through our lives, then, others may see our faith in our lives, so that we may be imitators and reflections of Christ, giving Him glory. We use faith to stay in connection with God, to receive from Him, for without faith we are unaware of our Lord Jesus and thus cannot know Him. In order to use faith effectively, it must be meditated on, God's Word must be incorporated into it so that the Word may be evidence enough for that faith (Psalms 119:11, 98-100, 105). We must think about our faith, pray for wisdom concerning it, and keep it so we do not stray from God.