Do you understand what the phrase «without faith it is impossible to please God" it means? We invite you through this article to analyze verse 6 of chapter 11 in the book of Hebrews.
Without faith it is impossible to please God
Talking about faith in these times where man lives a life full of eagerness, anxiety, worries, occupations, stress, is not an easy task; even the church of the Lord in some cases has allowed itself to be sheltered by this day to day that is lived worldwide; It is possible that many of our brothers are experiencing a crisis of faith, the routine makes them fill their lives with so much fatigue that faith comes to occupy a second place.
The Word of the Lord teaches us, in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6:
«But without faith it is impossible to please God; for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."
In our Christian walk, living in faith and by faith is essential, it is not possible to develop an effective walk with Christ if we have a weak faith, that is why, every day our spiritual lives must be nourished through prayer. and the word so that our faith is strengthened and thus we can please the Lord.
Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1:
"So faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is that which makes the believer have confidence that the purpose of his hope is real and not imaginary.
When we search the Scriptures, we find great men and women who walked with the Lord with a wonderful faith, which led them to be servants with a heart that was pleasing before Him. Men and women who did not stop their walk when looking at the circumstances , but they delighted to believe and hope in the promises of the Eternal.
When we cling to believe God we are clinging to his promises, He is the rewarder of those who seek him, that is, God rewards those who seek him, there is a promise when we approach our throne believing that it is there.
Characters of Faith
But without faith it is impossible to please God. In this sense, we must say that it is beautiful to take a tour of the Scriptures and meet men who walked with the Lord, being sustained by Him as seeing the invisible, just as Moses refers to, the book of Hebrews in chapter 11 , verse 27.
This same book mentions many characters who followed the Lord, keeping hope, however, throughout the Word we find examples that are worthy of taking into account. Below are these characters of faith.
Abraham
One of them is Abraham, we find him in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 8:
«By faith Abraham being called, obeyed to go out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the promised land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, joint heirs of the same promise; because he waited for the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God».
A study of the life of Abraham reveals that this man lived a life of faith. One was that she was tested not only when the Lord called her to leave her land and her relatives, to leave everything so that the Lord's purposes could be fulfilled in her life, but also when she believed that God would grant her a son, while still being of advanced age and more when giving it to him, asking for it in sacrifice.
His life is an illustration of the type of person who would receive the promised blessing, a blessing that we find in the book of Genesis, chapter 12, verse 3; and a prophecy about the truth that salvation must be by faith, as we can read in chapter 3, verse 8 in the book of Galatians:
"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the good news to Abraham beforehand: in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed."
Obviously, Abraham was a man who loved God, and his life allows us to see that the path of faith is closely linked to obedience, when we believe, we obey, and when we obey we enter the center of the will of God , by entering into the will of our father, undoubtedly His blessing will not wait to spill into our lives. Let's remember:
«He is a rewarder of those who seek him" (Hebrews 11: 6)
Oh how beautiful is what we can learn from Him every day!
Sara
Another wonderful character that we find in the word is precisely Abraham's wife, Sarah, also mentioned in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 11:
“By faith also Sarah herself, being barren, received strength to conceive; and she gave birth even outside the time of her age, because she believed that she was faithful who had promised. »
This second character could exemplify the lives of many Christians. Sarah was the wife of the great patriarch Abraham, it is possible that we have the tendency to see her in a frame of dignity and honor, but delving into her life, in the light of the Scriptures, we can realize that on occasions she acted badly. According to in-depth studies about her walk, they indicate that she could often be impulsive and make decisions that could take her away from the plans that the Most High Lord had with her life.
God had given him a promise. She would be the mother of the son that the Lord had promised Abraham. It is interesting what we can see in light of this character, how important it is to learn to wait in times of fulfillment of what the Lord promises. This is called walking in faith.
If there is any doubt, Sara was a woman who loved the Lord, we see it when we study the subjection and obedience that she had towards her husband: An example of this subjection is when the Lord calls Abraham, she, without doubts or questions, continues, faithfully believing that what God had promised them he would fulfill.
However, when I start talking about her, why do I refer to some mistakes she made and why do I identify her with many Christians? Yes, she was a woman of faith. However, in her walk, in her expectation of her, her faith weakened, and we can see it in her decision to take her servant Hagar from her and give her as a concubine to the husband of she, in order to procreate; Let's see what Genesis chapter 16, verse 3 tells us:
"And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her Egyptian servant, after ten years had lived Abraham in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to wife."
We find ourselves here with a weakened faith, seeing that what God had promised had not been fulfilled led Sara to make huge mistakes that instead of helping, were a great torment for her life.
As soon as Hagar conceived, Sarah knew it had been a serious mistake. Hagar became arrogant and disrespectful towards Sarah, Genesis chapter 16 verse 4:
«And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt at her mistress."
Here we see a temper outburst in Sarah, Genesis chapter 16, verse 5:
“Then Sarai said to Abraham: my insult be on you; I gave you my servant for a wife, and seeing herself pregnant, she looks at me with contempt; let the Lord judge between you and me."
Sara shows here the consequences of her mistake, and adds more by wanting to hold her husband Abraham responsible, the decision to take Hagar to have a child had been entirely hers and she now had to face the consequences without looking for blame.
In this way it happens many times in our Christian walk, the Lord has filled us with beautiful promises, but that does not mean that He is going to act according to our desires, or time. Many times waiting produces despair and that leads us to make, like Sara, mistakes that we can later regret.
To believe in the Lord is to believe in Him and in Him without reservations, as well as learning to wait for His times. What God promises for our lives will undoubtedly come at the time He has established it. Says the word in the book of numbers chapter 23, verse 19:
«God is not a man, so that he lies, nor a son of man, so that he repents. He said, and he will not? He spoke, and he will not execute it? »
That is our God, faithful, that's why we must believe him:
"Faithful is he who promises."
Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11.
Moses
A third character that we can mention is Moses, who being the son of Pharaoh's daughter, refused that right, choosing to be mistreated with the people of God. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 24 – 25.
This man could have chosen to live a different life than the one he lived, however, the Lord had great purposes with him, he would be the one chosen to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt and lead them to the promised land. Moses was a man who believed the Lord, He told him step by step what he had to do not only for the people to leave Egypt, but also to bring that people to know God, this man acted in obedience believing and waiting also the fulfillment of a promise.
David
This was a man who knew his Lord so well, there was no way his would falter. Even in the crucial moments of his life, this king trusted the Lord so much that he was strengthened in Him and followed his path, so that the father's purposes could be fulfilled in his life.
In the book of Psalms we see how David can praise God in all circumstances, because His faithfulness in the past is a guarantee of His faithfulness in the future; his praise to the Lord was always even in his darkest moments, and we see how in each one of them the Lord grants him victory.
Jobs
Another extraordinary man that we find in the word is Job, a fearful man and lover of the Lord, we see in the book of Job, chapter 1 onwards how a prosperous man is presented to us who lost everything overnight, this man could have been a reason for his faith to weaken, however, it was not so, Job chapter 1, verses 21:
And he said: Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
¡What a wonderful example of faith we find in this character!
Now, closing this journey, I would like to mention at least one character from the New Testament. There are so many characters that we could study so that our faith is strengthened in the Father.
Mary and Martha
We find in the book of Luke chapter 10, verses 39 and 40:
"... Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, heard his word. But Marta was preoccupied with many chores:»
Mary knew that without faith it was impossible to please God.
Here we observe two opposite characters, although both women loved the Lord, each one had her particularity, Mary was a woman who preferred heavenly things, Martha was a woman who was carried away by eagerness.
Maria knew exactly how to show her gratitude, she was a woman devoted to the Lord, which made her have an unshakable faith in the teacher. Marta also loved him, however, she allowed herself to be sheltered by her eagerness.
In this beautiful example, we again find a way of characterizing many Christians today. As I mentioned in the introduction to this article, a Christian immersed in worries and with little encounter and intimacy with the Father is a target of the enemy so that faith is weakened. We must learn to manage time and give the Lord what corresponds to him every day. This in order that our lives be built and our faith strengthened.
No matter how dark the panorama appears, we must believe that the one who has promised is faithful, his eternal promises will be fulfilled in our lives despite the circumstances, our God is real, and we have believed him, we should not fear the future, let's put aside fears, the Lord is in control. Let us remember that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Without faith it is impossible to please God: Faith without foundation
Currently, there are many movements that can be misleading, many confuse faith with irrational positivism. They believe that to have faith is to carry out a series of practices that will result in a life of victory, but without any basis. For this reason, we find ourselves with many separated within the Holy Church of the Lord, there is a lack of genuine faith and without faith it is impossible to please God.
I often hear many people say: I was a Christian, but nothing that I expected for my life came true, now I am separated! I have also heard many believe that they are healthy from diseases and illnesses or free from scourges just by thinking positively or repeating a series of affirmations related to a good on a daily basis. Be careful and alert!
We as Christians preach and proclaim a living God, and our basis and foundation is found in the Word of God. This is our life manual and nothing, absolutely nothing, regarding our doctrine, that is not written there, is valid for us.
How do we ground our faith in the word? The book of Romans tells us in chapter 10 verse 17:
«So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
We must feed our spirit every day with the study of the Word, when we carry out our daily devotions, we must not be satisfied with just reading the Word, we must study it, reflect on it, meditate on it, preach it to ourselves, live it. When we exercise in it we give rise to the same ministry in our lives and these are transformed. The book of Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12 says:
«For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword; and penetrates to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
This is the Word that makes us grow and where we base our faith; in Isaiah chapter 55, verse 11 teaches us:
«This is how my word that comes out of my mouth will be, it will not return to me empty without having accomplished what I want, and achieved the purpose for which I sent it.”
It is the Word of the Lord that is in charge of developing an unbreakable faith in our lives. What we as Christians need to know is that our faith goes hand in hand with the Word. We must know that the daily affirmations that we must repeat to ourselves every day are achieved in it. The Lord teaches us in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 6, verses 1-9:
«1 These, then, are the commandments, statutes, and decrees that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, so that you may do them in the land to which you are crossing to take it;
2 that you fear the Lord your God, keeping all his statutes and his commandments that I command you, you and your son and your son's son, all the days of your life, so that your days may be prolonged.
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, so that it may go well with you in the land flowing with milk and honey, and you may multiply, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you.
4 Hear, Israel: Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one.
5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 And these words that I send you today will be on your heart;
7 and you will repeat them to your children, and you will speak of them while you are at home, and walking along the road, and when you lie down, and when you get up.
8 And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as fronts between your eyes;
9 and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
What a wonderful text! What kind of faith could we have and what kind of Christians could we become if every day we put into practice what these verses tell us, repeat, study, memorize, reflect, live the word, our Lord is not wrong, he has called us to live a life of faith and has given us the tools, it is up to us to put it into action and recharge it every day.
As a complement to all the above, we invite you to observe the following audiovisual content.
In faith there is power
When we learn to know our Lord through the scriptures, we can lead a Christian life and faith in victory, to which we have also been called to live and that the Lord does not present through his Word. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
In the previous paragraphs, when we made reference to King David, we spoke of the psalmist's full and unwavering confidence when we expressed that he gave praise to the Lord in every circumstance of his life, because he understood His faithfulness in the past, which represented a guarantee of Your fidelity in the future. This is living bearing in mind that without faith it is impossible to please God.
When we make the firm decision to believe in Him and believe in Him, our lives are transformed, to the point that although the wind blows against us, just like the psalmist, we have the certainty that He whom we have believed keeps us like the girl of his eyes and that no matter how many obstacles that arise in our walk, we will not slip.
In our Lord, who is our rock and salvation, we have power to soar with eagles and wait out the strong winds. How confidently the psalmist said in Psalm chapter 62, verse 2:
«He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my refuge, I will not slip much. »
He is our only refuge, he is the one who keeps us.”
When our faith goes hand in hand with his Word, we then understand that our Lord is Sovereign, we can ask the Lord for anything and He has the power to do it, but we must be aware that He will always act according to his will and not according to to our desires, and even so, He continues to be God, because when we look for Him we have the certainty that He is. Hebrews 11:6.
"Without faith it is impossible to please God."
Benefits of walking in faith
Walking in faith represents joy and peace in our lives, we are not afraid of the past because He has forgiven and restored it, nor of the present because He is in control, nor of the future because it is certainly in His hands. faith makes us live without eagerness as the word says in the book of Philippians chapter 4, verses 6-7:
«Do not be anxious about anything, but let your requests be known before God in all prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Knowing that we have Him is enough for us because He is our fullness and He fills everything.
Another important element is that our lives are strengthened. Believing, proclaiming, living the Word is so wonderful that we often ignore its power. Clinging to her forms in us an unshakable faith, it means that we totally depend on the Lord because we understand that in our walk, He leads us by the hand of him, it is not by our own strength, it is pure grace. As the Lord told the apostle Paul in the book of Corinthians chapter 12, verse 9:
«And he told me: My grace is enough for you; for my power is perfected in weakness."
We are not perfect, but we are on the way to perfection. How good is God!
Another of God's men who showed unwavering faith and obedience was the prophet Daniel. We invite you to learn much more about this great character in the link entitled Book of Daniel
Without a doubt, faith fills our hearts with great joy, because we have a Creator who is real. It does not depend on us, how wonderful! Everything, absolutely everything depends on Him, so we don't have to worry, in this way. When the joy of the Lord is manifested in our lives, we are also strengthened. In the book of Nehemiah chapter 8, verse 10 when Ezra reads the law to the people he expresses in the last part of the verse:
"...do not be sad, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.”
Developing strong faith casts out fear. Many Christians in this time are prisoners of fear, and this comes from a weak faith that has not been founded on the Word. When we firmly believe what the Scriptures say in 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7:
"For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, of love, and of self-esteem."
We stand up in faith and from the hand of the Lord we cast out every obstacle that prevents us from growing.
We cannot ignore that by living in faith, we live in holiness, to which the Lord has called us, 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 16:
because it is written: Be holy, because I am holy. "
Holiness goes hand in hand, among so many elements mentioned, with faith, because we are certain that without it, holiness, we will not see it.
«Seek peace with all and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews chapter 12, verse 14.
The subject of faith is extremely broad, there are so many aspects that we could cover. However, those presented here present us in an orderly manner who we believe in and why. Only in the light of the Scriptures can we study the faith that is our real foundation and that makes us immovable.
We cannot present ourselves before a world with so many shortcomings and with so much need with a weak faith. Without a doubt, it would clothe us, nor can we introduce them to a God in whom we have not known, nor believed that he is real. We must go before the needy clothed in faith and power, firmly believing that in the God we seek, in Him there is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We just have to believe that the measure of faith we need has been poured into our hearts as the book of Romans says, chapter 12, verse 3 in its last part: »
“…according to the measure of faith that God has dealt to each one…”
In each of our hearts there is a quota of faith that we must feed every day to make it strong, without faith it is impossible to please God. The people of the Lord need in this time that faith be strengthened, there are many people of God discouraged, sad, overwhelmed, confused, exhausted ministers, far from the fold, it is time to make a stop along the way, to embrace our Father , to embrace faith.
If our faith is weakened, it is time to enter the room and close the door and let our Eternal Father strengthen us through his Word and make us return to Him, to our first love, to the one who saved us, who He brought out of darkness into his admirable light, whom we love and serve, who has freed us, who has changed our lamentation and dance, the one who tells us:
“Take courage, it is I; do not fear.” Matthew 14:23.
It is there where we will begin to live a faith of power, a faith that restores, that heals, that frees, that comforts, that saves, a genuine faith, based on the Word and embraced by the promises of our Eternal King. Many then will be able to understand that faith is not positivism, it is not a show, it is not a lie, they will be able to understand that the faith we profess is real, that the God we believe in is also real, we are not based on nothing, we are based on a Strong Rock, that even when the wind hits us with great force will not let us perish.
We serve a living God, his sacrifice on the Cross was not in vain. It was out of love for this humanity that is lost because they do not believe. Now we want you to tell us about your experience of faith in the true God.