Faith is a core aspect of the Christian life and living a life that is in union with God.
Faith takes courage and true commitment to live out in the world.
Faith is not just a belief but trust, action, and surrender to God’s will in our lives.
In this guide, let’s explore what faith is, go over some biblical examples, and learn how we can apply it to our daily lives.
What is Faith?
When people think of faith often what comes to mind is someone who believes in God or is a person of faith because they are religious or attend church.
This may be part of the equation if it leads to good actions, but I would argue that ultimately true faith is determined by how anyone lives their life.
If their actions and restraint from action show their trust in God or not.
Faith can be thought of as someone’s trust in God + the actions or non-actions they take in relationship to that trust.
If someone has a “strong faith” this would mean that because of their relationship, life experiences, and knowledge of God, they would take actions that produce goodness and good fruit in a way that would be pleasing to Jesus and God in the world.
If someone has “weak faith” this would mean that they often fall out of alignment with taking actions that produce God’s goodness as shown by the life of Christ. This would mean that people of “weaker faith” when tempted by circumstances that can push them away from God’s love and goodness choose to take these actions because their level of trust or intimate knowing of God is not as strong.
Let’s go over a few different biblical passages that demonstrate what faith is.
Biblical Examples to Help Define Faith
Faith is Trust in God
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
This verse shows that faith is the trust in God despite the things that can be seen or felt in the moment.
Faith is a Relationship, Not Just a Concept
James 2:17 “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
As mentioned above, faith is ultimately determined by how one responds and acts due to their relationship with God.
Faith is Strengthened Through Trials
Romans 5:3-4 “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Our trust in God grows as we persevere through trials with the help of God. This is why those who have wrestled with and been through trials with God will have stronger faith and be able to take better actions toward his goodness when presented with challenges.
Faith Leads to Obedience
Abraham’s story (Genesis 12), and Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:28-31) show examples where one’s level of trust in God allows them to be obedient to him even in tough circumstances.
Other Examples of Faith in Action
Here are a few other helpful examples of faith in action.
Abraham’s Faith in Genesis 12
In the early story of the Israelites as the chosen people Abraham left his home without knowing where God would lead him or what kind of suffering he would have to endure.
He trusted that even if he didn’t know what he would encounter God was with him and was leading him on a path that was unique for him. This takes a tremendous amount of faith to do.
David’s Faith Against Goliath 1 Samuel 17
In this story, King Saul and the Israelite warriors were paralyzed by fear due to Goliath’s size and strength. Goliath was mocking God and challenging Israel to send one man to fight him.
David on the other hand was shocked that none of the Israelites trusted God enough to fight Goliath.
David declared, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David was an average to small-sized Israelite shepherd who saw Goliath and knew that he could beat him in battle because of his faith in God.
He even refused armor and ended up killing Goliath with his slingshot and sword.
This story shows that faith sees beyond the physical, that faith acts boldly in the face of fear, that faith is built from past victories, and that faith declares God’s power.
Jesus’ Teachings on Faith Matthew 17:20
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus said this after his disciples failed to cast out a demon from a boy and he was explaining to them that it was because their faith was too small.
He explained that even a tiny amount of true faith (as small as a mustard seed) has incredible power when placed in God.
This passage makes us examine our faith and shows us where we lack faith internally just by hearing it. It also shows that Jesus knew that faith could move obstacles and mountains if we truly trusted and believed God could do it.
His life as a healer has many different examples of faith in action.
Modern Examples of Everyday Faith
There are tons of examples of faith in our modern world. Below are a few examples:
- Someone loses their job and decides to put their trust in God while taking action to get a new better job
- Someone gets sick or receives a medical diagnosis that explains a tough prognosis and multiple different treatment options. They put their trust and faith in God, follow his guidance, and recover successfully with the help of a medical plan.
- Someone goes broke or loses a substantial portion of their finances and trusts that God will open up a path forward to regain financial stability. They take action to start a business or find a job and they struggle for a while but eventually, things turn around.
- Someone is wrongly accused of a legal blunder or blamed for failure. They decide to put their trust in God, work to let go of their anger and pity, and take action to show that it was false. It takes time and lots of struggle but the legal accusations are eventually overturned or their life leads to a better place because of it.
Those are just a few examples of faith in our modern world.
In each example, the person chooses to trust God instead of giving up or worrying. It’s not easy but they take any necessary action and God helps guide them to a better situation.
How Do We Grow and Live Our Faith
Below are several ways that we can grow our faith and live it better each day.
1. Pray And Read Scripture Often
We need consistent reminders of God’s character and love to help us avoid falling off track and into cycles of worry and self-pity.
Reading the bible and communicating with God through prayer can help us grow our faith.
2. Have Daily Reminders Or A Daily Devotional
As mentioned in the previous point, we need daily reminders to align with God and remember his promises.
If the bible is not your thing or it’s just too burdensome to read find a daily devotional or some cool content that you can incorporate into your life each day that gets you back on track.
3. Take Small Steps Of Faith & Surrender Your Worries
Put God to the test by taking small steps of faithful action. Is there something you know you can do and would be good for you that you are too scared to do or worried about the outcome?
Our faith grows over time by taking small action steps where we surrender the outcome to God. Over time these actions build on each other.
4. Surround Yourself With Strong Faithful People
Surround yourself with other friends and family who are working on growing in faith to support each other in challenging circumstances of fear, uncertainty, hardship, loss, or confusion.
Learn from people who are older or stronger in faith than you and talk to them.
We need the love and support of friends to do anything in life, especially in our journey with God.
At the end of the day, waking with Jesus is the backbone of our faith and we grow with the support of others through trials and tribulations while being in communion with God through prayer and worship.
Concluding Thoughts
Faith is not about having all the answers—it’s about trusting the one who does.
Every day, we have a new opportunity to walk by faith, to trust God in both the big and small moments of life.
Whether you’re facing uncertainty, fear, or challenges, remember that God is always faithful to those who seek him.
Take one step of faith today—pray boldly, surrender your worries, or take action on something God has placed on your heart.
As you do, you’ll see his hand at work, strengthening your faith over time and leading you into a life of deeper trust and greater peace.
Keep believing, keep trusting, and keep walking by faith—because with God, nothing is impossible.
