Faith Is Not A Feeling

Jesus said that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains ( Matthew 17:20 📖 ). If you saw a mustard seed, you know that it is very small. But having faith this small can make big things happen. So, faith must be powerful enough to do something we can’t do. A mustard seed can grow into a large tree ( Matthew 13:31, 32 📖 ). In the same way, our faith should keep growing, too.

What does Ephesians 2:8 📖 tell us about our faith and being saved? What if someone says, “I don’t have faith because God didn’t give me any”? Why is this idea false?

Faith is our answer to the Holy Spirit. God works with the Holy Spirit to bring us close to His heart. We must allow the Holy Spirit to do this work ( Jeremiah 31:3 📖 ). God saves us with His love and mercy when we believe in Him. God gives us His love and forgiveness when we accept Jesus’ death for our sins. Our relationship with God comes from our understanding of this Bible truth.

Next, we must remember that faith isn’t a feeling. “Many people don’t live their faith because they are waiting for a feeling of joy to fill them first. Feeling is not faith. . . . Joy comes from God. We must live our faith first. Then God will give us the blessing and this joyful feeling.”—Ellen G. White, Early Writings, page 72, adapted.

Some people don’t feel close to God in their hearts. Or they don’t think they are good Christians. So, they think that they don’t have faith for these reasons. But faith is about belief and trust in God in the good and bad times. We also must trust in God when we can’t fully understand what is happening in our lives.

We must not allow our feelings to control our religious experience or our relationship with God. Do you feel that God is very far away from you? That’s just when you need to have the most faith. Pray to God (the same as the father did in the story in Mark 9:24 📖 ).

Look up these Bible verses: Hebrews 12:1, 2; 2 Chronicles 15:7; Romans 3:23–26; and Luke 7:50 📖 . Ask God to use these promises to make your faith and relationship with Him strong today. Say these verses as part of your prayer to God.