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Some people have faith in Ford cars; some folk have faith in Qantas; others always fly United! We can have faith in a lot of things, and so it is important to establish just where is the foundation to our faith.

The difference between faith in Fords and faith in God is in the object of that faith, the foundation. The Bible talks of a God kind of faith (Mark 11:22, “Have the faith of God” is a more accurate translation). And it is obvious that the God kind of faith and the Word of God go hand in hand.

The Bible talks of a God kind of faith (Mark 11:22, “Have the faith of God” is a more accurate translation). And it is obvious that the God kind of faith and the Word of God go hand in hand.

The framework of my faith is that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him — His intentions towards me are good. The foundation of that faith is the faithfulness of God, as revealed in His Word. In Hebrews 11:3 we read: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed

[prepared] by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” The creation of this fabulous world in which we live was a faith-work involving the Word of our God. He spoke and it came into existence. The New Creation (you and I) are also a faith-work involving the Word of God. God said it was available, we believed it, and it became a reality — we are New Creations in Christ.

The truth that really encourages me is that the foundation of my faith is secure and eternal. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8, quoted in I Peter 1:25). Nothing around us is going to last through the firing of this earth, prior to the appearance of the New Heavens and the New Earth — nothing, that is, except the Word of God! Yes, even Fords and Qantas will be no more! My faith is on a secure foundation.

But how can we get faith? The truth is you already have it! “God has dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Where did it come from? From hearing the Word of God — the foundation of our faith. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). This is not just hearing with the ears, but hearing to the end of understanding what is said. When you and I understood what God was saying about our possibilities in His forever family, then faith came to us by the Word of God. And since that is how faith comes, then faith is strengthened by going back to the same foundation — the word of God. Read that Word daily. F.F. Bosworth said that most Christians eat three meals a day, but feed their faith on one cold snack a week — and wonder why their faith seems weak! A verse a day will keep the devil away!

So the Word of God has a lot to do with my faith. I’m still finding verses I do not remember having read before, and they inspire me right when I need a good dose of inspiration. We need to be like the people of Berea in Acts 17:11: “…they received the word with all readiness [eagerness] of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Those Christians are a great example that we should follow — spend time daily with the foundation of your faith.

Another of my favourite verses is I Thessalonians 2:13, where Paul said that when the Christians “received the [spoken] word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe”. The Amplified Bible translates that last phrase: “…exercising its [superhuman] power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it.” The Greek word for “effectually worketh” is now the English word “energy”. So the Word of God gives us energy for daily living — its better than a Mars bar! Use every means available to spend some time with the Word every day. Read a short passage every morning, have Bible reading cassettes or CDs in your car, drop a verse into your mind the last thing before you go to sleep. The Word is the foundation of our faith! God said it, I believe it, that settles it!