Believing Truth is a Choice
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
Faith is the biblical response to the truth, and believing truth is a choice. Faith is something you decide to do, not something you feel like doing. Believing the truth doesn't make it true; it's true, so we believe it. The New Age Movement and the "name it and claim it" adherents are distorting the truth by saying that we create reality through what we believe. We can't create reality; we can only respond to reality.
Faith must have an object. It's not the idea that you merely "believe" that counts; it's what or who you believe in that counts. Everybody believes in something, and everybody walks by faith according to what he or she believes. But if what you believe isn't true, then how you live won't be right. Thus, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
Your faith is only as great as your knowledge of the object of your faith. If you have little knowledge of God and His Word, you will have little faith. That's why faith can't be pumped up. Any attempt to live by faith beyond what you absolutely know to be true is presumption. If you only believe what you feel, you will be led through life by one emotional impulse after another. The path of truth begins with the truth of God's Word. Believe the truth and walk by faith according what you believe, and then your feelings will line up with what you think and how you behave.
We can't decide for ourselves what we would like to believe and then believe it, expecting God to respond to our faith. God is under no obligation to man. There is no way we can cleverly word a prayer in such a way that God must answer it. He is under obligation only to Himself. He will always stay true to Himself and keep His Word and His covenants with mankind. It is not our place to determine what is true or try to persuade God to capitulate to our will. He is the truth. We are to ask according to His will and desire His will above all else.
Let’s Pray: Lord, I believe in You and Your Word. Help my faith grow as I enlarge my knowledge of You as my faith-object.