Is Faith Blind?

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Hebrews 11:1,6 

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 You often hear people say, "You just gotta have faith!"  Well, what does that mean?  Is faith wishing something would happen?  Some people talk about "blind faith".  Today the author of Hebrews gives what I believe is the best defintion of faith given in the bible.  Remember the author is encouraging the Hebrews to "keep the faith"!  In this chapter he gives a long list of faithful people in the Old Testament including: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph and Jacob.  

 So what is the essence of faith to the writer?  To describe faith he uses the word, "confidence".  He uses this word in conjunction with hope.  Confidence is not blind faith but based on the object of your confidence.  We develop confidence in someone when the consistently do what they say they will do.  This is the author's argument, God has been faithful all throughout the ages, so why would he stop now?  So when we step out in faith we don't exactly know the outcome, but faith is trust that with God it will turn out okay.  Faith is a such a strong trust in God's promises that it is willing to step out and take risks.  A question we might ask ourselves is, "Do I have a risky faith?"  Do I have enough confidence to take a risk and step out and follow God wherever he leads me.  

 Then, the writer says something very bold.  He says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God!"  What does he mean by this?  If you take the inverse, "faith pleases God".  When we step out in confidence and trust in God's promises it is pleasing to God because it shows that we REALLY TRUST him.  We trust in him enough to act like it. When we put our faith into action it makes our faith come alive.  It pleases God!  As you step out in faith, you will be rewarded with an even deeper faith. Your confidence and trust will grow and you will experience a deeper and more intimate relationship with God.  Faith is a gift from God let's use it!       

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