The Bible defines faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, Hebrews 11:1. Note that it is a substance, albeit a spiritual substance. It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. May I say that it is the first evidence to a believer of what does not appear to his natural senses. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. God's Word is where Biblical faith comes from, and hearing it is how Biblical faith comes to us.

We are to realize that Biblical faith is not something that we produce and present to God for acceptance. Faith is what comes to us by hearing God's Word. We are privileged to 'hear' God's Word by hearing someone preach or teach it. We are privileged to hear God's Word by saying it to ourselves, and by reading it and understanding what we read. Another way that we are privileged to hear it is by the action of the Holy Spirit within us, calling our attention to it. When faith comes to us by hearing the Word of God, it becomes our possession, and is correctly called 'our faith', 'my faith', 'your faith' etc. But we get it by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, in any case.

Apostle Peter wrote of them that have obtained 'like precious faith', 2 Peter 1:1. They also got it by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Now consider what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11:22-24.

"And Jesus saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

Then in verses 25-26, the Lord Jesus explained the necessity of our forgiving those who tresspass against us. If we do forgive them, then God will also forgive us our trespasses. If we don't forgive them, then God will NOT forgive us our trespasses. In that case our unforgiveness will hinder the proper working of our faith.

There is a matter of very great importance, and one that we MUST appropriate. That matter is this: to a believer faith becomes a fact, because faith is the substance of what we hope for in Christ. It is the substance of what God has promised to us, even though those promises do not yet appear to our natural perception. The facts of salvation, including the forgiveness of our sins, provision for our welfare, and healing for our physical bodies, EXIST apart from our faith. They stand by themselves, because Jesus Christ has obtained eternal redemption for us, Hebrews 9:12. Let us remember that on the Cross, the Lord Jesus said shortly before He died for us, "It is FINISHED." Through faith, those facts become substance to believers, and their reality becomes evident to us through faith.

Even so, we must receive them by faith which comes by hearing God's Word: otherwise, we cannot receive them. That is because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and because salvation is by God's grace THROUGH faith, Ephesians 2:8-9. Therefore, we must have and exercise faith in order to obtain what God has provided for us in Christ.

That was several years after Christ had died on Calvary, where He had accomplished redemption for us. Yet, the Gentiles to whom Jesus sent Saul, did not KNOW that. They did not have faith in Christ, and therefore had not received forgiveness for their sins, even though it EXISTED before they learned about it. Therefore, the Lord Jesus sent Saul to preach the Gospel (the good news concerning Jesus Christ) so that they COULD receive forgiveness for their sins.

That factor is critical to being saved from our sins, of being born again, of being redeemed, of being set free from sins, and made a new creature in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. That factor is the foundation of Mark 11:23-24. It is one of the First Principles Of the Oracles of God (Hebrews 5:12), because Jesus called such faith the faith of God in Mark 11:22.

When we express the Word of God so in our mouth, believing in our heart that what we say shall come to pass, the Lord Jesus Christ said that we shall have WHATSOEVER we SAY!

At this point, we ought to be able to grasp how that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a fact. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. Since God CANNOT lie, what He has said is a FACT! Even if we fail to appropriate it, or adequately demonstrate it. Per Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing God's Word. Now we simply are to ACT according to that faith, in what the Bible shows to be belief. There is a point of determining to ACT upon the faith which we receive by hearing God's Word. We choose through faith to be persuaded of the Truth. "I choose by faith to believe what God said: I am persuaded of the fact."

All that being said, we still have to contend with what, at times, seems to contradict what God has said. That contention is identified as the fight of faith, and it is the reason that we should put on the whole armor of God, so that we might withstand such apparent contradictions in the evil day. Satan, the liar and deceiver, seeks to devour us by making us uncertain and to doubt the plain statement of God Almighty.

The faith of God, and the use of it, according to Mark 11:22-24, is the means of dealing with every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, 2 Corinthians 10:4. God knows that we are new creatures in Christ, but the enemy seeks to exploit our tendency to doubt because of persistent contradictions to the fact.

Emphatically, in the face of all contradictions, "If any man be in Christ, he IS a new creature (literally a new species) and old things ARE passed away, behold all things ARE become new." Listen to what the last sentence said: "Behold, (look at this) all things ARE become new." Look at that fact instead of what your symptoms, sensations, emotions, doubts, fears, failures etc., suggest to you.

With such facts before us, we can learn to rule over our body, our mind, our emotions, fears, passions and lusts, and illicit desires of any kind. Jesus Christ has made us free, and we can learn to live in the liberty with which He has made us free.

If we develop our faith in that form, we can literally say to temptation, "I refuse to be tempted with 'that' (whatever temptation presents itself to us), I reckon myself dead to sin, but alive to God." When we do that in accordance with Mark 11:23, we shall have what we say. Thus, we can disarm the enticement. We do it with the word of faith in our heart, and spoken with our mouth. Romans 10:10.

It is unfortunate that some believers never seem to develop their faith beyond the new birth experience, and thus to grow into stalwart victors through faith in Christ Jesus. We can develop our faith by exercising ourselves according to Godliness, and by boldly confessing with our mouth what God's Word says to us and about us.

Secondly, we must learn to walk, spiritually speaking. For example, the Scripture in Ephesians 5:2 bids us to walk in love. Remember that the word 'walk' as it is used here and in similar places, means the way we conduct all of our activities. We are to conduct all of our activities in love, which includes the concept of benevolence to others.