Three Ways To Test Your Faith

Most people can quote verbatim the definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1. However, not all of them live by that definition. Yes, “faith is the substance of things hoped for and is the evidence of things not seen,” but when the going gets tough, some people tend to forget what the Bible says about faith.

Genuine faith is more than merely quoting scriptures. You must embrace full-hearted faith. That means you must believe with every fiber of your being and act accordingly with your mind, your emotion, and your will. It is only then that the inner workings of your faith will be in operation.

Test your faith in the following three ways right now for whatever you are believing God to do for you.

You should be realistic about what you believe God will do for you. Everything should be according to God's promises in the Bible for you to have that thing. There is no need for your mind to think something is going to happen if it is not lined up with the will, word, and way of God.

Don't think God will circumvent His plans or go against what He said in order to please you. He is only obligated to do for you what He promised.

Take the mind test to confirm what you are requesting is not what you think it should be, but know that without a shadow of a doubt that it lines up with God's plan, promises, and principles in the Bible.

Just as your mind is involved in your faith, your emotion must be as well. The highest emotion is love. Therefore, wholehearted faith should be motivated by love.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6).

Whatever you believe God to do for you, it must be something for which God Himself will get the glory. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I want this for selfish reasons?
• Do I want it to help others?
• Is love the motivating factor for my request?
• Do I want it to bring glory to God?

Make sure you are requesting something for the right reasons. To do that, test whether your request is motivated by love.

Whether you are believing God for something big or small, there is always something you must do in order to express your faith. It doesn't make sense to want something and just wait for it to happen on its own. It could miraculously happen that way, but biblical examples prove that you must use your faith for something to happen.

• You should express your faith in every situation. You must give God something to work with. The little boy gave Jesus his lunch to feed 5,000 men and women (Matthew 14:13-21).
• You must participate in your own blessings. God told Moses, “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16).
• Your will must be involved in your believing. Jesus told the crippled man. “Rise, take up thy bed and walk” (John 5:8).

God can do it all by Himself, but He wants you to show some indication that you believe something will actually happen. When you request something from God, expect Him to answer your prayer. Next, think about how to express your will. No matter how small it turns out to be, do something to express your faith.

You must pass all three tests to enter into full-hearted faith. You must believe with your mind, your emotion, and your will.

It might feel a little strange when you first start to test your faith in the three areas mentioned. After you develop the habit of doing so, it will become automatic for every decision you make. It will be a demonstration of true faith, the way it should be.