How would you respond if someone asked you, “Do you believe God?” People have a plethora of responses to this question. Often, the response to that sort of question is something along the lines of “I believe there is a god or supreme being.” In our culture, there is a widespread acceptance of multiple forms of god. Yet that is not the same as believing God.

So, as a follower of Christ, what is your answer to the question “Do you believe God?” Posed another way, “Do you believe what God says and that what He says applies directly to you?” The foundation of our faith is that Jesus Christ came to earth, fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life, without sin. He surrendered His will to the Father’s and offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb on the cross, taking upon Himself the sin of all humanity, and paid the price of our sins with His life. He was buried and rose on the third day, conquering sin and death, once and for all. He tore down the dividing wall between us and our access to God through His shed blood on the cross. He ascended to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father, until the day He returns for His bride, the church. We believe this and the salvation story, if we belong to Christ. We trust that our futures are secure in Him.

But, do you believe Him and take Him at His Word in every other realm of your life? We have adopted a soft Christianity in our culture. Faith has become the equivalent of whether or not we have accepted Christ. We are called to so much more than that. We are to walk by faith. Living day in and day out believing God and taking Him at His Word. Our problem is that there is too much noise and too many voices and opinions we allow access to us that prevent us from fully believing God.

The patriarchs of our faith knew what it meant to believe God. Of Abraham it was said (in both the Old and New Testament) that he believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness. Abraham believed God about what seemed literally impossible. He was old, and so was his wife. But God promised him descendants so great they could not be counted. God told Abraham to leave his home and go to a land he would show him. And Abraham did. He walked by faith. He didn’t know where he was going, but he believed God. Noah was told to build an ark. Never before had there been rain on earth. But God told him it was going to rain and provided the exact dimensions of the ark. And Noah built it. The rains flooded the earth and destroyed what was not in the ark. I imagine Noah was pretty glad that he believed God when he heard those first drops of rain.

What amazes me, though, is that their faith was not something that was merely kept between themselves and God in the quiet places of their hearts. It wasn’t something that just occurred in their “morning quiet times.” Their faith overflowed into action. James, the brother of Jesus, said that faith without works is dead. We do not work to earn our faith, but our faith will result in action.

Sometimes it is easy to read God’s Word and see how it can apply to everyone else, to believe it for other people. God’s promises are for all of His children. God loves each of us so much. Do I believe that God’s faithfulness is a shield, as the psalms say? Do I believe that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, as Romans 8:1 says? Do I believe that God has removed my sins from me as far as the east is from the west and that He remembers them no more, according to Psalm 103? Do I believe that God is good and perfect in all of His ways? Do I trust that abundant life is found in Him as Jesus said in John 10:10? Am I allowing Him to act on my behalf or do I leap ahead of Him, trying to force His will? Am I content to trust that His thoughts and ways are higher than mine, as the prophet Isaiah stated in Isaiah 55? Will He bring about good for those that love Him as Paul declared in Romans 8:28?

The indisputable answers to these questions are found in how we live our lives. How I live illuminates what I believe. It’s not what I say or think. It is how I choose to show up in my world every day. God’s Word is life to me. I love God and His Word so much. To love Him is to trust Him, to obey Him, and to live that out in faith. What does my life reveal about whether or not I believe God?

Walking by faith can be so challenging. We want to know the end of the story. When God asks us to do something or leads us down a certain path, we desperately want to know the blueprint and the outcome. We want the whole route outlined for us in advance. Hello, GPS!! “Show me every step in the path, Lord, and then I will follow You.” I imagine God chuckling a little at that. Because growth and maturity in faith is all about the journey, not the destination. He gives us just enough light to see where we are and which step to take next. And He reaches down His gentle, loving hand and says, “Will you trust me?”

I can’t help but wonder how many adventures with Jesus I have missed out on because I was unwilling to step out of the boat in faith like Peter did. When I consider that, my heart is a little grieved to imagine it. In my time with Jesus, I am seeing a recurring message that eternity is not just about the future, but eternity is also in the right now. Eternal means something that never ends. Though my life on this planet will one day end, my life is unending because of Jesus. Which means my unending life has already begun. I am only beginning to wrap my brain around this concept and what it means for the here and now. One thing I do know, though, is that it is tied directly to my faith. And that will impact how I live my eternal life.

All day long, we have the opportunity to respond to Jesus’ question, “Will you trust me?” What if we started answering with a yes? What is the yes that Jesus is seeking from you today? Will you choose it?! God’s promises are always true, and He is always good. Maybe you’re uncertain if you truly believe God. That’s a great place to start. Reflect on your life and choices, and ask God to reveal to you what He wants you to see about your faith. He is faithful-He will show you!

Be loved!