Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

In order to love the Lord with all of our soul, we must live by faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the reality of things not seen. It’s having the ability to pull God’s future promises into our current situation and live the abundant promise-filled life that Jesus has for us right now. In other words, faith enables us to live abundantly now, fully present in God’s will because we can see the reward of tomorrow. 

Abel gave to the Lord a greater sacrifice than Cain did because of his faith. The sacrifice was nothing for him compared to his eternal reward. By faith Enoch lived so intentionally for eternity that there was no difference in how he walked with Jesus in heaven with God and how he walked with him while living on this earth. By faith Noah heeded God’s warning about future unseen events. He condemned the world (let it die inside of him) and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham went to a place he had never been. He embarked into a future that was unknown. 

Faith is the key to loving the Lord with all your soul. To love the Lord with all your soul (nephesh) means you live for something beyond this life. You live in the reality of faith, pulling God’s future promises into your present reality.

In order to live in the reality of faith and pull God’s future promises into our present reality, we must learn to center ourselves in the reality of faith throughout the day. One practical way to do this is to set an a reminder on our phone that pops up and says, “Where is your faith?” During this fast many have set their alarms to go off at 8:25AM and PM each day to go along with the Luke 8:25: “Jesus said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’” So every morning and evening this reminder centers them back on living in the reality of faith. I encourage you to try it out! 

Take a moment in prayer right now and ask the question: “Where is my faith?” Let Jesus’ words settle in you as you listen in silence. The Holy Spirit will speak to you as you listen.