It is impossible to live the Christian life without faith. We come into this life by faith – Ephesians 2:8-9. And we are to live this life by faith – II Corinthians 5:7. We cannot please God without faith. But not only do we need to possess faith, we need a faith that possesses us. We are not talking about a “blind faith.” And we are not talking about the power of positive thinking. Yes, as believers we need to be a positive people. I don’t enjoy being around negative people, the “Woe is me. Everybody is against me” type. But just thinking positively about something isn’t going to change it. Faith must have an object, and the object of our faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. We trust Him. The Bible teaches us to pray in faith -- James1:5-6: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” None of us is immune from this wavering. All I have to do is look back to some of my FB memories from 10 years ago and see how weak my faith was. (Those are the memories I don’t share.) What does the rest of that reference in James 1 say? Vs. 7 – “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” So we are to ask in faith . . . But what happens when we have faith, and it seems to fail? Sometimes we pray for very specific things. We try to have faith. We try to trust. But the answer does not come exactly as we think it should or as soon as we think it should. In fact, the very opposite we have asked happens. Example: From the day Mother was diagnosed with cancer, I prayed for her healing. I didn’t just pray occasionally, but I almost constantly with “strong crying and tears.” I suggested doctors and treatments to my dad, and they were followed. But about 3 months after her diagnosis she passed away. Had my faith failed? NO! (I will address that thought in a few minutes.) Sometimes trials, temptations, tribulations, heartaches, tears, and fears come, and faith just does not seem to remove them. Sometimes the answer in found in James 4 – you have not because you ask not; you ask ask and received not because you ask amiss (for the wrong reason, with the wrong motive). Sometimes the answer is found in James 1:3: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” God is growing us, maturing us, and we know “And patience, experience; and experience, hope . . . ” (Romans 5:4). We know that the book of Hebrews was written necause there were some who were ready to quit Christ and go back under the Mosaic Law because of persecution. But, in chapter 11 these were confronted with “so great a cloud of witnesses,” Old Testament figures who stayed true to the Lord even during difficult trials of their faith. Some of these are mentioned in Hebrews 11:32-39. In vs. 32 the writer names Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae; David, Samuel, and the prophets. In vs. 35 he mentions women who received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, “not accepting deliverance.” Vv. 36-37 speak of others who “had trial of cruel mockings and scourging . . . of bonds and imprisonment:  (37) They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented . . . ” But today many believers and church members have faith only in the good times. When some trial or some crisis comes, the “cut and run.” They quit. That is because many of these do not have a strong faith.  Instead, they have an immature faith. For the remainder of this message we will see what a strong, mature faith in God will do. We see that:

  I.  STRONG FAITH TRUSTS THE POWER OF GOD.

 II.  STRONG FAITH BOWS TO THE PURPOSES OF GOD.

III. STRONG FAITH IS BASED ON THE PROMISES OF GOD.