Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
God is expecting us as His (as Christians), to have faith in Him; it pleases God that we would believe Him. We often say we believe in God, yet really we don’t if we don’t trust Him.
If we would examine ourselves we would see that many times, at the first sign of trouble we takeover and fix things ourselves, because we don‘t trust Him. Normally we don’t press through the attack of doubt but we bow down to it because we don’t trust God. We leave God —as if He is an unfaithful friend, not true to His Word because we really don’t know God well enough to trust Him, or even well enough to know the doubt is harassment from the enemy.
Do we believe even though we haven’t seen because we trust God, because we know Him? Do we press our heals in and count the attack from the enemy all joy knowing individually, we will mature to the place where we won’t lack anything? Do we press in knowing we are pleasing God and proving His will is good and perfect (Romans 12:2)?
We have to know that we are rejecting God when we don’t trust Him, when we don’t believe Him. Giving up on God is the same as giving up on any relationship, it hurts, especially the one being rejected. When we give up on God what we’re saying to God is that we don’t believe He will do what He said He would do. Giving up on God gives God no place in our lives. If we really have faith in God we wouldn’t give up on Him, but keep seeking Him.
I know sometimes the pressure to believe God seems too much, but when we know the pressure is only the enemy lying to us to try and get us to quit, and the pressure is maturing us, it is easier to withstand the pressure. Knowing God and having God’s wisdom makes counting it all joy easier because we’re not walking in blind faith not knowing what is going on, but were walking in revelation of knowing we are growing in God and we will get to that place of maturity in Him, without lack (James 1:2-5).
Submit to God and resisting the enemy will lift that pressure. When Satan knows we know we’re on to him, and our that we are resisting his temptations, he will flee and with him the pressure will go as well--
God makes it clear the only way we can please Him is to trust Him, the only way to be satisfactory to Him is to have faith in Him. Don’t be confused God still loves you no matter what, but right here in His Word, He makes it clear that to be accepted by Him we have to have faith in Him.
John 3:16 confirms we have to believe in Him to have His acceptance. Eternal life is for those who will believe in Him, rely, cling to—whoever will put their trust in Him.
John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
If we don’t put our trust in God, it doesn’t please Him. God is in love with us and wants good for us and that can only happen when we put our trust in Him. We can’t just say we believe, but we have to seek to know Him to be able to believe.
God said that to me one day, He said “You can’t trust someone you don’t know.” Therefore our first step to have faith in God is to take the time to know Him.
If we don’t take the time to know God so we can have faith in Him, we live complacent lives, self-willed and controlled by the enemy. We might call ourselves Christians’ but if we don’t know Him, we won’t hear Him or be able to put our trust in Him consequently we won’t have faith to please Him.
But, if we take the time to know God our faith in Him we mature to the place where we won’t compromise His Word. We won’t live sick, broke, and running in circles worrying about ourselves.
If we believe we will be seeking God to mature and to do the greater works Jesus did. We will lay hands on the sick and expect that they will recover. We will accidentally drink something poison and not freak us out and run to the doctor, but we will know it won‘t harm us. We will cast out demons, not put up with them. We will speak in new tongues instead of criticize those who do.
If we believe we won’t abide with the enemy, we won’t agree with sickness and disease, poverty, and defeat, or accept depression, offense, traps and distractions—we will resist them.
If we believe we will agree with Jesus, He being our Vine and Father, the Vinedresser. We will expect to raise the dead, because He did. We won’t live complacent lives but we will fight to make the Word come into existence, proving God is good and His will is perfect!
If we believe we will be friends with God and a friend of God knows what His Friend is doing, thus we will know what is on His mind; we will know that plan and be a part of that plan, and be pleasing Him.