What We Get Wrong About Faith

šŸ‘‰ Is faith just about believing hard enough? Can it force God’s hand? And what about doubt—is it always a sin?

Let’s talk, family.

Faith has become a buzzword.
We wear it on t-shirts.
We hashtag it in captions.
We throw it at problems like a magic wand:
ā€œJust have faith!ā€

But let’s be real…
Some of us have reduced faith to superstition—
Like if we close our eyes tight enough, clench our fists hard enough, and whisper ā€œI believeā€ 12 times, God will show up on cue.

🄓 Is that faith—or manipulation?


šŸ“– Faith Is Not a Force to Bend God’s Will

Let’s clear this up early:
Faith is not about making God do what we want.
It’s about trusting what He wants—even when we don’t understand it.

Hebrews 11 (a.k.a. the ā€œFaith Hall of Fameā€) mentions people who saw walls fall, lions shut up, the dead raised…

But it also mentions those who:

  • Were tortured
  • Lived in caves
  • Were sawn in two 😳

Same faith.
Different outcome.


šŸ¤” Faith ≠ Certainty.

Faith is not about having zero questions.
It’s about trusting God despite the questions.

Even John the Baptist—the one who baptized Jesus—had a moment of doubt in prison.
He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ā€œAre you really the One?ā€ (Matthew 11:3)

And what did Jesus say?

Not ā€œHow dare he doubt.ā€
But:
ā€œAmong those born of women, no one is greater than John.ā€

šŸ’” So no—doubt is not always sin.
But staying in unbelief without seeking truth? That’s where the problem lies.


šŸ§˜ā€ā™€ļø Faith Is Not Just Mental Grit

Sometimes we confuse stubborn optimism with biblical faith.

Faith is not just positive vibes.
It’s not ā€œmanifesting.ā€
It’s not ā€œIf I believe it enough, it will happen.ā€

Nope.

Real faith looks like:

  • Abraham waiting decades for a child—and still trusting.
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saying, ā€œEven if God doesn’t deliver us, we still won’t bow.ā€
  • Jesus in Gethsemane saying, ā€œNot my will, but Yours.ā€

šŸ™šŸ½ So What Is Faith, Really?

Let’s strip it back to the core:

Faith is trusting God’s heart, even when you can’t trace His hand.

It’s not a magic ticket.
It’s not an emergency button.
It’s not a spiritual tantrum.

It’s surrender.


šŸ”„ What Faith Is NOT:

  • Faith is not denial of reality.
  • Faith is not manipulation of God.
  • Faith is not blind hope with no substance.

āœ… What Faith IS:

  • Faith is confidence in God’s character.
  • Faith is obedience in uncertainty.
  • Faith is peace in chaos.

šŸš¶šŸ¾ā€ā™‚ļø How Do We Grow Real Faith?

  1. Feed your faith with God’s Word – (Romans 10:17)
    šŸ‘‰ Stop surviving on sermon snacks. Eat the Word daily.
  2. Question honestly—but pursue answers.
    šŸ‘‰ Don’t fake it. Dig deep.
  3. Surround yourself with real faith-walkers.
    šŸ‘‰ You’ll either walk with doubters… or with Daniels.
  4. Obey even when it’s uncomfortable.
    šŸ‘‰ Faith is proven when it’s costly.

šŸ—£ Final Words

Faith is not about getting the outcome you want.
It’s about becoming the kind of person who trusts God—regardless of the outcome.

Real faith walks into the fire…
Not because it knows what will happen,
But because it knows Who will be there.

So no—faith isn’t about ā€œbelieving hard enough.ā€
It’s about believing deep enough to surrender.
And trusting that God is still good—even if He says no.