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HELEN SANDERS
10-26-2026
IS IT FAITH OR IS IT HOPE?
God calls us to a faith walk. Habakkuk 2:4b says, “…but the just shall live by his faith.” Then again in Galatians 3:11 says, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith.”
It is repeated again in Hebrews10:38 where it says, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
Who are the “just?” The just are those have repented of their sin and are declared to be “not guilty” by God. They are the redeemed of the Lord. They are those that have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 11:1 faith is defined. It says, “NOW [my emphasis] faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hope is not faith. It means we trust God and his promises but only hope they will happen. Faith takes the hope [trust] in God’s word, and believes God’s promises WITHOUT seeing it with the natural eye. It sees it with the eye of faith and receives the promises by faith, expecting them to happen. Faith means that we believe God means what He says in the Word, and that His promises are ours to receive.
Often, people are hoping when they should have faith to believe. You must get out of the hope realm and into faith.
Faith takes God at His “Word” and puts it into action, and acts upon it as if it has already been received. There is no doubt in faith.
Are you hoping God will do something, or are you believing that His promises are yours and are acting as if they already belong to you? It is your choice to live in hope or live by faith.
I choose to live by faith because Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
If you want to please God, then you also must live by faith and not hope.
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