What is faith; What the Bible teaches

Hebrews 11:1 gives us one of the clearest biblical definitions: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith has to do with things that are not yet visible. And that's important. Because if everything were already visible, you wouldn't need faith. Faith operates when God has spoken, but your circumstances haven't caught up yet. Faith says: “I don't see it yet, but I trust the One who spoke.” Faith is not denying reality. Faith is choosing to trust God's reality above what your natural circumstances are telling you. There is a huge difference. If you're going through a difficult season and you say, “Everything is perfect,” when it isn't—that isn't necessarily faith. Faith can say: “This situation is difficult. I don't understand it. But I still believe God is good. I still believe God is faithful. And I will continue to trust Him.” That's faith.