"INCREASE OUR FAITH" (Lk 17:5)

Faith is confidence, assurance, conviction. "Because of faith the men of old were approved by God" (Heb 11:2). Without faith, we don't understand the origins of creation and life, for "what is visible came into being through the invisible" (Heb 11:3). "Without faith, it is impossible to please" God (Heb 11:6).

Examples of faith are:

• Abel offering sacrifice acceptable to God (Heb 11:4),
• Enoch being "pleasing to God" and being taken to heaven without dying (Heb 11:5),
• Noah building the ark (Heb 11:7),
• Abraham going forth "not knowing where he was going" (Heb 11:8),
• Sarah at the age of ninety conceiving a child (Heb 11:11),
• Abraham being willing to sacrifice His son Isaac (Heb 11:17),
• Moses' parents "disregarding the king's edict" (Heb 11:23),
• Moses wishing "to be ill-treated along with God's people rather than enjoy the fleeting rewards of sin" (Heb 11:25),
• the Israelites crossing the Red Sea (Heb 11:29), and
• Israel bringing down the walls of Jericho (Heb 11:30).

"What more shall I recount? I have no time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was just, obtained the promises; they broke the jaws of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; though weak they were made powerful, became strong in battle..." (Heb 11:32-34).