The definition of faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Webster’s dictionary describes faith as “complete trust, belief, and trust in and loyalty to God, firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” Most bible teachers use Hebrews 11:1 to define Faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This verse is saying that faith is a substance and evidence; however, it is something we actually can’t see with our natural eyes. Many times, I heard Christians use the phrase “name it and claim it,” and I couldn’t understand what this meant. I was warned by pastors and other Christians during my healing journey to make sure I wasn’t falling into this trap and following that type of belief. Some people believe faith is if “I say it long enough and hard enough it will come true.” That is not what Hebrews 11:1 is saying.

We live in spiritual and natural realms. It is easy to understand the natural realm because we can see, touch, hear, and smell. The challenge is to see and understand the spiritual realm because we can’t see, touch, hear, or smell—at least not with our natural five senses. To help tap into the spiritual realm, here is an example that might help you understand how to “see” something that you can’t see with your natural eyes.

Electricity exists, but we can’t see it with our natural eyes; however, when we turn on a light switch, we have physical proof that something not seen really does exist. Flipping on the light switch doesn’t make electricity exists, it already existed; it just didn’t become real to our senses until the light switch was turned on.

How does this example correlate to our faith and what someone might be believing or praying for?  Jesus’s death on the cross provided everything needed to walk in the Christian life. We just can’t see it with our natural eyes or five senses. Faith is the light switch that flips on to pull what already exists in the spiritual (unseen) realm making it physically manifest into the natural realm.

If we go back to Hebrews 11:1, it says that faith gives substance to what we are hoping for. The definition of hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is seeing something that can’t be seen. That means, if we are believing for something, the first thing we need is hope (an expectation).

How do you see yourself? Are you someone with a sickness or disability, or are you someone who is healed and whole? When I lived with a traumatic brain injury, I saw myself as someone who had a permanent disability, someone who would never function again in “mainstream society.” That was the picture the doctors painted for me and I believed them. It wasn’t until I learned the truth about God’s Word that, “By His stripes I was healed,” was I able to believe or hope for a different outcome.

I activated my faith and believed that my symptoms were gone even before I saw in the natural realm. I flipped that switch and, by my faith, moved the healing from the spiritual (unseen) realm into my physical body. It wasn’t just words to me; I believed without a shadow of a doubt that what Jesus did for me over 2,000 years ago really happened. It was my faith that pulled healing from the Healer (Jesus), similar to the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. When she touched Jesus’ garment, healing came from Him. In Mark 5:30, Jesus knew immediately that power had been released from His body and it was from the touch of this woman. Jesus told the woman that is was her faith that made her well.

Faith plays a major role in healing. If you haven’t seen the manifestation of your healing, it doesn’t mean you don’t have faith. The Bible says that we have all been given a measure of faith. Faith is imparted to us when we are born again, and we are given “a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). I think sometimes a believer doesn’t realize they need to play an active role for their healing. It doesn’t mean you need to do something to get God to heal you. He has already provided the healing. You need to activate your faith muscles to believe and see into the spirit realm.

Use your faith and spiritual eyes to “see” what Jesus did on the cross, and just like the electricity example, know that your healing already exists and flip the switch.

~Donna Jones