Think about what happens when you know a guest is coming to visit your home. I can’t speak for every family in the world, but I do know that in Black culture, “company coming over” was code for “Clean up!” And quickly. 

As soon as my mom or oldest sister got word that company was on the way, they gave me and my siblings orders like they were our drill sergeants and we existed solely to take orders. You do the dishes, you sweep, you make sure the bathroom is clean. Why they entrusted us with getting our home to a guest-worthy standard of clean is beyond me, but they did. It’s as if our parents thought our guests were spies from the Department of Health, determined to ban them from society for a misplaced cup or stained sink (or zink, as my mom called it funnily).

At most, they might ask to use the bathroom, but for whatever reason, it was mandatory that we make sure our rooms were clean for the traveling uncle who’d never seen the inside of our rooms because all the adult conversation happened at the kitchen counter anyway.

After we’d finish cleaning, we’d wait around with the front and back screen doors open. We had a gravel driveway in the front and back yard and never knew which one our guests would choose. However, on a rare occasion, instead of a visit, we’d get a phone call. Said guest wouldn’t be able to make it after all. 

For us little worker bees, it was quite the disappointment – all of our cleaning for naught. As an adult and mom with a home of my own, I know now that a clean house is never a disappointment. We may hustle to get it done faster, but the end result is always a reward, whether people visit or not. But I digress. The point of that story is actually not the cleaning, or the tidy home it yields, it is expectancy. 

Whenever a guest would tell us, “I’m on my way,” we believed them. We trusted their words so much that we put our belief into action by preparing our space for them. We wanted our guest to feel welcomed, received, and to know that we cared so much about their presence that we took the time to make sure our environment was inviting. Sure, part of the reason for cleaning was our parents wanting to make an impression with the state of their home, but the catalyst for our sudden effort was a desire and expectation to please the guest. 

Every action we took was fueled by the belief that someone was on their way. This is the definition of faith. 

What Is Faith?

Faith is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something. This definition is almost identical to the definition of belief: an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. Moving forward, I will use faith and belief interchangeably. 

When we look at the definition of faith in the Bible, it says: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

Unlike the definitions in the dictionary, the Bible takes faith a bit farther. It is more than a trust or confidence. Faith is defined as substance. But what does that mean?

In short, faith is more than what we think. It is a combination of what we believe as well as what we do. 

Complete trust and acceptance of a thing has little to do with what you think, and more to do with how you act. Yes, thoughts originate in our minds, but once we truly believe those thoughts, we take actions that stem from (and align with) those thoughts. 

I placed emphasis on the word “truly” because we can say that we believe a lot of things. But our actions will always reveal what we truly believe. 

For instance, if my mom didn’t believe a guest was on the way, would she still prepare for them or just go about her day? I imagine the latter is true.

One of my Pastors used to explain it this way. If someone comes to tell you the building you’re in is on fire, you can say you believe it. But if you don’t exit the building (assuming you’re not attempting to engage in self harm), do you truly believe there’s a fire? If you did, you’d marry your thoughts with action, and get out of the building. That’s how faith works.

How Does Faith Work?

Our belief is merely a seed. Actions are what water that seed. The bible speaks directly to this. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells the disciples: Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Faith is referred to as a seed, and not even a large one. The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. What’s phenomenal about this comparison is that although a mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, it can grow into a tree that is more than 30 feet tall. For context, that’s roughly the height of a building that has three stories. Not only that, but the mustard tree is also one of the fastest-growing trees. Where it takes an oak tree an average of 20 -100 years to mature, a mustard tree can mature in as quickly as 80-95 days. That’s wild. 

If only a mustard seed of faith is required, what needs to happen to mature that faith? That’s where the action comes in.

Without action, faith has no power, no lifespan. Let’s look at how the Bible explains it. James 2:17 says: So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 

How drastic is that?! The word doesn’t say your faith becomes less effective or takes longer to accomplish its goals. It says it’s dead. According to the dictionary, to be dead is to be no longer alive. It is expired, departed, or gone. So you’re telling me if I put no actions to my faith then my faith will expire? It will depart? It will be gone? In essence, faith without action is not faith. 

When we look back at the biblical definition of faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… you can conclude that without action, you will not have the very substance necessary for what you’re hoping for. Which also means you won’t get the evidence of the things you don’t see. 

Basically, the thing you’re believing God for cannot come forth because the necessary ingredient to bring it into reality is faith. Yet, the thing that activates your faith is missing: action. This action may not always show up as physical to-do list items. Sometimes, it’s the actions you take to think differently, like no longer engaging in negative self talk.

Think of it this way. We would not have the color orange without the colors red and yellow. If you want orange, and you have yellow… then you need red. If you want orange, and you have red, then you need yellow. We need to think of faith in the same way.

If you want to activate faith, and you have belief, then you need action. If you want to activate faith, and you have action, then you need belief. You can only activate faith once you put both belief and action together.

By now, you may be wondering what actions you need to take. While the answer may vary based on what you’re having faith for, one action is sure to produce, increase, and strengthen your faith. The Bible makes it clear in Romans 10:17: faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

In other words, we get faith by hearing the word of God. If you want to know how to reinforce and grow your faith, read God’s word more. Spend time with it. Seek to understand it. Strive to do it. And your faith will not only grow, but it will be unmovable.

Why Is It Important to Have Faith?

What you get when you have belief and action is what every child of God needs for this Christ-like walk: power. Without it, virtually nothing is possible.

So I leave this question with you to meditate on, research, and pray about: What are the specific actions you can take to activate the beliefs you have? If you aren’t sure, start with reading more of God’s word. And trust, not only will you have the faith you need, but the power also.