Faith has always been important in the life of a believer, but the requirements to be considered faithful have changed with the change in covenants. Knowing the difference gets us better results in life because we can see Jesus much clearer. Before the cross, the Old Testament presented Jesus in types and shadows; we now can see Him clearly revealed in the New Testament. We therefore must be realistic about where we stand after the cross.
Too many of us still carry an old‑covenant mindset, thinking everything starts with what we do first. When we look closely at the Word, we see Jesus flipping that whole order around. Now, everything begins with what He already finished, and our part is to keep our eyes on Him. Faith gives us spiritual vision to see things we can’t see with our physical eyes. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
We’ve all had moments where we felt like we had to manufacture faith, squeezing it out by effort, intensity, or willpower. The disciples showed us something powerful: every time Jesus chided His disciples for their lack of faith, He was standing right in front of them. They weren’t missing the ability—they were missing the focus. This same issue shows up in our own lives when we let worry or fear distract us from God, our source.
Jesus made this plain during His ministry. “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30, NKJV). If God takes care of the grass, He’ll surely take care of us. We worry about bills, jobs, relationships just like the disciples worried about food, clothing, and tomorrow. However, when Jesus is present, lack and fear lose their authority; our faith grows when we stop staring at the problem and start seeing Him.
When Jesus was in a boat with the disciples and a storm hit, the disciples panicked even though He was there with them. “And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:25, 26). How many times have we done the same thing—Jesus with us, yet us acting like we’re alone? When fear rises, the enemy’s strategy is to get our eyes off Jesus. Conversely, when we remember who rides with us, the winds and waves don’t stand a chance.
This was also illustrated when Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:28-32). When he looked at Jesus, he did the impossible, but when he considered the wind, he began to sink. This is us too; when we look at Jesus, grace supplies the very faith we need, but when we look at circumstances, our confidence drains.
God’s hand is always extended, but our focus determines whether we walk or sink. When life hits hard, instead of trying to “work up” faith, we can simply rely on the faith of Jesus Christ. Focusing on Him gets us through the storm.
