“All I want is clarity, because all of my heroes are frauds just like me.”
Andy Mineo’s Clarity is one of the first tunes I go to when I’m going through a tough time struggling mentally trying to deal with people, situations and myself.
This is kind of a mini Jesus Lyric blog but essentially the word fraud is very much referring everyone on this earth.
Strong word yes, but it’s the best word to use. No one is perfect except the most high. We’re built to disappoint, to be hypocritical, to be exposed for what we chose to hide.
“So let every man be a liar, let only God be true. Because all of your heroes are frauds just like you.”
But even if we had nothing to declare ✈️ , you still can’t get a ticket fare to salvation from anyone.
Not your WCW’s favourite preacher or your father. Faith comes by hearing the word of God, but you won’t have it if you don’t know him personally.
Any ways you’re really here for a new overdue blog post. Here is the notes from a message on the one thing you need in life.
Can you get me some tissue still, fam it's not corona allow it
What is faith?
complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews Eleven One.
This is a common verse when describing faith, but it’s hardly used practically. We look at what we’re struggling with on a day-to-day basis and try and grab faith from it that it will pass.
Faith has NEVER been about what you see, hear or articulate. Especially articulate because you’re only really trying to understand based on what you’ve seen or heard.
But what is substance?
It’s a personal evidence to something. There’s substance to this Jollof rice I’m tasting. There’s something real about my happiness than just quotes and pictures on instagram.
There’s meaning. I can smell feel it.
But now I want to you trust that the jollof will bang even before the tomatoes have been planted.
So when it refers to substance of things hoped for, it’s understanding that Faith is about understanding that things you hope for (and more) is already secured.
The latin origin of the word substance is substant – Substant is to stand firm, faith is about standing firm on the Word of God, and not on the words of man, it’s to not be wavered.
To stand is also to move
For my people who know this classic song in church –
I standd I STANNNNN IN AWE OF YOUUUU
HOLY GODDDDDDD
Sometimes standing is a move, do not do anything is a move. As Donnie Mclurklin famously sang –
after you’ve done all you can, you just stand.
To stand in awe is a move that acknowledges who God is. That’s still a move. A move to honour God despite what you’re going through. Good or bad.
To stand is to move in complete trust, that I’m no longer going to try and fight myself. Dropping what I have and just standing.
It’s easy to have faith when things are going well, because you can only see good things going on, and there isn’t a reason for you to worry.
To hope is to dream, I hope for Arsenal to win, it’s not bad to hope, but substance is that next step in hope.
You still need have hope in God, but not a hope that relies on earthly evidence but something that is built on faith.
Because without faith you can’t please God (11:6)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews Eleven One.
^ That is the NIV version, CONFIDENCE. If I’m confident I have no fear of the consequences, no smell of paranoia.
My faith is bigger than a hope in a football team because I don’t need to see the score to believe. Faith is a clear expectation that you’ll be just fine, if not better.
I’m not only confident I’m assured, not by the advantages in my situation but the promises in my conversation with God.
I can give my baby insurance but nothing’s assured unless it’s his will for her. 
It’s about believing then seeing, not seeing then believing – Mary Akinsulire
Usually we’re assured of someone or something because they’ve done something to prove that. They’ve shown that they’re trustworthy by showing you proof of not cheating, or they’ve consistently been there for you when you need them.
Here it’s quite frankly, le opposite.
So, how do we find faith?
● Hearing, knowing and understanding
● Faith comes by hearing the Word of God – Romans 10:17
● The understanding of who he is – Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 12:2, John 3:16
● We cannot find faith in God from what we see, that includes the progression of others, let’s not confuse it for hope
and what happens when we have faith?
● The confidence – Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
● The ability to resist – Hebrews 11:24-25, Genesis 39:6-23,
● The strength to go on – Ephesians 6:16 (The Armor of God)
● The belief in something greater than what I already – Hebrews 11:17, the story of Abraham & Isaac in Genesis 22