People of "Faith"??

I read and hear about "people of faith" all the time but if by it we mean belief there is some sort of deity -according to the full Bible and Jesus' own words and dealings in the four Gospels, the devil and demons have that faith- and are still evil and are headed for a very bad end indeed.

Short add and then on to the key points- faith in people isn't faith in God. Looking to humans for our ultimate help and well-being can in the end, even truly amount to idolatry. Important issue indeed.

Onward! Please consider:

Hebrews 11.1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -NASB95

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. -NIV

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. -AMP

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. -NRSV

Further, Paul writes "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."

-Rom. 12.3

There is a principle there that God Himself gives "each a measure of faith" and it's not just about us, our own doing or even our own humility but sound[ness] of judgment in such.

The Hebrews account goes further or shall I say, lays a deeper foundation for our thinking about faith:

Hebrews 11.6 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."

The entire Testament (both of them!) testify to God's desire for fellowship- and close, daily, regular relationship with Him via Jesus and the Holy Spirit but unless we appropriate the faith HE gives us and believe He IS and seek Him we miss out on it.

God is God of past, God of present, God of future. He reveals Himself as the un-changing, utterly holy and full-on perfect God and more- that no other true and genuine God exists other than Himself.

I'm aware I pound this reality home over and over in my writings, speaking and song lyrics but once again I insist we are deeply, massively inadequate to masquerade as though we are God.

Stated in brief to the extreme- if we say we are people of "faith", what you've read and I hope pondered in this post is what you're saying faith is about. Well, I suppose the zillions of words written defining faith otherwise think the same plus... or think otherwise but here I stand and have over most of my lifetime and I expect, eternity with our heavenly Father in Christ the Messiah by the power of the Spirit.

And as always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn