Now, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Substance is “hypo-stasis” in the Greek.  Hypo meaning “beneath”, and stasis meaning “the state, status, or structure of a thing”.  That is, the underlying, inherent nature of an object, its foundation, its unseen, non-physical yet spiritual essence.  Whether it is an apple, a thought, or a person, to have faith in or for something is to have it for real, whether or not you see it manifested in the natural.  For example, if you say, “I believe such and such will happen”, that is hope.  If you have the substance of the thing hoped for, the very reality of that thing, though yet unseen, that is what Faith is.

The faith of the Kingdom is not an abstract notion, nor is it something that can be reckoned with our natural mind.  We cannot conjure it up, nor manufacture it, but as each one has a measure of faith given to them from above, so they believe.  It is a spiritual believing, not as the natural man does, but after the Spirit.  Abraham believed, and it was credited to Him as righteousness.

There are three words in English that we use to translate one Greek word meaning “Faith”.  Believe, Trust, and Faith all come from different forms of the Greek word “pistis”.  When reading an English translation, whenever any one of these three words is encountered, the other two words are always directly interchangeable, as the language permits.  They all are the same word in the Greek.  In fact, when it talks about “unbelief”, it is merely a prefix “a-” making “apistis”.

To have spiritual faith in something is to apprehend it on a plane different than the natural man.  In the same way the Jesus told Nicodemus that no one could see nor enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless they were born again (John 3).  The things of the Spirit must be spiritually discerned, and are to be talked about using Spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).

To live in the substance of the Kingdom is to live with the spiritual awareness (that is, awareness by His Spirit) of the domain of heaven, and to possess it.  Lest we get too far in our exposition of this, may we suffice to say that since the carnal man cannot see nor enter it, all attempts to explain it will always fall short.  Simply to express to someone who has never tasted the goodness of God’s Word nor the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5) without the Spirit making the reality of it plain to them is always bound to fail.

Yet, Jesus demonstrated a greater Wisdom (Matthew 13:54, Mark 6:2).  He demonstrated both a substance (faith), anointing, and way in the Spirit that was both perfect and unstoppable.  It is in fully understanding this walk, this yoke, that we find the light load and easy burden.  It is in this place that we find rest for our souls.

How do I know when I’ve found the substance of His Kingdom?  When it’s there.  When I feel the presence and that realm of heaven moving around me.  When I feel the activity in the atmosphere.  When I otherwise perceive it.  When I just know it.  How do I know when it is really faith?  Just try it out a few times.  If it turns out that what you hope is faith really is, the object of your faith will manifest, after a while.  If it turns out not to manifest, either keep waiting, or what you really had either wasn’t faith or you got off of it.  It’s not the amount of faith that matters, it is its integrity (Mark 11).

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that a man sowed.  Though it is the smallest of seeds, when it is grown, it becomes the largest of all garden plants.  (Mark 4:31-32, paraphrased).  This thing about substance is more than a mental agreement or assent.  If it’s big enough to be counted as righteousness before God (Romans 4:3), and if it is big enough to determine the for Eternity heaven or hell (Mark 16:16), whatever it is in the invisible, spiritual realm (2 Corinthians 4:18), it is of utmost importance.

What is this substance?  It is the belief, the assurance, or the trusting.  Yet it is much more than that.  It is like the extension cord, running from the outlet of God’s immeasurable power by which He raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11) to the desk lamp called us.  The power does not lie in the lamp, it lies in God.  All our faith does is reaches out and connects to it, and it is His power that turns the lights on.

The children in the wilderness perished because they did not mix their prophetic word with Faith (Hebrews 4:2).  If we understand what faith is, we can take a word as simple as “He bore my shame”, take some faith.  Though we do not understand what this word even looks like yet, we can simply attach our faith to the word itself, connecting it to God’s Eternal promise, and step into it.  It does not take effort to stay in faith, simply do not get off.

As we engage God through that substance within our belly, our spirit, we enter into greater and greater realms of God (2 Corinthians 3:18), revelation (Proverbs 4:18), and holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1).  A great deal of what Jesus did was to teach on Faith, yet the his two millennium old question remains to us today…

I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

John 3:12