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

Hebrews 11:1

Faith in God is a real, active, and living thing.  God is alive, and powerful.  Faith sees Him, and the word of His power overcomes what cannot be otherwise overcome, and carries a person with it through otherwise impossible situations.

It was by faith in God that David conquered the giant, and it was by faith in God that Jonathan, his friend, along with his armor bearer, single-handedly took on an entire Philistine garrison.  It was by faith that overcame their weaknesses and came to be firmly established in the land.

Consider David’s cave, after he and all his father’s household had gone down there to live.

1 Samuel 22:2

Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.

David had the word of the Lord that He would be King, but was not yet there.  And, those who gathered around him were those with problems.  But faith saw him through.

In a world that is cannot see the light, there is still only one Rock.  Peter saw it, and Jesus said He would build His church upon it (Matthew 16:18).  Moses saw it, and it gave the community water (Exodus 17:6).  Jesus spoke of it, and said it was the only place to build (Matthew 7:24).

It is the the substance of the message, the anointing from the Holy One, the Presence of the Almighty that is our only safe-guard, stronghold, and supply.

It is only faith in God that can withstand any force.  It is only a living, active, real faith within that can stand up to any attack of the enemy.

If the eye of faith falls upon a pearl of great price, it acquires it any any price.  If it finds a treasure in a field, it sells all to buy that field.

Faith in God is immovable, unshakable, because He is.  When your identity, confidence, security, and everything about you are fully wrapped up in who He is, nothing can stop you.

This is the point of the Gospel, and attested to in everything ever written in the Bible.

Jesus didn’t come with a message that was “on-par” with other philosophies.  He didn’t come with something just a little better.  Like oil doesn’t mix with water, it floats!  So neither does gospel faith mix with human philosophies.  Just as the Hebrews could not cross breed animals nor plant two plants in the same field, so, you cannot mix Gospel faith with human intuition, it will simply not work.  If you find the treasure, you sell all, plain and simple.

When every human effort dies, when every human support fails, and when every other thing of this life is fully crucified, and all you have left is Him, then no threat can intimidate, no loss can stagger, no sight can woo you, and neither success nor defeat can change you.  When you have died to everything else, it is not that you are less, for what you are left with is the creator of creation, and fullness of the Spirit, and that is all we have been crying out for from the beginning.  Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:16).  Unless you hate…even your own life, you cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:26).  He does not leave you as an orphan, left with nothing to cling to (John 14:18).  We are truly in the world, but not of it (John 17:14).  The things that are highly valuable among men are detestable unto God (Luke 16:15), and, as He was, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).

I think the silliest complaint to losing your life for Jesus would be the fear of having less than you started.  Who, in all of history, had less after giving something to God?  Who, in all of time, ever got short-changed by the Lord?  Who, in your own mind, ever mocked God, and did not reap exactly what they sowed?  For whatever a man sows, this he will also reap (Galatians 6:7).

The word of God is Eternal, and let Him be true, and everyone a liar.  Better to die in faith, than live a lie, or live running from possibilities.  If God’s word over your life is true, then set your eyes before you, and walk on with it, for it will come to pass exactly as He has said, with nothing added nor taken away.

Even David, running for his life from his son Absalom after he had overthrown him, said of Shimei, “Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him. “Perhaps the LORD will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” (2 Samuel 16:11-12).  David knew his life was in the hands of the Lord.  He knew his own mistakes, yet he knew the Lord was greater.  He had learned the lessons of failure and forgiveness, and knew that, in everything, the Lord was just.  Even in the cursing, though it was insult to injury, he submitted his soul to the Lord, in hope that even that might turn to His good.

2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.