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

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the substance, the spiritual substructure or foundation of a thing, that if you have it, you have it, you have the actual thing in spiritual form.  While hope is relative to the future, faith is always a “Now” thing.  Because to have the substance of the thing is to have it in actuality, while the manifestation of the material or appearance of a thing may be yet forthcoming, the presence of faith, the presence of the thing in the Spirit, is the same as having it in the natural.  True faith, when it is real faith, and it is not ever wrong.  If the thing does not appear, either keep waiting, you got off faith, or it was not faith in the first place.

However, faith is not only the substance of a thing hoped for, it is also the proof of a thing.  This is important also to know.  While the faith is the presence of a thing, simply to have faith is proof that it is so.  You cannot have God’s kind of faith in a lie, and because “faith” and “wrong”  cannot happen in the same place at the same time, you will never have faith in a non-thing.  Faith cannot be attached to a fantasy.  Faith, goes beyond substance to the evidence and proof that something is.

If you ever get in an argument with someone who says, “Ya, well how do you know FOR SURE????”  While quoting the Word is important, and while experience and testimonies cannot be left aside, Faith itself is proof.  If it really is faith that you are speaking out of, your adversaries may not act like they respect such an answer, but it is actually enough to win any argument, spiritually.  Regarding Stephen, who spoke as one full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, this was the testimony of the Pharisees concerning his preaching.

But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Acts 6:10

Now, understand, when you defeat someone in the Spirit, gracious words will give way to hate, reviling, and violence, where they feel they can get away with it.  This is a spiritual confrontation.  You can expect that when you stand up rightly, and faith is your proof, that the demons involved will show their true nature (if they haven’t already), and will do what demons do: kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).  This is not the goal, but it should be noted, and one should not be surprised nor alarmed when they do.

Know, that when they have turned to anger, they are defeated, and their power is broken.  Even if they martyr you, like they did Stephen, the Kingdom will advance.  We are to seek first His Kingdom, and His righteousness, and all other things will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33).  We are not to fear those who can kill the body only, but afterwards can do no more, but rather to fear only God (Matthew 10:28).

In the spirit realm, true, Godly faith is absolute proof.  Against any disease, against any oppression, against any onslaught of the enemy.  While it may be required to stand and continue to stand, it may be required to speak and keep on speaking, but faith, true and undiluted faith proves your right to access the things of heaven.

I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Mark 11:23

The only reason to ever diminish this verse to mean something less than a physical mountain is simply to find something that, in your mind, requires less faith.  Considering Jesus spoke this as a provocation to faith, it would be extremely unwise to settle with a lesser explanation.  Especially, considering that it is response to a physical fig tree withering at a spoke command.

The only thing that is required is the smallest amount of living, active faith, with no doubt, and, when you speak to something it will happen.  Jesus was proving the mundane and moderate with the statement of the extreme.  If, at some point, we speak to something, and do not see it happen, we must conclude one of two things.  Either, we do not have faith at all, or we have too much doubt.

Yet, if we take Jesus at His word, if we can have our eye be single, and have our eye on His kind of faith, we can assuage much of the doubt simply by His admonition that a mustard seed is enough.  This is the definition of Faith.  All other experience must fall into the explanation given by this.

But, when we have that substance, it is the proof of the truth of the thing.  This is true of faith in Jesus, and this is true of faith for healing, deliverance, signs and wonders.  Stand if faith, and see if it is enough.  Every time, it will be.

Faith is proof.