A Church That Pleases God: A Faith-filled Church
Is Your Faith Pleasing to God? What It Really Means to Live by Faith
Faith is not just for the big moments in life. It is meant to be a lifestyle, a daily posture of trust in God that shapes every decision, every reaction, and every step forward. But if we are honest, many of us have allowed our faith to shrink without even realizing it.
What Does It Mean to Please God?
The Apostle Paul made his life's goal clear in 2 Corinthians when he wrote that whether present or away from the body, his aim was to please God. Not to be successful, not to be comfortable, but to please Him.
It is worth asking yourself honestly: what is the highest goal of your life? Career, family, financial security? None of those are bad things. But what would change if your highest goal, above everything else, was to please God?
The One Quality You Cannot Live Without
There is one essential quality that must be present in your life if you are going to please God. You could be generous, spiritually gifted, and sacrificially serving others. But without this one thing, it is still not enough.
That quality is faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says it plainly: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6 New International Version (NIV)
Impossible. Not difficult. Not unlikely. Impossible.
What Kind of Faith Are We Talking About?
This is not about faith for miracles or material blessings. It is about everyday, ordinary, persistent faith. Faith to stay in a hard marriage. Faith to face an uncertain diagnosis. Faith to get up and trust God when you have no idea how things are going to turn out.
It is the kind of faith that opens God's Word each morning expecting to meet Him there. The kind that casts anxiety on God because you genuinely believe He cares. The kind that trusts Him even when you do not understand what He is doing.
Enoch: A Life That Pleased God
Consider Enoch. He never wrote any books. He held no notable leadership role. He fought no famous battles. And yet Genesis chapter 5 records that Enoch walked faithfully with God, and Hebrews tells us He was known as someone who pleased God.
"By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: 'He could not be found, because God had taken Him away.' For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God." - Hebrews 11:5 New International Version (NIV)
Faith that pleases God is not reserved for the dramatic moments. It is a lifestyle of walking faithfully with Him day after day.
Two Responses to Faith: Dumbfounded vs. Astonished
In the New Testament, Jesus encountered two very different expressions of faith, and His responses could not have been more different.
When Jesus Was Speechless
In Mark chapter 6, Jesus returned to His hometown. The people there had heard His teaching and knew about His miracles, but they were offended by Him. They saw Him as ordinary, just a carpenter from their town. The result? He could do very little there.
"He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith." - Mark 6:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
Their unbelief left Jesus dumbfounded. Speechless.
When Jesus Was Blown Away
In Luke chapter 7, a Roman centurion, a Gentile and an outsider, sent word to Jesus asking Him to heal a dying servant. But he did not even feel worthy to have Jesus come to His home. He simply said: say the word, and my servant will be healed.
"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, 'I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.'" - Luke 7:9 New International Version (NIV)
Two groups. Two responses. One left Jesus speechless. The other left Him astonished.
The question worth sitting with is this: which response does your faith produce?
Your Faith Reflects How You See God
The strength of your faith is a direct reflection of your view of God. A small view of God produces small faith. A high view of God produces the kind of faith that astonishes.
A low view of God tends to produce three specific kinds of faith that fall short of pleasing Him.
Conditional Faith: Trusting God Only When He Does What You Want
Conditional faith says, "I trust You, God, as long as You do what I think You should do." When God does not deliver the outcome we expected, we do not just feel disappointed. We feel betrayed.
But that is not faith. That is control.
God-pleasing faith is not trusting God to do what we want. It is trusting God even when He does not. The object of your faith must be God Himself, not the outcome you are hoping for. When you place your faith in an outcome, you will eventually lose your faith. When you place it in a person, in God Himself, it can hold.
Stagnant Faith: Stuck but Not Dead
Stagnant faith is not dead. It is just stuck. You still show up. You still serve. You still check the boxes. But the passion is gone. The spiritual hunger has faded. There is no urgency anymore.
The danger of stagnant faith is subtle. Outwardly, everything looks fine. But what does not grow eventually dies. And the goal of the spiritual life is not to do fine. It is to please the Lord.
Safe Faith: Always Keeping a Plan B
Safe faith refuses to take risks. It prays, but always has a backup plan ready in case God does not show up. It hedges every bet. It never steps out.
Safe faith is dangerous because it convinces you that you are doing fine. But you cannot play it safe and please God at the same time. As John Wimber famously said, faith is spelled R-I-S-K.
What to Do When Your Faith Has Grown Weak
If your faith has become conditional, stagnant, or safe, there are two steps that can begin to restore it.
Repent
Repent for placing your trust in outcomes rather than in God. Repent for allowing what your eyes see to become the measure of what is true. What we see is not the only truth there is.
Remember
Remember who God is. Remember what He has done. Remember what He has promised. If you cannot trust Him for any other reason, trust the love that sent His own Son for you.
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32 New International Version (NIV)
The cross is the ultimate demonstration that God is trustworthy. His love for you is without limit, and it has been proven at the highest possible cost.
Faith That Has a Pulse Again
Faith does not have to be perfect to be real. It just has to be pointed in the right direction. When faith is rooted in who God is rather than what He does, it can survive setbacks, losses, and seasons of confusion.
God-pleasing faith is not pie in the sky optimism. Hard things still happen. Setbacks and failures are real. But none of those things have to be what determines your faith. The object of your faith determines everything.
Remember who called you. Remember who holds you. Remember who is working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Life Application
This week, take an honest look at the condition of your faith. Has it become conditional, stagnant, or safe? Choose one specific area of your life where you have been trusting in an outcome rather than in God, and bring it back to Him. Repent for taking your eyes off of Him, and then spend time remembering. Write down two or three things God has done in your life that remind you He is faithful. Let that remembrance be the foundation for a step of faith you take this week, even a small one.
Ask yourself these questions:
If I am honest, is my faith conditional on God doing what I want Him to do?
Has my faith stopped growing? Am I spiritually hungry, or have I settled for just going through the motions?
Is there a step of faith I have been avoiding because I am afraid of what happens if God does not come through the way I expect?
When I look at my life, does my faith reflect a big God or a small one?
The future belongs to those who believe God can still do more than they can ask or imagine. Let that be you.