5 Helpful Words, Verses, and Prayers that Define Faith
How would you define faith?
What would you say if someone asked you to define your faith in God? How do you explain what it means when you say you believe?
Several years ago, God gave me the word SEEK as my word for the year; by the end of that year, I had determined it would be my word for the rest of my life.
And after much prayer and seeking, I’ve added four more words that believe define faith. These five simple words help me explain what it means to me when I say I believe…
SEEK, KNOW, LOVE, TRUST, and OBEY GOD the Father, the Son Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit.
When I SEEK the Lord, He allows me to KNOW Him by His grace. When I KNOW Him, I can’t help but LOVE Him. And because I KNOW and LOVE Him, it has become my heart’s desire to TRUST and OBEY Him.
So, I’ve chosen five verses and added prayers to help focus our hearts and minds on this helpful way to define faith.
Verses and Prayers to Help You Define Faith
SEEK
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
Maatthew 6:33
Lord God, thank you for Your Spirit who prompted my heart to SEEK You above everything else in this world. I want to live righteously but on my own, I won’t … I can’t. I need to SEEK You through Your Word and spend time with You in prayer if I want to KNOW You and Your will for me.
Thank you for this beautiful promise. Thank you for showing me that what I need most in life are the things that only You can give … love, joy, peace, patience, hope, and so much more. It’s easy for us to focus on the temporary things when You encourage us to SEEK Your Kingdom and things that last eternally. Please help me as I give myself to You. Amen.
KNOW
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 & Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Lord, thank you for making it possible for us to KNOW You. You want more for us than simply knowing about You; You want us to KNOW You the way people who live together know each other. You desire an intimacy with us.
You know everything about me … my thoughts, hopes and dreams, disappointments and frustrations, and my wants and needs. You invite me to quietly spend time with You so that I might know what You love and what displeases and disappoints You. You want me to KNOW Your heart that pours out unfailing love. You want me to KNOW Your will and follow it so that I might enjoy the blessings You have prepared for me. Amen.
LOVE
How generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:14
Lord, I want to love You completely and perfectly but I know I give in to sin and selfishness often. Yet Your Word says that there is forgiveness for all who repent. (Luke 24:47) You are the One who fills me with faith and love for my Lord and Savior, Jesus.
I don’t deserve Your forgiveness and I certainly can’t earn it but because of Your unfailing love and Jesus’ sacrifice … You declare me completely forgiven and free of sin. When I think about who You are and all You’ve done, I can’t help but respond to Your love by loving You with all that I am. I praise and worship You. I love You. Amen.
TRUST
But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
Jeremiah 17:7
Lord, thank you for Your blessings. Another word for blessed is “happy” and it is true … when I make You my hope and confidence, I can live each day with joy. I can find happiness in the little things of life. I can trust You with my past, present, and future.
I trust You, Lord, because You have been faithful to keep Your promises. You forgive my repentant heart and fill my life with peace and love. You have given me strength when I had none of my own. I believe I can trust You to love and care for me today and I will trust You to give me what I need every day going forward.
Your grace is sufficient and Your love never fails. I do not need to worry when You are with me. Amen.
OBEY
You are a God who does what is right,
Psalm 25:10
and You smooth out the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws;
our heart’s desire is to glorify Your name.
Because I love and trust You, Lord, I want to obey You in all that I do and say. I want to do what You say is “right.” I want to trust that Your laws are intended to protect me and improve my life.
I believe Your will is for our good. I believe that when I trust and obey You, Lord, I will experience the blessings of growing faith, hope, love, joy, and more.
You are love and I believe everything You do comes from Your love.
By the power of Your Spirit, give me all I need to obey You faithfully. Please help me live every moment of my life sharing Your love for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How would you define faith? Would you like to make it your heart’s desire to SEEK, KNOW, LOVE, TRUST, and OBEY YAHWEH, the I AM?
The truth is … we will pursue something. We will make someone or something our god.
But we need to have faith in the one and only true GOD—Father, Son, and Spirit. One Triune God whose love is so great that He gave Himself to live among us, suffer our punishment, and defeat the evil that pursues our hearts and minds every day.
That’s why SEEK is my life word. I want to “be still,” SEEK Him, and KNOW Him.
The Message says it like this…
Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything. (Psalm 46:10)
The Good News is that when we SEEK Him and KNOW Him … we will LOVE, TRUST, and make it our heart’s desire to OBEY Him.
That’s living with faith. For me, that defines faith.
May the Lord fill you with His love and a desire to grow closer to Him through faith.
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Such a meaningful and true message, Deb. May we seek God every day that we draw breath and experience the joy He so freely gives us.
Blessings!
Thank you, dear friend. I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful weekend. Blessings and hugs!
Thank you, Deb for the beautiful words of truth and inspiration ❣️ I am definitely sharing this devotional today. Praise be God Almighty!!
Thanks much, Judy! Your kind words of encouragement are truly a blessing. God be with you!
It seems that the things you have written this week are things I have been pondering about and praying about for the last few weeks. I am so thankful for the things you have shared and the verses and prayers you have given. Seeking God’s will and to know Him better is what I pray for on a daily basis. Trust is one of my words for this year. You are so right, when I Seek to know God, And do read and study his word, I do want obey HIM. I just don’t have the desire to want to displease him in any way.
I hope that you have a wonderful and peaceful weekend and I pray for your health and safety. God Bless You, my dear friend.
Thanks so much, Sue. I’m with you … I want to please Him in all I say and do. I know I fail but oh, I am thankful for His mercy and grace. I need Him every day! I pray you’re having a great weekend. Blessings and hugs!
Hello, Deb,
I pray that you’re doing well today.
Know that you are in my daily prayers.
Take things one step at a time.
In every step you take, God is with you.
Faith is putting my trust in God and having confidence that He will fulfill His promises. Faith is God’s work in us that changes us and gives new birth from our Heavenly Father.
Faith changes our hearts, our thoughts, and with faith we cannot help but do great works. Faith is a living, strong trust in God’s amazing grace.
Faith is acting on God’s truth, whether we like the truth or not. Whether we agree on the truth or not.
One of my favorites of faith is when Jesus told Simon the fisherman to let down his nets in the deep water.
Luke 5:5.
Deb, may you have a blessed, restful and joyful weekend.
Joyfully His,
Raquel
Thank you so much for you prayers, Raquel. I love you faith definitions. Well said and I can tell they are heartfelt. Beautiful! God be with you and bless you!
What a meaningful summary of what it means to live by faith: “When I SEEK the Lord, He allows me to KNOW Him by His grace. When I KNOW Him, I can’t help but LOVE Him. And because I KNOW and LOVE Him, it has become my heart’s desire to TRUST and OBEY Him.” Well done, Deb, and thank you!