Faith is not the belief that God will remove all our problems in this world, necessarily (2 Corinthians 12:9). Faith is the determination and willingness to maximally grow or stay in truth, love, goodness, justice, fairness, kindness, generosity, trustworthiness, self-control, sacrifice, empowering others, etc. It’s the realization/acknowledgment that all these have ultimate and eternal meaning/purpose/value, as they are rooted in God – not only rooted in God but provided by God, by being in a relationship with God, being in the family of God.

What may start as the desire/willingness to get rid of sin and the ill effects of sin, results in being rescued by God (Genesis 22:8, John 3:16). The loving relationship with God becomes the goal and the means – turning us into mini-representatives of God in His mission (John 20:21). The fact that we still live in a world where sin exists, invariably means that faith requires that we deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).