"And without faith it is impossible to please Him (God)..." Hebrews 11:6 What is the big deal about faith? Why is that the particular thing that pleases God? Faith is so important to God because it is impossible to follow Him without it. This is not because He has somehow made it impossible, it simply is the nature of choosing to trust in Him over yourself. At the root of all sin is a distrust of God, whether we are talking about sins of sex, money, or power. The opposite of faith is "looking out for number one" and trusting nobody but yourself. We all look askance at Ebeneezer Scrooge and His hoarding, ruthless ways but, truth be told, there is more than a little of Scrooge in each one of us.
The Apostle James put it like this: "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures..." James 4:1-3 Following Jesus requires the faith of allowing Jesus to go first and lead the way. We cannot claim to follow Him and go our own way at the same time. We will simply not be following Him if that is the case. Having faith in someone means that you are putting your trust in another's faithfulness. Every action contrary to this trust is an act of sin. With that statement, I am deeply aware of my need for repentance all the time. My faith is as small as a mustard seed, which is enough to see God's faithfulness, but it is also little enough to be sure that I have a continual need for repentance. In a country that deeply desires "liberty" and "freedom", we must learn to repent and have faith in Jesus if we ever want true freedom. He is able. In God was Trust ( Yes, Lord, please!).