The Bible tells us that the Lord gives every person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). We are also told that without faith, it is impossible to please the Lord, and that we don't walk by sight, but by faith (Hebrews 11:6, 2 Corinthians 5:7). Four times the Bible tells us that "the just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). Even with all these scriptures about faith, many people misunderstand the purpose of faith.
Many times, Christians seem to believe that the Lord has given us faith so that we can get what we want. The Lord didn't give us faith to get what we want. He gave us faith to get what we need.
What each person needs is very often different than what they want. In fact, many people have a difficult time coming to the Lord and getting saved because they are not able to decide between what they want and what they need. The Bible admonishes us that we don't gain anything if we gain the whole world but lose our souls (Matthews 6:26).
What each person needs is to be born again of the water and of the spirit. The new birth requires us to repent and turn from sin and towards God. We must be baptized in Jesus' name and receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. We receive the new birth by faith, but living for God also requires faith to believe that if I commit myself to the Lord, He will supply what I need to resist the sinful life I lived before and continue to live for the Lord. The real purpose of faith is not to give us what we want, but to give us faith to believe that Jesus can keep us if we commit our lives to Him (2 Timothy 1:12).
