PART 1 — What No One Ever Told Me About Completion;
THE POWER OF FINISHING WELL AND FINISHING STRONG
The littlest details are often ignored. Many people focus so much on the first line that they forget there is a second, and sometimes fail to realize there are even more lines after that.
At times, it shows in the little things:
• The book you refused to finish,
• The sermon you never listened to completely,
• The handout you abandoned halfway,
• Or the chapter of the Bible you stopped reading midway.
And yes, I’m talking about productive things.
It usually begins with the small things, then gradually extends into bigger areas of life. But what if the parts we often neglect are actually the very places where illumination and understanding are hidden? What if the missing understanding behind many arguments, contradictions, and confusion comes from what we failed to finish?
Let’s dive into our focus for today: Faith.
Through Scripture, we understand that faith is:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Oftentimes, this is where many teachings, sermons, and messages stop. Because of that, people are limited to only one dimension of faith. The emphasis becomes receiving things by faith, and over time, this incomplete understanding has robbed many believers of deeper truth.
This is why, when some Christians pray for something and it doesn’t happen, they begin to question the faithfulness of God. Doubt starts creeping in, and statements like:
“If God is truly faithful, why hasn’t this prayer been answered?” begin to arise.
But we must also understand that not every desire, request, or prayer comes from the right place. Sometimes, what we ask for may come from personal lust, selfish ambition, or misunderstanding. So we must be careful not to quickly point accusing fingers at God when things do not go according to our expectations.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That means He remains faithful regardless of circumstances.
The truth is, many believers were never properly taught how to navigate these things. And naturally, you can only pass down what you know. But what happens when you encounter situations beyond your understanding? Do you run? Do you create explanations around it? Or do you humble yourself and seek deeper understanding?
If you continue reading Hebrews 11 beyond verse 1 — where faith is defined — you begin to notice something interesting.
Scripture says that through faith, the elders obtained a good report.
Now someone may ask: Why were they called elders? Was it merely because of age? And what exactly was this “good report” they obtained?
Keep reading carefully.
As you journey through Hebrews 11, you begin to notice a pattern among these elders. Surprisingly, the least thing emphasized was “things.” They obtained something deeper than material possessions. Do not confuse the two.
There are dimensions of faith many people have never been taught about.
Let me walk you through them.
FAITH THAT RECEIVES
This is the dimension of faith most believers are familiar with — the exciting part. It involves believers exercising faith in God, according to His will, to obtain things such as healing, provision, miracles, jobs, scholarships, breakthroughs, and more.
Scripture says:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us .” — 1 John 5:14
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Don’t get me wrong. When necessary, exercise your faith and trust God for things according to His will.
But pay attention to the emphasis of that scripture: according to His will. The verse says He hears us, not necessarily that He grants every request exactly the way we expect. Hearing us does not remove God’s sovereignty. It simply means our requests have come before Him in alignment with His will.
Faith was never designed to make God submit to man; rather, it brings man into alignment with God.
So yes, trust God, believe God, and exercise your faith when necessary. But do not limit your understanding of faith to only what it can give you.
FAITH THAT ENDURES
This dimension of faith has to do with complete dependence on God despite difficult situations.
And this is where many believers struggle.
A lot of people are comfortable with faith when prayers are answered quickly. But what happens when situations become confrontational? What happens when reality seems opposite to expectation?
“How you respond to God when situations become confrontational will reveal the depth of your trust in Him.”
This is the point where many believers feel stuck, confused, or emotionally stranded, creating questions they themselves cannot explain.
What do you tell the friend who lost their mother after praying endlessly to God?
What do you tell the woman in the village who has trusted God for breakthrough almost her entire life, but now feels hopeless?
What do you tell the barren woman who has believed God for a child for over thirty years without seeing change?
What do you tell the person faithfully serving in church for years while still waiting for marriage?
What do you tell the young man praying and fasting for his parents’ healing while their condition keeps getting worse?
What do you tell the widow believing God to intervene, yet heaven seems silent?
Not every believer knows how to respond when confronted by situations like these.
And sadly, it becomes easy for people to create shallow explanations or even heresy just to escape the tension. Some may say:
“You don’t have enough faith.” Or “You simply don’t know God.”
But what about those who have prayed, fasted, believed, trusted, and still cannot see visible change?
What then do we say to them?
Sometimes believers become so overwhelmed that all they can offer is:
“It is God’s will.” Or “It is well.”
Yet many do not realize that careless responses can leave deep wounds in people’s hearts.
And who knows whether those people will ever trust God again?
Continuation in Part 2…
