Every year, it’s important to remember the word that shapes our lives and our walk with God. For 2025, that word is simple but powerful: faith.
Faith begins with salvation—trusting in Jesus Christ who died on the cross, was buried, and rose again. But walking by faith goes beyond that first step. It is the ongoing journey of trusting in what we cannot see, obeying even when we don’t understand, and persisting even when we don’t feel like it.
The Foundation of Faith
The Bible makes it clear: the foundation of our faith is Jesus. No other name can forgive sin or give eternal life. Jesus himself declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). When you place your trust in Him, you are no longer standing on the shifting sands of the world but on the solid rock of Christ.
But faith doesn’t stop at salvation. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith is the GPS of life—it directs our steps, guides our choices, and reminds us that with God, all things are possible (Luke 1:37).
Running the Race of Faith
The Christian life is often compared to a race. Hebrews 12 describes it this way:
Lay aside the weights. Sometimes it’s not outright sin that slows us down—it’s the burdens of attitude, discouragement, or negative influences. Just like an athlete sheds extra weight to run faster, we must let go of what drags us down.
Stay in your lane. Sin is what distracts us and gets us off course. Every believer has weaknesses that “so easily beset us.” The key is to fix our eyes forward on Christ, not comparing ourselves with others or looking behind.
Run with endurance. Faith isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. We press on step by step, knowing that Jesus is both the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
And at the finish line, Jesus is waiting, cheering us on with the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us.
A Lesson from Jericho
Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days.”
The story of Jericho reminds us that faith is not passive—it requires obedience. God gave Israel a plan that didn’t make sense by human standards: march around the city, blow trumpets, and shout. Yet when they trusted His plan, the massive walls collapsed.
The victory didn’t come from human effort—it came because the people believed God’s promise and acted in faith.
The Power of Collective Faith
What makes Jericho’s story especially powerful is that everyone participated. Every family, every soldier, every priest—they all got involved. And when they did, God honored their unity with a miracle.
That principle still applies today. Whether in a family, a business, or a church, when everyone moves together in obedience to God, there is a synergy of blessing—a multiplied strength that comes only from shared faith and obedience.
Keep Your Eyes on the Finish Line
Life’s race is filled with obstacles, setbacks, and weights that try to slow us down. But if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, persist in faith, and trust His guidance, we can be sure of one thing: the finish line is worth it.
So run your race. Run it as a husband or wife, as a student, a teacher, a worker, a parent. Whatever role you have, run it with faith. Trust the One who began your story and will be there at the finish line to complete it.
Because at the end of the day—
you gotta have faith.
