When “Your Faith” Is Really the Flesh in Disguise: Heb 11

Faith is one of the most beautiful words in the Christian life.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

The righteous live by faith.

The heroes of Hebrews 11 are remembered because of their faith.

Yet I wonder whether we sometimes use the word faith to describe something that isn’t really faith at all.

We say,

“I’m believing God for a detached house.”

“I’m believing for a promotion.”

“I’m believing for financial breakthrough.”

“I’m believing for a Ferrari.”

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of those desires.

God is a generous Father, and Scripture encourages us to bring every request before Him.

But perhaps we should first ask a much more searching question.

“Why do I want this?”

That single question has the power to expose whether our desire is flowing from faith—or whether we are quietly looking to something else to give us what only Christ can.

Faith Begins With God

Biblical faith always begins with God.

God speaks.
God promises.
God reveals Himself.

Faith responds.

The flesh begins somewhere very different.

It begins with self.

It asks,

“What will make me feel successful?”

“What will make me feel secure?”

“What will make people admire me?”

“What will finally prove that I’ve made it?”

Those are very different starting points.

Both may use the language of faith.

Only one begins by resting in God.

Example 1: The Ferrari Test

Suppose someone says,

“I’m believing God for a Ferrari.”

Owning a Ferrari is not sinful.

It is simply a car.

But now ask another question.

Why?

Suppose you were the only person alive on earth.

No neighbours.

No friends.

No social media.

No one to admire it.

No one to envy it.

No one even to notice that you owned it.

Would you still want it with the same intensity?

That question often exposes something deeper.

Sometimes the Ferrari isn’t really about driving.

Sometimes it is about what driving it says.

It says,

“I’ve succeeded.”

“I’ve arrived.”

“People will respect me.”

The car has quietly become something much greater than transportation.

It has become an identity.

Example 2: The Detached House Test

The same thing can happen with houses.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a detached home.

Perhaps your family is growing.

Perhaps you want space to host friends, care for relatives, or raise children.

Those are wonderful reasons.

But what if the deeper motivation is different?

What if I secretly believe that living in a townhouse means I haven’t succeeded?

What if I compare myself with friends who own larger homes?

What if my sense of blessing rises and falls with my address?

Think about something interesting.

Many people would be thrilled to own a small apartment in Manhattan, New York.

It may be tiny.

Older.

Far more expensive.

Less comfortable than an apartment in Edmonton.

Yet they would proudly tell everyone,

“I own an apartment in New York.”

Now imagine offering that same person a beautiful apartment in Edmonton—larger, newer, and more comfortable.

Some would actually feel disappointed.

Why?

The apartment didn’t change.

The quality of life may even have improved.

What changed was what the apartment communicated.

One location says,

“You’ve made it.”

The other, in their mind, says,

“You’re still ordinary.”

That should make us stop and think.

Perhaps we never really wanted the house.

Perhaps we wanted what the house would say about us.

The issue isn’t real estate.

The issue is identity.

Example 3: The Promotion Test

Imagine praying every day for a promotion.

Again, promotions are not wrong.

God often blesses diligent work.

But ask yourself another question.

“If I never receive this promotion, what will I believe about myself?”

Will I simply be disappointed?

Or will I conclude,

“I’m a failure.”

“I’m overlooked.”

“My life doesn’t matter.”

“I’m not valuable.”

If that is where my heart goes, perhaps I have attached my identity to my career.

I am asking my employer to answer questions that were already answered at the cross.

Why Do I Want It?

This is the real question.

Not,

“Is this desire right or wrong?”

But,

“Why do I want it?”

And perhaps even more importantly,

“Has my identity become attached to it?”

If receiving it simply brings gratitude, then wonderful.

But if receiving it would finally make me feel:

• valuable,
• successful,
• accepted,
• respected,
• secure,
• or blessed,

then perhaps I have asked a possession to carry a burden it was never created to carry.

No house can tell you who you are.

No salary can establish your worth.

No promotion can make you significant.

No car can make you complete.

Those things make terrible saviors.

Christ Has Already Settled Your Identity

The gospel answers the deepest questions of the human heart.

Long before we own anything…

Long before we accomplish anything…

Long before anyone applauds us…

God has already spoken.

In Christ:

• You are accepted.
• You are forgiven.
• You are deeply loved.
• You are God’s child.
• You are complete.
• You are blessed with every spiritual blessing.
• You are seated with Christ.
• You belong to Him forever.

If I need a detached house before I believe I am blessed…Perhaps I have forgotten what God has already said.

If I need a promotion before I believe I matter…Perhaps I have forgotten who defines my worth.

If I need a Ferrari before I feel successful…Perhaps I am asking a machine to do what only Christ can do.

Hebrews Points Us in This Direction

The transition from Hebrews 10 into Hebrews 11 is remarkable.

Their identity was no longer anchored in what they owned but in what they possessed in Christ.

Then the writer immediately says,

“My righteous one shall live by faith.”

And Hebrews 11 begins.

The Hall of Faith is filled with people who trusted God because He had spoken.

Their confidence rested in God rather than in what they owned.

A Prayer Before Every Prayer

Perhaps before we ask God for the next blessing, we should first pray this prayer.

“Father, why do I want this?

Search my heart.

If this desire comes from wisdom, love, or a desire to serve You, deepen it.

If it comes from fear, comparison, pride, or insecurity, expose it.

Never let me ask a possession to become my identity.

Remind me again that my identity has already been settled in Christ.

If You choose to give me this gift, I will receive it with gratitude.

If You choose not to, I will still rest in the One who has already given me everything I truly need.”

That may be one of the most faith-filled prayers we can ever pray.

Because mature faith is not merely believing that God can give us greater things.

Mature faith is resting so deeply in Christ that we no longer need those things to tell us who we are.