Bad faith does not always begin with a hard heart. Sometimes it begins with an empty understanding. A person may say they believe in God, but if they do not know His Word, they can easily follow the wrong voice, make wrong choices, and still think they are walking in faith.
Many people do not drift away from God because they plan to rebel. They drift because they have not been taught the truth, they have not taken time to study the Bible for themselves, or they have never learned what God expects from those who belong to Him. When we do not know the Word, we may mistake feelings for truth, opinions for wisdom, and tradition for obedience.
God does not want our faith to be built on guesses. He wants it to be built on truth. Real faith grows when we know God, trust what He says, and allow His Word to shape how we live. The Bible is not just a book for church services; it is daily bread for the soul, light for our path, and correction when we are going the wrong way.
Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). In simple words, truth sets us free from lies, confusion, sin, and deception. But we cannot walk in truth if we never learn it. We cannot obey what we do not know, and we cannot stand strong on a Word we have not taken time to understand.
- Truth comes from God. Truth is not whatever sounds good or feels right. Jesus is the truth, and God’s Word teaches us how to live.
- Ignorance can lead us into trouble. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” When we do not know God’s ways, we can be pulled into wrong thinking and wrong living.
- Faith must be taught and practiced. We grow by hearing the Word, studying it, asking God for understanding, and applying it in everyday life.
- The Bible helps us recognize deception. When we know Scripture, we can tell the difference between God’s voice and the voices of culture, pride, fear, or selfish desire.
- Obedience proves our faith is real. God is not only looking for people who speak faith; He is looking for people who live by faith.
This is why staying in God’s Word matters. Jesus told His followers that if they continued in His Word, they would truly be His disciples. That means faith is more than a one-time statement; it is a daily walk. We keep learning, keep listening, keep repenting, and keep allowing God to change us from the inside out.
A simple way to understand it is this: if we do not feed our spirit with truth, something else will feed our mind. That “something else” may be fear, pride, false teaching, bad advice, or our own emotions. But when we stay close to Scripture, God gives us wisdom, correction, and freedom.
- Read the Word regularly. Even a few verses a day can begin to renew your mind.
- Ask God for understanding. The Holy Spirit helps us see what we need to see and change what we need to change.
- Do not just hear the Word—live it. Truth becomes powerful in us when we obey it.
- Stay teachable. A humble heart is willing to be corrected by God’s Word.
Bad faith often begins where knowledge of God’s Word is missing. But the good news is this: we can grow. We can learn. We can come back to truth. If we want stronger faith, we must become people who love the Word, study the Word, and let the Word guide our lives. The more we know God’s truth, the harder it becomes for deception to lead us away from Him.
Minister A Francine Green I June 2026