Living by faith means making decisions based on what God said rather than what your bank account shows, what logic suggests, or what fear whispers.
It’s functional trust that produces corresponding action, not theoretical belief that changes nothing about how you actually live. Most people claim faith while their choices reveal they’re trusting everything except God.
According to research published in the Journal of Psychology and Theology, 84% of self-identified Christians report making major life decisions based primarily on practical considerations rather than spiritual conviction.
That disconnect exposes the gap between professed faith and practiced faith. We say we trust God, then operate as if He’s irrelevant to real-world decisions.
Living by faith isn’t reckless irresponsibility disguised as spirituality. It’s calculated trust in God’s character and promises that produces obedience even when outcomes are uncertain.
Abraham left his homeland. Noah built an ark. Moses confronted Pharaoh. Their faith wasn’t feeling. It was a choice to act on God’s word before seeing how it would work out.
What Living By Faith Actually Looks Like
Living by faith means your daily decisions reflect trust in God’s promises more than confidence in visible circumstances.
It’s not abandoning wisdom or ignoring reality; it’s letting biblical truth define reality more accurately than current conditions. This produces choices that seem foolish to those trusting only what they can see, calculate, or control.
You tithe when money’s tight because you trust God provides. You forgive when wounded because you trust God avenges. You obey uncomfortable commands because you trust God’s ways to produce better outcomes than your shortcuts.
Living by faith doesn’t eliminate uncertainty; it means choosing God’s certainty over circumstantial evidence. It’s Abraham sacrificing Isaac, confident that God would resurrect him. It’s the Hebrew midwives defying Pharaoh, trusting God more than the king.
Every choice reveals whether your functional faith matches your verbal profession.
Bible Verses About Living By Faith
1. 2 Corinthians 5:7 – We Live by Faith, Not by Sight
For we live by faith, not by sight.
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2. Habakkuk 2:4 – The Righteous Person Will Live by His Faithfulness
See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.
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3. Romans 1:17 – The Righteous Will Live by Faith
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
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4. Galatians 2:20 – I Live by Faith in the Son of God
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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5. Hebrews 11:6 – Without Faith It Is Impossible to Please God
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
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6. Hebrews 10:38 – My Righteous One Will Live by Faith
But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.
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7. Galatians 3:11 – No One Is Justified by the Law; The Righteous Will Live by Faith
Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
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8. Romans 14:23 – Everything That Does Not Come From Faith Is Sin
But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
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9. Hebrews 11:1 – Faith Is Confidence in What We Hope For
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
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10. Hebrews 11:8 – By Faith Abraham Obeyed
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
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11. 1 John 5:4 – This Is the Victory That Has Overcome the World
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
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12. Mark 11:22 – Have Faith in God
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.
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13. Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord With All Your Heart
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
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14. Matthew 17:20 – If You Have Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
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15. James 2:17 – Faith by Itself, If Not Accompanied by Action
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
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16. Romans 10:17 – Faith Comes From Hearing the Message
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
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17. Ephesians 2:8-9 – By Grace You Have Been Saved, Through Faith
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
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18. 1 Corinthians 16:13 – Stand Firm in the Faith
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
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19. Colossians 2:6-7 – Strengthened in the Faith
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
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20. Hebrews 11:7 – By Faith Noah Built an Ark
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
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21. 2 Corinthians 4:18 – We Fix Our Eyes Not on What Is Seen
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
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22. 1 Timothy 6:12 – Fight the Good Fight of the Faith
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
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23. Romans 4:20-21 – Abraham Did Not Waver Through Unbelief
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
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24. Acts 27:25 – I Have Faith in God
So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
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25. Luke 18:8 – Will He Find Faith on the Earth?
I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
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26. Hebrews 12:2 – Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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27. Matthew 21:21 – If You Have Faith and Do Not Doubt
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.”
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28. Mark 9:23 – Everything Is Possible for One Who Believes
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
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29. Philippians 3:9 – Righteousness That Comes Through Faith
And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
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30. 1 Peter 1:7 – Your Faith of Greater Worth Than Gold
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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31. James 1:6 – The One Who Doubts Is Like a Wave
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
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32. Romans 5:1-2 – We Have Gained Access by Faith
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
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33. Hebrews 11:29 – By Faith the People Passed Through the Red Sea
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
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34. 2 Timothy 4:7 – I Have Kept the Faith
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
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35. Ephesians 6:16 – Take Up the Shield of Faith
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
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Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Living By Faith
Scripture repeatedly commands believers to live by faith, meaning every decision should flow from trust in God’s character and promises rather than reliance on visible circumstances alone. This isn’t abandoning wisdom for recklessness. It’s letting biblical truth define reality more accurately than current conditions.
The righteous live by faith across every life dimension. Paul didn’t just believe in Christ; he lived by faith in Christ, making choices that reflected trust in God’s promises even when those choices seemed illogical by worldly standards. Abraham obeyed God’s call without knowing his destination. Noah built an ark when rain had never fallen. Their faith produced corresponding action.
This kind of faith pleases God because it trusts His character enough to obey His commands before seeing how they’ll work out. It fixes its eyes on eternal realities rather than temporary circumstances. It stands firm when everything visible argues for compromise.
Living by faith means your checkbook, calendar, and daily choices reflect trust in God’s provision, timing, and wisdom more than confidence in your own resources and understanding. Every decision reveals whether functional faith matches verbal profession.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I’ve claimed faith while my choices reveal I’m trusting everything except You. My decisions reflect confidence in visible circumstances more than trust in Your promises. I say I believe, but I live as if You’re irrelevant to real-world situations. Forgive me for this disconnect between professed faith and practiced faith.
Teach me to live by faith, not by sight. Help me to make decisions based on what You’ve said rather than what my bank account shows, what logic suggests, or what fear whispers. Give me Abraham’s faith that obeys before understanding, Noah’s faith that builds arks when rain has never fallen, and Paul’s faith that trusts Your provision completely.
Strengthen me in faith so I stand firm when circumstances argue for compromise. Let my choices reflect trust in Your character and promises, not just agreement with theological concepts. Help me to fix my eyes on eternal realities rather than temporary circumstances.
In Jesus’ Faithful Name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.