Faith is merely God’s will that hasn’t happened yet. It is the difference between what is—defined by observation—and what should be—defined by your awareness of God’s will. The more common type of faith is when you apply everything you know about God to your perception of reality and notice things that do not line up. The most explicit type of faith is when God tells you something will happen, but it hasn’t happened yet.
The fundamental principle of faith is that reality does not flow from what is seen, but that everything—including what is seen—flows from God’s word. Returning to Paul’s definition: “...faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
God’s word is the light that proceeds through all existence, yet is unnoticed by most people and fully embraced by very few: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3) It is reality to a degree far beyond what we perceive.
The basis of faith is reconciliation to the observations of reality all around us. Most people are willingly blind to what is plainly manifested all around them (see the chapter “Loving a Lie”). As long as you will not incorporate what is obviously manifested all around you, you will not see anything beyond that.
Great things can be obtained simply by reconciling yourself to seen reality. But much greater things await those who obtain and act on what is unseen.
To amplify faith, you have to augment your perception of reality to include God’s word—those things that are not yet observed but are still real. Consider the words of Paul, who taught that there were more people than can be mentioned:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11)
These people augmented their reality to include what was not yet seen. They acted according to both what they saw and what they knew only because God had told them.
Normal people do not stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, etc. When placed in the situations alluded to, they would figure that they were out of options. They would not submit to torture, mockings, scourgings, living in caves, etc., let alone find joy and satisfaction in such experiences.
When these people incorporated those things God had said, that were independent from what they had observed, their perception of reality changed, and their actions changed accordingly. Because they reconciled themselves to the fullness of their awareness (including what was not yet seen with their eyes), they were able to exercise the power of God, and see the miraculous physical manifestation of God’s power.
A willingness to incorporate a knowledge of God’s yet unmanifested will caused the Red Sea to part, the walls of Jericho to fall, the destruction of Egypt’s firstborn, the salvation of Rahab, the birth and preservation of Isaac, and many more miracles (see Hebrews 11). Incorporating it into your perception will cause miracles of equal degree.