Who is the object of my faith? (Hebrews 11:6)
My faith is in God. I must believe that He exists, that He is a personal being, that I have a responsibility to seek Him, and that He rewards me for doing so. But how do I know this? There are certainly things in nature which lead a reasonable person to the knowledge of a Greatest Something, but how do I understand the nature of His connection to mankind? How do I know the way in which He desires that I seek Him? How do I know that He has promised me a reward? Not only is there an object of our faith, there is also a source from which our faith grows and a process by which it is built.
How do I develop faith? (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13)
Faith comes from hearing God's words. Why is this so? Why is it His words that build our faith? Paul tells us that the answer to this question lies in the fact that words reveal thoughts, to which God does not make Himself an exception. God's words are His thoughts expressed. Man only knows the truths that reside in the mind of God when God chooses to reveal them. Therefore, God has "at many times and in many ways" communicated to man His thoughts, desires, and will. (Hebrews 1:1-2) This work is done by God's Spirit, and thus those who are "spiritual" are led not by feelings, but by the thoughts communicated by the Spirit of God. Faith in God and the actions it produces are not the results of overwhelming feelings but of sound, spiritual thinking.
Faith, a friend of reason. (Romans 8:5-7; 12:1-2)
It is no coincidence that Paul uses the word logikos in Romans 12:1. This word is an adjective that identifies something as "pertaining to speech or speaking; pertaining to the reason or logic; spiritual, pertaining to the soul; agreeable to reason, following reason, reasonable, logical." In the context, Paul has just finished arguing for "the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God." He has shown how God has perfectly executed His plan to redeem man since his fall in the garden of Eden. He thus says it is the "spiritual" (or "reasonable") response to devote one's life to acceptably serving God. Paul demonstrates how "the obedience of faith" requires one to be of a sound, spiritual mind. The concept of living by faith, then, requires thinking, seeking, listening, reasoning, concluding, and then acting.
There are many who "feel saved" or "feel close to God," of whom God will say, "I never knew you." At the same time, there are those who may not always "feel forgiven," (in the sense that they still feel the pain of the consequences of sin) and yet they are covered by Christ's blood, having been baptized and had their sins washed away, and having the promise that if they walk in the light and confess their sins "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7, 9) There are those who do what they feel is right, and then there are those who do what they know is right, regardless of how they feel. There is certainly a place for our feelings, but that place is not at the core of our faith in God and obedience to His commands.