Now this [living by faith] does not only have to do with people who are Jews waiting for the Babylonians to come [in the days of Habakkuk]; it has to do with you as well. And this is a decision that has to be made…again and again daily, isn't it? Some of you believers know what it is like, because some of you have a fear of rejection by Jesus—that somehow, he will cast you out and will not want to hear from you etc., and every time when you come to commune with him, you have to take his Word from John 6:37 again, where Jesus said: he who comes to Me, I will never cast out. And you have to cling to that Word, because if you cling to your feelings or your emotions, you would think you had been cast away. You would think that he would not care to have trouble with you. You have to cling to his Word. That is faith. That is living by faith.
In Hebrews 13:1–25, the writer says to Christians: do not be taken up with the love of money, but be content with what you have. And then he says this: for he has said, I will never fail you nor forsake you. And then he goes on, hence we can confidently say… Do you get it? He has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you; therefore, on that basis, we can say the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me? And when you are pressed with earthly need, etc., don’t you have to go back and cling to the bare Word again? It is the same thing we do with commandments as well, and not just promises. Faith, if it anchors itself on the Word of God, seeks to obey commands. For instance, in Ephesians 4:1–32 the apostle says, speaking in Christ’s name: be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, do not give Satan a foothold. He is saying you may be angry and so on, but do not let it [lead you to] sin. Do not allow your resentment to go on and be carried on; make sure it gets taken care of. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. If that is Christ’s Word through his apostle, and if I respond to that in faith, then I anchor my faith on that Word which means I will seek to carry it out and obey it. The anchor of faith is the Word of God that you receive as true.1
Ralph Davis
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.