To me, “walk by faith, not by sight” means trusting God’s promises even when we can’t see the outcome. It’s choosing to believe what He has said in His Word rather than what our circumstances or feelings suggest.
I try my best to live like this. Though…it’s not always easy. I am a person who LOVES facts…data…things I can see to understand…
How has God helped you walk by faith?
It may sound simplistic, but it is true.
The Word of God. Romans 8 has become embedded in my Spirit, as well as verses such as these.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” Ephesians 6:16
“For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:3
Peter
@PeterC’s wise application of the Hebrews passage is just the medicine suitable for the present ailment (IMHO).
@JennyLynne, you answered your own question(s) clearly when you said:
Personally, in my life I shorten your statement to say, “Walking by Faith is taking God at His word”.
We all experience two voices vying for our submission. It is not uncommon that the Word of God states something emphatically that our society either questions, dismisses altogether, or strongly opposes. These two voices confront us with personal decisions at every one of life’s junctures. We all have natural (innate) instincts to gather immediate data, listen to the counsel of others, interpret our surroundings, imagine outcomes, and then choose a path to move forward. The promise Jesus made to his disciples was that The Holy Spirit would guide them (paraclete) in these efforts as they waited for His return. For you and I, The Holy Spirit does most of this guiding through the printed Word of God; a precious gift, a second witness in harmony with the indwelling Spirit, to teach us how to make these daily decisions. The two Heavenly witnesses, The indwelling Holy Spirit, and the written Word of God, are always in perfect agreement, they are always one unified voice; one emphatic leading. Quite simply, a disciple can have none of one without a fullness of the other. So, walking “in the Spirit” is walking “In the Word” and visa-versa. There is no walking in The Spirit without walking in The Word, and visa-versa.
This is the state we find ourselves in, for the moment, subjected to these two voices, the untrustworthy voice of this world, and the True Voice, which speaks from the next. The internal witness of God causes us to yearn to put off the earthly cloak, and put on our eternal dwelling; a place of one voice, speaking in perfect peace, and testifying of the fullness of our Savior. Then we will know, just as we are known. But until then, we walk by faith, and not by sight.
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.
For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. (2 Corinthians 5:1-11)
Waiting in anticipation with you.
KP
By His faithfulness. I look and remember all the times He’s answered my prayers and intervened in my life in what is unmistakably Him. When I’m in a new and distressing situation, I’ve come to know that He’s in it too and that He will work it out. Maybe not in a way I’m hoping for, but it will be according to His plan and His plan is good.
The Bible says God loves us. God is love but I have had a hard time believing that. I know in my head that’s its true. God says it so its true but getting that knowledge into my heart is something else entirely. I know me and God knows me too. How can He love what we both know is there? Do I have faith in God’s love for me? That’s a problem I’m working on.
At times I’ve thought of His love as some blanket that covers mankind. That’s great, but impersonal. What I want to believe is that He loves me specifically. I know He does and I’m not doubting it, but I guess what I want is to feel it. I know I’m being foolish. It’s still a struggle.
There was one time in church when He told me specifically and in such a way that I could accept it. A young family came in and sat in the pew in front of me. Mom, Dad and two kids; a boy and a girl. They sat close together, shoulders touching. The hair on the back of their head was mussed, like they were in a hurry that morning. Something about them was very sweet and I was thinking about that and seeing how precious they must be to God. I began to feel how precious they were and said the same in my heart. “How precious they must be to you, Lord” He answered in my heart, “No more than you.”
I try to hang onto that and I’m getting better at understanding His love.
That’s a really honest question, and I appreciate how you framed it.
When Paul says “we walk by faith, not by sight” (Second Epistle to the Corinthians 5:7), he isn’t asking believers to ignore facts, reason, or reality. He’s talking about which reality has the final authority over how we live.
In the immediate context, Paul is talking about life in a fragile body, suffering, uncertainty, and even death. He contrasts what is seen—temporary, outward, measurable—with what is unseen—eternal, promised, and guaranteed by God. So “walk” here means how we order our lives, how we make decisions, how we endure hardship, and where we place our confidence.
Faith, in this verse, is not wishful thinking. It’s trust in what God has already spoken, even when circumstances haven’t caught up yet.
You mentioned loving facts and data—and that actually fits Paul’s point better than you might think. Faith isn’t anti-evidence; it’s trusting God’s testimony over incomplete information. Sight only shows you what’s happening now. Faith includes what God has said will happen, even if it hasn’t manifested yet.
One way God has helped me walk by faith is by slowly teaching me that:
Sight explains the moment
Faith explains the meaning
There are seasons where everything visible says, “This isn’t working.” Faith says, “God hasn’t finished speaking.” Sight reports circumstances; faith remembers promises. Sight asks, “What do I see?” Faith asks, “What did God say?”
And you’re right—it’s not easy. Paul never pretends it is. Walking by faith often feels uncomfortable precisely because it requires letting go of control and trusting Someone we can’t physically see. But over time, God proves Himself faithful in small ways, then larger ones. Looking back becomes the evidence that strengthens faith moving forward.
So walking by faith doesn’t mean closing your eyes to reality. It means refusing to let temporary appearances override eternal truth.
And honestly? The fact that you wrestle with this and still want to live it out is already evidence that God is helping you walk that way—even on the hard days.
