Daily Lesson for Wednesday 20th of May 2026

• Reread verse 1. What do you hope for today that you cannot yet see? (Think of immediate needs and eternal dreams.)

• What role does faith play in your personal testimony and in your conversion?

• Read verse 3 again, about God and Creation. Why, in many ways, should the existence of the Creator God be the easiest thing to accept on faith?

• Read verse 6 and write the message of this verse in your own words.

• Verses 7–40 unpack the lives of various biblical personages. Why is faith the central factor that defines the strength of these people’s relationship with God?

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

Knowing God and having a living, strong relationship with Him requires faith. How can you strengthen your faith or encourage someone whose faith is wavering? Here are just a few ideas:

A tiny faith (like a mustard seed) is powerful and is all you need in order to grow a relationship with God (Matthew 17:20). As long as you’re willing to work with Him, God will help your faith grow.

Faith comes from hearing God speak to us in His Word, the Bible (Romans 10:17). Commit to daily Bible study and prayer.

Ask God to increase your faith (Luke 17:5). As did the father who came to Jesus with a possessed child and who “cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ ” (Mark 9:24, NKJV), we can recognize our unbelief and ask for God to increase our faith.

Faith and doubt can exist together (Mark 9:24). Don’t walk away from God simply because you have questions. In fact, it’s important to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-16) and to “own” your faith rather than borrow it from another, as five of the virgins tried to do (Matthew 25:8).

Respond to the Holy Spirit and ask for more of Him in your life.

Exercise your faith. Remember that faith is not a feeling but a decision to believe. Remember that even in darkness, when you can’t see Him, God is there (2 Corinthians 5:7).

As a personal prayer of thanks to God for His faithfulness, consider the words from the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-08-examples-of-faith/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-08-examples-of-faith

Introduction: A dear friend who worked with me on many cases routinely spent lunch time walking and talking with me about the Bible. He was a Catholic who, as he jokingly put it, “read his Bible.” Later in life, he ran into several set-backs. His wife decided not to accompany him to a new and important legal job. Not long afterward, he lost his new job. Then he was told that he was dying of cancer. I visited him shortly before he died. He told me that he knew that I would want to talk with him about his faith, but it was something he did not want to discuss. And then he died. He was not the first person I have known who had great faith, but seemed to give it up in the face of adversity and death. Keeping our faith is critically important. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible to see what we can learn about keeping faith!

1. Faith in the Face of Adversity and Death

a. Read Mark 8:11-12 and Matthew 11:2-3. In these two accounts we find Pharisees and John the Baptist asking Jesus for a sign that He is the Messiah. What is the difference in the two requests? (The Pharisees are both arguing with Jesus and attempting to test Jesus. John the Baptist was no enemy of Jesus.)

i. Why do you think Jesus refused to give the Pharisees a sign?

        Was this a question of encouraging faith?

b. Read Matthew 11:4-6. Does Jesus give John’s disciples signs?

c. Read John 1:32-34. Had John the Baptist previously expressed his faith that Jesus was the Son of God? (Yes. He had very clear evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.)

           i. Why do you think that John’s faith has faltered? Why is he now uncertain? (I believe John is disappointed that Jesus has not done anything to have him released from prison.)

           ii. Look again at the signs in Matthew 11:5. Are these signs that benefit John?

           iii. What do you think Jesus is saying to John in Matthew 11:6? In what way might John the Baptist be “offended” by Jesus? (It is reasonable to believe that John was like Jesus’ disciples. They expected that Jesus would set up His kingdom on earth. How then could John, who introduced Jesus to the world, be left to rot in jail?)

d. Read Matthew 11:11-12. How is John both great and less than the least? Why does Jesus speak of John and violence? (John is not “least” in character or faithfulness. Rather, even the least person who lives in the full light of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and kingdom work has a privilege that John did not live to see. The reference to violence may include the violent opposition that has already put John in prison and will soon lead to his death. More broadly, Jesus seems to be saying that the kingdom of heaven is advancing in the face of fierce opposition.)

      i. What does this conversation with John’s disciples teach those, like my friend, whose faith wavers because of adversity? (We must hold on to our faith, believing that Jesus has acted for our salvation and will ultimately make all things right. We may not understand what is going on, but we need to trust in Jesus.)

2. Faith and Unequal Results

a. Read Hebrews 11:1-2. Does this definition of faith seem right to you? (Faith is belief in things not yet received. This is the situation with John the Baptist.)

b. Read Hebrews 11:32-34. When did these people see their faith fulfilled? (While they were still alive.)

c. Read Hebrews 11:35-38. Imagine that these verses described your life and you had Christian friends whose lives were described by verses 32-34. How would you feel? Jealous? Angry? Would you carry the belief that life was unfair? God is unfair?

d. I recall a good friend who was a member of my church. He was smart, handsome, educated, and had a good job. He confided in me that it seemed that others were doing much better than he was. He sounded like he thought it was unfair that he lacked “success.” Then he died at the age of 50. What should we say about his life? (Read Hebrews 11:39-40. Hebrews tells us that even those who received great victories in this life did not receive the final promise here on earth. God has provided something better: the resurrection, the kingdom, and the perfected life we will share together.)

i. Is looking forward to the promise of Jesus the definition of faith?

3. Faith and Determination

a. Read Matthew 15:22. What is this Canaanite saying about Jesus? (She shows that she believes Jesus is the Messiah.)

b. Read Matthew 15:23. How do you react when someone simply ignores you? Especially when you think it might be because they are too superior to speak with you?

c. Read Matthew 15:24-26. How do you react when a person calls you a “dog?” When they imply your children are “dogs?”

d. Read Matthew 15:27-28. What is the lesson about faith that we should learn here? (We should fiercely hold onto our faith even when the circumstances are humiliating.)

i. Why did Jesus have this woman go through this humiliation? (Jesus is not in the business of humiliating us. He loves us. Jesus draws out this woman’s faith publicly, not to humiliate her, but to commend her faith and to teach His disciples that persistent faith may be found even among those they were tempted to overlook. This story provides a lesson for all of us through history to hold on to faith even in embarrassing circumstances.)

ii. Think about the friend I mentioned in the introduction. Was it humiliating to have his wife leave him? Was it humiliating to lose his high-power job? Add to this that I, his junior lawyer for years, found him his next job. He was a very fit fellow. Is it humiliating for a fit person to die young from cancer?

4. Faith on a Level Playing Field

a. Read Ephesians 2:1-3. We just discussed that we might find that others seem to live a better life than we do. What does this tell us about our relative positioning with others? (We are all in desperate need of help.)

b. Read Ephesians 2:4-6. What is our only hope of salvation and exaltation? (Jesus will raise us up and seat us in heavenly places with Him.)

c. Read Ephesians 2:7-9. What kind of “immeasurable riches” will Jesus give us? (His grace is a gift. His kindness is a gift. Whatever else that comes with that in heaven will be “rich” and “immeasurable.”)

i. What is required of us? (Faith.)

ii. What is not required of us to receive this gift? (Works do not earn the gift. Salvation is by grace through faith, and the entire saving work is God’s gift, “not a result of works.”)

iii. What is the overall message to us? (Hold on! Don’t let go of our faith.)

d. Read Ephesians 2:10. What does this tell us about our works? (They do not save us, but we were created to do good works. We should “walk” in good works.)

5. Faith and Endurance

a. Read Revelation 14:12. What are we asked to do? (To endure. To continue in faith even though it might be hard.)

b. Read Revelation 14:9-11. How are the other people doing? Those who give up and give in? (The fate of those who reject God is so terrible that the call to endurance is the easier path. However hard faithfulness may seem now, it is infinitely better than rebellion against God.)

c. Look again at Revelation 14:12. What does the life of the saint look like? (Faith and obedience.)

d. Friend, stay strong! Do not turn away from belief in Jesus even if life gets difficult. Jesus does not want you to suffer, and He promises that if you stick with Him you will live forever in joy.

Next week: Sin, the Gospel, and the Law.

Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/8-having-faith-matthew-11-hebrews-11-matthew-15-ephesians-2-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-outline/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=8-having-faith-matthew-11-hebrews-11-matthew-15-ephesians-2-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-outline

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 19th of May 2026

Jesus said that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you’ll move mountains (Matthew 17:20). If you’ve ever seen a mustard seed, you know how tiny it is. Yet, having faith this small can effect such huge change. Faith must, therefore, be very important and must also be power­ful and strong enough to do something superhuman. However, just as a mustard seed can grow into a large tree (Matthew 13:31-32), our faith should grow and not remain static.

Indeed, we need a measure of faith in order to have a relationship with God in the first place (see Romans 12:3).

Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com

We must first understand that faith is not a material thing; it’s a human response prompted by the Holy Spirit. God is the gracious initiator, who, through the Holy Spirit, draws us to Himself when we allow Him to do so (Jeremiah 31:3). We’re saved by grace, through faith, which is a response to God’s grace given to us through Jesus’ death. We are saved because we believe in God as a result of His grace. This lies at the heart of having a relationship with Him.

Next, we must remember that faith is not a feeling. “Many do not exercise that faith which it is their privilege and duty to exercise, often waiting for that feeling which faith alone can bring. Feeling is not faith. . . . Faith is ours to exercise, but joyful feeling and the blessing are God’s to give.”—Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 72.

Some people might feel as though they don’t have faith because they don’t feel close to God or are not what they should be as a Christian. But faith is about believing and trusting God, not only in the good times but in darkness or in a storm, or even when you can’t fully understand what is going on in your life.

Feelings should never dominate our religious experience or our relationship with God. It’s precisely when we think we’re distant from God that we need to exercise our faith and call on Him (as did the father in Mark 9:24).

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-08-faith-is-not-a-feeling/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-08-faith-is-not-a-feeling

Daily Lesson for Monday 18th of May 2026

Just because we call ourselves followers of Jesus doesn’t automatically mean our faith is strong. In fact, some people claimed to believe, but Jesus discerned what was really in their hearts (John 2:23-25).

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

In Mark 9:1-50, we read about the man who came to Jesus so that Jesus would cast the demon out of his son, but who could only muster up enough faith to say, “ ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ ” (Mark 9:24, NKJV).

In each of these interactions, Jesus noticed people’s faith, or lack thereof, and performed miracles as a result of that faith or in order to strengthen it.

Though the Holy Spirit prompts us to believe, the enemy of souls wants us to doubt or dismiss God’s involvement in our lives. “The unbelief which is cherished in the soul has a bewitching power. The seeds of doubt that they have been sowing will produce their harvest but they must continue to dig up every root of unbelief. When these poisonous plants are pulled up, they cease to grow for want of nourishment in word and action. The soul must have the precious plants of faith and love put in the soil of the heart and enthroned there.”—Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 17.

When we have doubts about God, His character, or His Word, what should we do with them? God does not ignore or bypass human reason, for He created us in His image and invites us to dialogue with Him, as He did with Abraham, Moses, and Job. God invites us to learn to work within His large, infinite patterns of reason, even if at some point we must surrender to what we don’t fully understand.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-08-jesus-sees-our-faith/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-08-jesus-sees-our-faith

Growing in a Relationship With God has many wonderful steps in it. There are several beautiful hymns from which to choose as a theme due to all the changes that come along when we grow in our relationship with God. On page 31 we see that “the most powerful weapon is prayer” to help us through our growing times. Therefore, we will wish to sing 
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Hymn 290 to keep learning every minute of the day in our journey. To help with this journey, Lord,
Give Me The Bible – Hymn 272 to instruct even more with the Holy Spirit encouraging along the way: 
Hover O’er Me, Holy Spirit – Hymn 260.

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/7-having-faith-singing-with-inspiration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7-having-faith-singing-with-inspiration