Learning To Have Faith

The Greek word for faith is pistis (4102). Pistis means faith, trust, confidence, belief, and faithfulness. The root of pistis is peithô (3982) and means to persuade/be persuaded, which supplies the core meaning of faith, "divine persuasion." (Bible Hub: HELPS Word Studies)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

Our faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9) and not something we can derive on our own. We, as followers of Christ, are divinely persuaded that God’s Word is true and trustworthy, that His promises will come to pass, and that He rewards those who seek Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6

This divine persuasion (faith) produces a response in our lives of repentance and obedience to Christ’s commands, leading us to good works.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
James 2:18

Personal Testimony
When I was 12 years old, I attended a church camp and went forward to pray the salvation prayer. I really did not understand what this prayer meant or how it was supposed to affect my life. I continued to live my life practicing sins like drinking, using drugs, lying, being sexually immoral, etc. I did not have the faith as laid out in God’s Word, even though I had prayed that prayer. When I was 20 years old, I felt lost and hopeless, convinced that my choices in life could never be forgiven. Through a lady’s testimony of her experience with God, God gave me hope and faith that I could still be forgiven for my sins through Jesus. I became “divinely persuaded” at that moment that, through Christ, I could be forgiven and transformed if I would repent of my sin and obey His Word. More than 20 years later, I have not stopped pursuing Christ, learning and maturing in my faith, and am continually being encouraged to see Him work in and through my life and in the lives of others.