Have faith in...what?

"It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned." - Hebrews 11:29

I'm going to try to make a statement here; I hope it's not too muddled. Notice in this verse that the writer says the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea by faith. God wanted them to cross the Red Sea. In fact, He backed them into a proverbial corner, surrounded by their enemies. If it had been a sci fi story, he would have opened a freaky portal in the space-time continuum and said, "Step into the glowing goo!" The people obeyed that voice. They had faith in the call of God, that he wasn't doing something that would harm them, but rather calling them to freedom. Sure, the path looked a little strange, but they weren't called to use their earthly eyes. They were called to have faith in a God they couldn't see, who was calling them to adventure and obedience.

But notice that the Egyptians had faith too. They had faith that they could also cross the Red Sea. They watched all of Israel walk between walls of water, on a dry river bed. "If they can do it, why can't we?" the commander might have shouted. They were trusting with their eyes. They died, doing the exact same thing that God's people did only moments before them.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him" (New Living Translation). The Hebrews believed two things: that God was real, and that He was good. The Egyptians did not have the same faith. They had faith in what they could see. It didn't make sense to them, people walking through the sea, but they chose to believe it. Their faith was not saving faith.

Be careful as a believer that your faith is in God. Believe he exists; believe he is good. Follow his voice. Having faith that you can do X or you can do Y is simply looking at circumstances and making up your own mind. Have faith in God.