Hebrews 11:9 says of Abraham: “by faith he LIVED as an alien in the land of promise.”
It is one thing to step out initially in faith (as it says in :8 that Abraham did); it is another to LIVE in an unfamiliar land, with people surrounding you who do not support that faith, with no tangible “results” to see — and to do it for some period of time, as Abraham did.

Yet this is exactly what WE are called to do!

After we step out in faith and initially follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are then to LIVE by faith, among a worldly crowd which has standards and practices which fly in the face of what we believe. We are called to live by faith even when the things we “see” around us do not confirm that faith. And we are called, like Abraham, to do it for as many years as God gives us life.

It is not enough to take our first step of faith and stand for the Lord. We must then LIVE it. Our testimony — and our reward in heaven — will surely depend upon how well we imitate the faith and practice of Abraham, who by faith “LIVED as an alien in the land of promise.”