Your putting the cart before the horse. Last time I looked, The cart did not pull the horse. The person inside the cart did not pull the horses from point A to point B. Nor did the person in the cart haul all the stuff in the cart that needed to be hauled to that point. The HORSE did all the work.
Faith is a trust is something, In the Greek, Faith is an assurance that something will happen, An assurance that a person us trustworthy, (ie, if he tells you something, you know that can be trusted) It is greater than belief, because as I have already shown, I can believe someone, YET NOT TRUST HIM AT ALL.
Hebrews has a faith hall of fame, You should read it.
By Faith Abel offered a more notable offering
By Faith Enoch was taken away
By FAITH Abraham did not consider his age, but TRUSTED Gods promise
By FAITH Abraham, KNOWING GOD COULD RAISE HIM FROM THE DEAD, Offered his son.
By FAITH Noah spent a year building an ark.
By FAITH Rahab did not consider her life, but hid the two spys.
Work did not PROVE this faith, The faith was real.. The cart (work) did not pull the horses, The Horses (FAITH) energized the work.
Abel trusted God, so when God said do. Abel did, Can did not trust God, so when God said do. Cain said I will do, but my way (self righteousness, or human good) which God rejected
Enoch trusted God, and was taken, and had the witness, Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. for we must TRUST GOD is who he says he is, and is a rewarder of those who seek him. (otherwise, we have human good, and self righteousness, Which according to Gods word is like bloody rags)
Noah considered God trustworthy, SO when God said do. Noah did
Abraham considered God trustworthy, So when God said do (even though he one time tried to take it into his own hands, and Ishmael was the result) He did. (this proves a child of God can sin, and the results which can take place. It destroys lives and causes great pain and suffering, But does not stop a person from being a son)
Rahab heard what God did in Egypt, and in the dessert, She trusted God more than she trusted her own people. SO when God said do. SHE DID.
It is not work that proves faith, It is FAITH that PRODUCES WORK.
If I consider God trustworthy, I will trust him not only to save my soul, but lead my life. So when he says do, I will (although like Abraham, not perfectly and sometimes try to take it into my own hands) do. And the more I trust God the more I will do.