What is faith?
If you asked 15 people today (think man-on-the-street interviews), What is faith? You’d probably get 15 different answers, right? There’s an idea out there that faith is what you make it. Some people equate faith with religion; some would say that faith, in and of itself, is an end; some would call faith the passionate pursuit of something, even something false.
I have known non-believers to have faith in angels and heaven, ironically. They were not honest seekers. They had just added a sprinkling of truth into their casserole of beliefs, which included crystals, astrology, and other things. Not to mix my metaphors, but the proof is in the pudding, right?
One key concept is that we must have an accurate knowledge of God to fully believe in Him. The deeper our understanding, the stronger our faith will become.
But along with that, if we do not walk in the truth of what we believe, our faith is useless. James says it this way: So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless. (James 2:17)
Why do we complicate faith? Jesus said, blessed are those who come as little children… The story of Wilma Rudolph gets to me every time. Nobody told her she couldn’t overcome her limitations; she was told God could do it, and so she believed it.
Here’s the question, “What could I accomplish if I took God at His Word?”
My prayer begins with this: Lord, please perfect a childlike faith in me.
The Bible tells us over and over about faith. When I query Bible gateway on “faith” it is mentioned 458 times, so I know God wants it to be clear to me. I know if I have faith as small as a mustard seed then I can move mountains. How very small that seed is and yet I am not moving any mountains or am I.
ReplyDeleteI believe God has moved mountains for me. I keep going back to my “pain at work” story but that is the most recent one and it is so clear in my mind that it pops up every time I need an example of how God saved me.
What I went through at work for a couple of years was God moving mountains for me. It was slow and painful but I saw a miracle happen in my life and at work and I can see it was from my faith in God to pull me through (and lots of prayers from loved ones) . I grew stronger from the pain and he ultimately removed the pain from my job. I did have faith and God did move the mountain.
"Faith is the foundational principle of the Christian life. Believing who God is, what He says, what He has done, and what He will do defines the kingdom of God. Furthermore, faith is the essence of the Christian's day-to-day activity." "Victorious Christian living and spiritual maturity are determined by our belief in God."
ReplyDeleteHebrews 11:1--Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is like the breath of our lives as believers--By embracing faith, and living our lives being certain of our loving God, we can function better in our walk with Jesus. I don't want to be a Christian with emphysema-- short and faith, and therefore robbed of the fresh breath of God's spirit that is available to me as I walk in faith in him. God help me to walk in faith and victory as I remember that you are always with me!