Faith is essential
Day 30
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Biblical faith isn't pretending
Our path in life hinges on the beliefs we embrace. What if I embraced the belief that I could fly, so I wanted to jump off high buildings. You would have every reason to think of me as crazy, because my belief is in something false. When you have faith in something, you are saying, "This is my reality that affects my life." It is therefore wise to anchor your faith in God's truths, found in His Word. If you don't, deception, pretend hope, and spiritual death will color your life (John 8:31-32, 17:17).
Biblical faith is so much more than a word. I have heard people say, "just have faith". It seems like to me they are making faith a magical word that they expect will give them an assured result. What comes to my mind here is, when I was a child I would say, "abracadabra," and expect the word to produce something magical. As you can guess, I pretended. Believe me, it is God who your faith should be in, not in a word (Hebrews 11:6).
Consider this: Is your faith in God, or is faith just a word to you?
Living by faith
God instilled within each of us a fundamental capacity for faith, allowing us to believe in Him. Our faith in Him grows when we dedicate ourselves to understanding His Word. Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Do you make time to know God's Word and to let it to speak to you?
The righteous should live by faith. The righteous are those who have put their faith in Jesus, so of course we should be living out our faith in Him. As a Christian if you aren't living by faith you are not pleasing God. (Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 ESV®
Faith in God is not a feeling, but a mindset, a way of thinking that places an ultimate trust in God. (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthains 10:3-6). When the doctor said I had cancer, my feeling was fear, until my belief in God calmed that fear. We could say faith in God should override our feelings. Besides, just because you are feeling good doesn't mean you are living by faith in God. The opposite can also be true. Just because you are feeling out of sorts doesn't mean you aren't living by faith in God. Faith in God is based on Him and His truth, and not on a spiritual high.
Faith is the opposite of doubt. (Matthew 14:28-33; John 20:24-29). Before you became a Christian your life was one of doubting God, but even after you become a Christian you can doubt. Yet, doubting or struggling with believing things we can't concretely see happens, and God understands. Remember, He literally lived among us. (Luke 24:36-49). Addressing your doubts can grow your faith if it leads you to open His Word and learn. Call upon Him, He will answer and show you what you need to know. Knowing that belief in Him gives you a firm foundation for life, unlike the world's trendy beliefs. Understanding the fulfillment of prophecy in the Bible will help your doubts fade and reinforce your faith. (Jeremiah 33:2-3). Remember, even in your doubt, He is with you and loves you.
Life Application
A walk of faith in God
Do you remember the first time you had faith in God? This was when you believed what God's Word said about you being a sinner, and that Jesus is your Savior from those sins. Just like having faith in God for the first time, you need to continue trusting in Him and His Word as you live the Christian life. Galatians 2:20 says, "And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Let's look at three steps that will help you walk in faith.
The first step to faith is, to truly know God (Colossians 2:2-5). If you think about it, how can you have faith in someone if you don't really know the person. You might believe that your pastor is godly until you get to know him. I did ministry with a friend who I thought was a Christian. Yet when she moved away she put her faith in a god from another religion. I asked her why? She honestly said to me, "I don't believe Jesus is God, but just a good teacher, so why bother to have faith in Him." I believe if she would have rightly known the Christian God she would have put her faith in Him. Read Jeremiah 9:23-24; John 6:67-69, 17:3; Philippians 3:8-9. If you don't particularly know God, can you really have faith in Him? How can you get to know God?
Step two, our faith in God grows through God's Word and prayer. I have found the more I experience God through consistent prayer, reflection and study of His Word the more my faith is nurtured, allowing it to blossom into a powerful and life-changing force. Here's an illustration of how God uses prayer and His Word to build our faith: You have learned from God's Word that He loves you, so you have faith in that fact and rely on it. So when you get depressed because you didn't get the job you wanted, your mind says, "Hey remember, 'Romans chapter eight tells me that God loves me and is working all things for my good.' So it is for my best I didn't get the job. Please God let me believe your words and trust You." Read Romans 10:17, 12:2; Philemon 4-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Have you seen your faith in God grow through prayer and His Word? Explain?
Step three, the trials of life show and strengthen our faith in God. I can tell how my trust in God has grown by how I respond to His Word and the everyday ups and downs of life. Here's a trial that hit me and how I responded: I have always felt that if I was told I had cancer, I would doubt God's love, but instead I found myself trusting in His path for my life and being drawn closer to Him as I shared my fears with Him and read His promises to me. God has been teaching me to be thankful for hard times —because my trials drive me to want to trust Him for answers and hope. Read Romans 5:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 1:2-4. How we react to life will show us how strong our faith in God is. Do you have faith in God when the going gets rough? Do you have an illustration?
In Galatians, Christians weren't relying on their faith in God, despite having been saved by it. Instead, they were putting their faith in their own actions and excluding the Spirit. Unsurprisingly, they were struggling, much like fish out of water, because they weren't living by the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 2:16, 20, 3:1-5, 24-26, 5:5-6). Hebrews chapter eleven is the walk of faith chapter. Read Hebrews 11:1 through 12:2 and you will see how others have walked in faith with God. Detail how you walk by faith in God.
Reflect on Hebrews 11:6.