Faith...
Up until recently, I had a different and rather incomplete perspective of what faith is. What does it really mean to have/exercise faith?
Well, I thought faith was mainly believing something or finding a way to convince yourself of something, though there isn't necessarily full evidence of it. I also figured that having great faith included something like 'speaking things into being'.
So if I simply say, "I will be successful", is that having faith?
I guess we can agree that simply saying it will not suffice but we must also believe...right?
Okay so how about "Lord, surely I believe that You will allow me to become... or to receive..."
Sounds better right?
But does it stop there? Does faith -in its truest sense- stop at belief?
Am I really exercising faith by solely thinking or saying that "I believe" ?
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
-When we believe that it is going to rain, we bring an umbrella.
-When we expect a financial crisis in the future, we save more now.
-When we believe that the temperature will decrease significantly,we carry a coat.
There is no guarantee that any of these will happen, but because we are conviced, we take action.
When we believe, expect, or are convinced... WE GET READY; WE ACT.
And so similarly, when God tells us that He is going to do something or we say that we believe, WE SHOULD PREPARE ourselves and then wait expectantly with outstretched palms as opposed to tapping our fingers and aimlessly looking around...
Remember...
"Faith without works is dead."
My favourite example of extreme faith in the Bible is the story of Abraham and Isaac.
" By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
It amazes me still! The willingness of Abraham lines up with his faith. He must have been confused for a moment. "...but God I thought You said..."
WoW.
-God is really the only one with the last say. [Amen]
-God's promises always come true. [Thank God!]
-God is not a God of confusion. [Praise God]
Abraham was so sure that God wasn't trying to punish him. He was so sure that some way, somehow God's promises would still stand.
He was man of GREAT faith.
~* Lord,if I can be like Abraham, then that is my desire. I know it will require enduring difficult tests and trials that result in confusion, but I pray dear God that the journey I am currently on, will lead me to a place where my faith will be increased tremendously. For I now understand that without faith, it is impossible to please You. *~
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Be Bold. Stand Up for what you Believe in.
"Stand up for what you believe in." Hmm, this becomes a little difficult when we're not fully sure of what we believe in doesn't it? If we have nothing that we will adamantly stand by then we have nothing to stand up for. And "if we stand for nothing..." well you know how the rest of that saying goes.
But are you comfortable with falling for anything? Is that why you question everything? I notice that we've become a very "safe" people. You see it's safer to stay in the middle; to stand on the fence...or so we think.
We were all made with an innate desire to worship; to give praise to someone or something outside of ourselves. Most people can admit that but we seem to want to play it safe because having 100% faith in God seems confusing and maybe even impractical; but just because we don't fully understand something or cannot fully explain it, doesn't mean that it's not true. That just usually means that it's simply beyond our comprehension...that's all. So go ahead, dare yourself to believe...To have Faith.He is a God of Faith. That's what He requires- faith.
What reward should we get for believing in only what we can see or understand? What should be granted unto us for simply believing only that which we can explain? What's so superior about that?
How much would we/ could we credit God if He were so simplistic & visible & tangible & audible that we had absolutely no questions? If how He did what He did and continues to do, was easily explainable and comprehensible by all, would that not lower His standards or bring us closer to His level? But maybe that's what we want right? Is that why we continue to question? Are we looking for a means to console our badly bruised egos or our bitter hearts because we realise that WE fall short?? That we infact are inferior?
We try to ignore our spiritual side but we fail to recognise that we are spiritual beings & that aside from the world that we can see and feel, there is also a spiritual world. We all belong to someone. God's arms are wide open, ready to accept those who will surrender. Why should we have to make a decision to do so, you ask? If He made us shouldn't we automatically be His? Well... we are all His creations but not all His children. Seeing that Lucifer rebelled, we now all fall short and now must choose to be His child through accepting Christ (the bridge between man & God, who is ALSO God). Sounds a tad bit confusing right? And so that's how we now have people questioning Christ and the Trinity, because according to one, "It makes almost no sense." But umm excuse me... did God saying "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." and it being so, make sense to you? Did Jesus' miracles make sense to you or Jonah's survival in the belly of a large fish? I'm sorry but when exactly did we come to the concensus that it all HAD to make sense?
That is the beauty of our God! He does what is beyond our imagination, intellect and ability YET made us superior to His other creations. And as His creations, it is our duty to submit to the Creator and to seek Him for ourselves. I can't spell, describe or draw God for you. Each man must embark on his own journey to seek the Lord. As Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."Sure I still have a few unanswered questions about what's really important and what to believe but I'm holding very dear to me His words : "Call to me & I will answer you & tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." - Jer 33:3.
I've mentioned before that I am on a mission and I mean it. I believe that there is only ONE TRUTH and as bold of a statement as that is, I will stand by it.
What are you choosing to stand by?
But are you comfortable with falling for anything? Is that why you question everything? I notice that we've become a very "safe" people. You see it's safer to stay in the middle; to stand on the fence...or so we think.
We were all made with an innate desire to worship; to give praise to someone or something outside of ourselves. Most people can admit that but we seem to want to play it safe because having 100% faith in God seems confusing and maybe even impractical; but just because we don't fully understand something or cannot fully explain it, doesn't mean that it's not true. That just usually means that it's simply beyond our comprehension...that's all. So go ahead, dare yourself to believe...To have Faith.He is a God of Faith. That's what He requires- faith.
What reward should we get for believing in only what we can see or understand? What should be granted unto us for simply believing only that which we can explain? What's so superior about that?
How much would we/ could we credit God if He were so simplistic & visible & tangible & audible that we had absolutely no questions? If how He did what He did and continues to do, was easily explainable and comprehensible by all, would that not lower His standards or bring us closer to His level? But maybe that's what we want right? Is that why we continue to question? Are we looking for a means to console our badly bruised egos or our bitter hearts because we realise that WE fall short?? That we infact are inferior?
We try to ignore our spiritual side but we fail to recognise that we are spiritual beings & that aside from the world that we can see and feel, there is also a spiritual world. We all belong to someone. God's arms are wide open, ready to accept those who will surrender. Why should we have to make a decision to do so, you ask? If He made us shouldn't we automatically be His? Well... we are all His creations but not all His children. Seeing that Lucifer rebelled, we now all fall short and now must choose to be His child through accepting Christ (the bridge between man & God, who is ALSO God). Sounds a tad bit confusing right? And so that's how we now have people questioning Christ and the Trinity, because according to one, "It makes almost no sense." But umm excuse me... did God saying "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." and it being so, make sense to you? Did Jesus' miracles make sense to you or Jonah's survival in the belly of a large fish? I'm sorry but when exactly did we come to the concensus that it all HAD to make sense?
That is the beauty of our God! He does what is beyond our imagination, intellect and ability YET made us superior to His other creations. And as His creations, it is our duty to submit to the Creator and to seek Him for ourselves. I can't spell, describe or draw God for you. Each man must embark on his own journey to seek the Lord. As Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."Sure I still have a few unanswered questions about what's really important and what to believe but I'm holding very dear to me His words : "Call to me & I will answer you & tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." - Jer 33:3.
I've mentioned before that I am on a mission and I mean it. I believe that there is only ONE TRUTH and as bold of a statement as that is, I will stand by it.
What are you choosing to stand by?
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