FAITH IS.......

"Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26)

It is amazing to me how many times Christ says such a statement, esp. to His own disciples. I often say, " I am placing all my faith in God..... I have faith.... I have faith that all will be well, I am afraid, but I have faith that God will get me through this etc. etc. etc." There are so many words that we use or associate with in our walk with the Lord: faith, trust, hope, peace, joy, spirit, strength etc. We must remember that the world's definition of these words is not the same as what God intends them to mean. GOD'S joy, peace, strength and hope is not easily defined because it is so wrapped in POWER, His power. They are unmeasurable, unsearchable and definitely unexplainable to a non believer. The only way someone can truly comprehend it is when you are filled with the Holy Spirit. No matter how well we preach the gospel to a non believer, nothing we can say or do can define or explain the joy that comes from giving yourself truly to Christ.... it is WHEN God sends His helper, the Holy Spirit to grab and transform that person, finally allowing them to feel it and understand it. The Holy Spirit (the fuel) ignites our hearts and sends waves of splendid emotions through our veins that make us want to scream with full conviction and absolute JOY of our love for God.

 QUESTION: Faith is the most important thing in my life, but how do I define it? What is it?

So, when I say "I have faith", do I really let what that word symbolizes penetrate my entire mind, heart and soul? Do I really have faith without ANY doubt.... I mean such absolute faith IN Christ that I can go to sleep in absolute peace even when my world pulses with fear or anxiety because I know God will come through? Faith or faithfulness:They both come from the Greek word 'pistos' which we find in the word 'epistemology.' Faith is used about 230 times in the Bible. 

I refer to Luke 7 about the centurion who was willing to believe that Jesus could heal a loyal and trusted servant who was near death. The centurion told Jesus, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Then the centurion used a personal example to illustrate that he understood what it meant to be taken at His word and obeyed. In response to the centurion, Jesus turned to the crowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” Jesus seemed to be saying that “great faith” was simply taking Him at His word.

Can I find my answer in all of Hebrews 11? (the golden discussion of faith) which starts with ..."Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the CONVICTION of things not seen..." No matter whom the writer of Hebrews was talking about, each person had simply taken God at His word and obeyed His command. They were remembered for their faith!! Regardless of circumstances, despite arguments of logic and reason, and regardless of how he or she felt, each person mentioned in Hebrews 11 believed God and His word and chose to be OBEDIENT.

OBEDIENCE IS FAITH PUT INTO PRACTICE. YOU CAN NOT SEPARATE FAITH AND OBEDIENCE! REMEMBER: BEFORE SIN, IT WAS DISOBEDIENCE! IT WAS THE DISOBEDIENCE OF ONE MAN (ADAM) THAT BROUGHT ABOUT SIN, AND IT WAS THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE MAN (CHRIST) THAT SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF SIN!!!!

What I have also been pondering about is the notion that even by having faith, abiding in His word and being completely obedient does not mean that we will reap the fruits of our obedience and faith in OUR span of life. God's promise is forever, so just because we have faith and obey, we must not EXPECT a reward for it.... our reward will be in heaven! Many of God's loyal servants DID NOT receive what they were promised, because our GREAT promise awaits not in our lifetime, but in eternity. "AND ALL THESE, THOUGH COMMANDED THROUGH THEIR FAITH, DID NOT RECEIVE WHAT WAS PROMISED, SINCE GOD HAD PROVIDED SOMETHING BETTER FOR US, THAT APART FROM US THEY SHOULD NOT BE MADE PERFECT." (Hebrews 11:39-40) So, I, a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ should constantly remind myself that I have faith, I obey and I abide in His word and promise for ONE REASON: TO GLORIFY GOD!!! Its is ALL about Him, and not for an "expectation" to receive what I want by being obedient. What I want does not dwell here in this broken world, but rather it stands waiting for me as my inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven... By truly believing this and letting it resonate in my life, God always bestows blessings upon His loyal servants.... not because I expect it for my obedience, but rather because He loves me beyond words for my faithfulness.

Oh, how word's have lost their meaning, yet the Bible speaks so often about guarding our mouths. Where is the value of words? In the world we live in today, we carelessly use and throw around the word Love and Faith so easily that the essence of what they truly convey begins to lose its shine and POWER.

So often, I find myself reading the Bible without careful examination of the words used. Example: "...And when Jesus SAW their faith.." (Matthew 9:2) I have read that passage many times, but now I am drawn to the word SAW. Jesus SAW their faith..... it is not about merely having faith, but also exemplifying it because often we can go about deceiving ourselves just through our words.

ANSWER: Faith is taking God at His word. Let me be consumed in my faith, letting His Word and His promise come ALIVE, penetrating my heart. The spirit of God's word flows in me cleansing my blood. Let His Word and His promise pierce my very existence because the Word of the Lord abides FOREVER. 

For me, FAITH IS OBEDIENCE. FAITH IS FREEDOM!