Faith
Do you ever feel inadequate in the amount of faith you have? Do you often compare yourself to other Christians and wonder why their faith seems more concrete than your own? We all have moments, even seasons, that we wonder where our faith went.
What exactly is faith? Hebrews 11: 1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
One definition for faith in my computer dictionary says:
1. Belief or trust: belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof
Without logical proof. That is often the stumbling block that gets in the way of our faith in God -- a stumbling block that the old devil will use to bring us doubt. It is very difficult to keep a strong faith when we live in a world of instant gratification. The fruit of our faith is not always revealed in the timeframe we would like, and we get impatient and begin to lose faith. We want to see results…yesterday.
The devil plays with our minds (his playground) in those times of waiting for an answer from God. He would have us question if God is even listening or doubt how much faith we really have. We become skeptical in our own faith the longer it takes to see the answers to our prayers.
I have often been crumbled to a pile of self-pity when I feel as though God is nowhere near me - when I’ve waited for an answer for what seems like forty years in the desert. In those desolate hours (which are fewer and farther apart - thank God!) I always question my faith and my incompetence as a child of God.
How quickly I forget that there is an enemy out there who wants nothing more than to see me throw in the towel and give up. He works hard to steal our faith from us. That is why we have to hold on even firmer to our faith when we are waiting for answers.
As I get older, though, I realize I will never lose my faith. It may seem to be weaker at times, but that is usually brought on by uncontrollable circumstances around me that I had not yet worked through. My faith is always there, and I will continue to work at keeping it as the focal point of my life.
I have to tell myself, everyday, that God has a plan for me. That is my desire for my life, to fulfill his calling that he gave to me. When “living” gets in the way of that, which it does almost daily, I may have to step back and re-prioritize to get back on track. As long as I can keep my eyes towards the goal, my faith will stay strong.
How do we keep our faith strong? Stay tuned next week!
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What exactly is faith? Hebrews 11: 1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
One definition for faith in my computer dictionary says:
1. Belief or trust: belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof
Without logical proof. That is often the stumbling block that gets in the way of our faith in God -- a stumbling block that the old devil will use to bring us doubt. It is very difficult to keep a strong faith when we live in a world of instant gratification. The fruit of our faith is not always revealed in the timeframe we would like, and we get impatient and begin to lose faith. We want to see results…yesterday.
The devil plays with our minds (his playground) in those times of waiting for an answer from God. He would have us question if God is even listening or doubt how much faith we really have. We become skeptical in our own faith the longer it takes to see the answers to our prayers.
I have often been crumbled to a pile of self-pity when I feel as though God is nowhere near me - when I’ve waited for an answer for what seems like forty years in the desert. In those desolate hours (which are fewer and farther apart - thank God!) I always question my faith and my incompetence as a child of God.
How quickly I forget that there is an enemy out there who wants nothing more than to see me throw in the towel and give up. He works hard to steal our faith from us. That is why we have to hold on even firmer to our faith when we are waiting for answers.
As I get older, though, I realize I will never lose my faith. It may seem to be weaker at times, but that is usually brought on by uncontrollable circumstances around me that I had not yet worked through. My faith is always there, and I will continue to work at keeping it as the focal point of my life.
I have to tell myself, everyday, that God has a plan for me. That is my desire for my life, to fulfill his calling that he gave to me. When “living” gets in the way of that, which it does almost daily, I may have to step back and re-prioritize to get back on track. As long as I can keep my eyes towards the goal, my faith will stay strong.
How do we keep our faith strong? Stay tuned next week!
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