Walking through the Fire or the Storm

Even when the world attacks or a situation seems dark, difficult, and even dire, it may still be part of God's purpose and will.  He has not promised us a life of constant "success," ease, happiness, and sunshine.  We can see God's purposes and plans worked out in the lives of all His prophets, disciples and followers, yet not one lived a life of complete joy and peace in a worldly sense.

The thing that makes the difference is KNOWING GOD, trusting Him, and going where He sends us, recognizing that His will has purposes and results for greater than any road of comfort and worldly success could ever provide.  As Jesus did, we MUST draw very close to the Lord to build that relationship of trust and love which will enable us to walk through the fire or the storm because we KNOW His goodness, His love, and His ability to "work all things together for good."

Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, the Revelation of God

Jesus Christ - the Person of the Godhead in whom the glory of the Godhead is manifested, the complete and absolute revelation of all that God is.

All of God's conveyed words could only give us an outline of who He is and of whom we are and how we should serve Him.  Jesus brought life to that word; He gave it expression and made it tangible. So we were able to see in Him God's love, holiness, and power, as well as how those characteristics applied to us.  

And beyond this, when Christ returned to the Father, He sent the Helper to us.  Holy Spirit lives within us to continue Jesus Christ's work.  The Spirit brings the word of God to life, again, revealing God's love, holiness and power.  He continues to speak to our hearts and to lead us in understanding God and walking in His will.  

How personal and gracious God is that He would not just send His inspired word through His prophets.  God chose to take on flesh and blood to live among us, to taste our trials and our struggles, and reveal Himself personally.  In His flesh, He took on the sins of the world in His death to enable us to join Him in eternity.  Now, He tabernacles within us, sharing our very lives, encouraging us, leading us in His ways, and speaking to our hearts very personally.  The Spirit also breathes life upon the inspired word of God, helping us to see beyond the surface wording into the depths of mystery and power.

How could mere religion possibly compete even with libraries of 'holy books'?

A Dangerous Faith

Jesus was a dangerous man -- dangerous to the power structure, dangerous to the religious, dangerous to the crowds of people who followed Him.

Shouldn't Christianity be considered dangerous -- unpredictable, threatening to the status quo, living outside the lines, uncontrollable, fearless, wild, beyond categorization or definition.  It is time to find the place where the dangerous wonder of faith can be discovered -- a place landscaped by risky curiosity, wild abandon, daring playfulness, quiet listening,, irresponsible passion, happy terror and naive grace.

Found the above in an old journal.  Not sure whether I wrote it or if I got it from somewhere.  Not sure that it is stated correctly.  My heart is trying to say that it is time to leave behind all the comfortable churchiosity, the safe "sanctification," and the predictable religiosity.  The dangerous One we follow is calling us out of the boat and onto the water, out of our comfort zones and into the battlefields.  

Even as I write this, I wonder if I have what it takes.  I wonder if I can set aside my fears, doubts and insecurities.  

Let's encourage one another; let's strengthen one another, let's step out together and take that first dangerous step of faith!

Faith Does

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the men of old gained approval.   Hebrews 11:1

“Faith Does.”  Actually, I am not trying to say that faith does anything in and of itself.  It is not an invisible magic force that operates in the world.  Rather, by faith, we choose to act and God chooses to act in response to our faith.  First, let’s look at what choosing to act in faith accomplishes.

Faith Obeys and Acts
Faith obeys, and true faith moves us to act.  As James says, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14-15)  Abraham left Ur and then Haran by faith, seeking a country in which he would spend his entire life as an alien, a land that God promised to give him.  By faith he gathered his servants, the wood, and his son Isaac to head for Mt. Moriah, the place of sacrifice, because he believed God would keep His promise even when it seemed impossible.

By faith Moses led a multitude of thousands into the desert believing God would lead them all the way to the Promised Land and that He would provide for them on the way.  Joshua marched his army around an impregnable city wall for seven days.  (I wonder what they were thinking on days four and five?)   And Gideon pared down his grossly outnumbered forces to 300 men before the first recorded battle of his life.

Faith Rests
A Sabbath rest remains, therefore, for God’s people. For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience. (Heb. 4:9-11)  In resting from our own works, we rely on the finished work of Christ Jesus.
Jesus calls us into His rest:  “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matt. 11:28-30)

Faith is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches Him must believe that He does exist and that He becomes a Rewarder to those who seek Him out. Hebrews 11:1 & 6

It is so interesting that I am writing this even as I am going through a trial of my faith, and a time when I feel that my faith is showing just how weak and wimpy it really is. For those of you who don't know me or my situation, let me just say that my family and I don't know where we will be living next month. The house we have been renting was foreclosed on, sold at auction, and is being put on the market by the bank. The mortgage on the house we are planning to rent has not yet been approved. And so, we find ourselves within a couple of weeks of moving and not knowing where we will be moving to. It’s stressful to say the least. And I wonder, where is my faith?

So, here I am examining FAITH as a person who is struggling with faith at the moment. I am not struggling with my faith in God as my Father, as the One who loves me, or as my Provider. But I am struggling more with what He is doing in my life at this season and
in this circumstance. In this need, is He God, my Provider, or is He God, my Sustainer in times of need? Would He be saying, “My grace is sufficient?” Is He providing the nice house we long for, or is He at work teaching me that I don't need all the long list of things American prosperity has taught me to accept as necessity? (Hmmmmm. Maybe I think too much and over analyze everything!)

Anyway, the above verses in Hebrews are the basis for my understanding of what faith is. From them I understand that FAITH is a firm confidence in the things that we
expectantly hope for: the things God has promised and the things we have been told are true in Scripture. The word here for “firm confidence” is hypostasis, a Greek word that was commonly used in business documents of the time as the basis of a guarantee of transactions It is important to note here that it isn’t so much about my faith as it is about the object of my faith, God. Just as in a business transaction, the contract itself is only as valuable as the integrity of the one you are contracting with.

Faith is also a confidence, acceptance, and belief in things that we cannot see. It’s rather like believing in gravity or the wind. “Faith apprehends as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses. It rests on that fact, acts upon it, and is upheld by it in the face of all that seems to contradict it.” Notice verse 11:27, where it says those who lived by faith “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”

So faith is a confidence in things that are not here yet (we haven’t received them physically as yet) and a conviction about the things that exist but we just can't see them. It is learning to walk or live according to the truth of God’s Word, even when we haven’t yet received and are not yet able to see. Matthew Henry said that faith is to the soul all that the senses are to the body.

From this "definition," it would seem that the things that we see and the things that we already have are not of faith, they don’t require faith. And, you know, that is the rub. I ask God to give me faith, to build my faith, but then I get upset when I don’t have or see all the things I “need.” Maybe I should be careful of what I ask for, it sounds a little like asking for more patience and then having one person after another getting on your last nerve.

Interestingly enough, Hebrews is very direct in saying, "All of these (the list that follows in Hebrews 11) had their merit attested because of their faith. Nevertheless, they did not receive what had been promised, because God had planned something better that would involve us, so that only with us would they be brought to the goal." It seems to imply that having enough faith is not a guarantee that we will get everything we hope for when we expect it. God may have something better in mind. God's thoughts and ways are so much higher and farther than ours, and we don't always quite understand what He is truly saying or what His timeline is for its fulfillment. Nevertheless, we are to believe if for no other reason then that it pleases Him.

By the way, take another look at the last paragraph. The Word says they “had their merit attested because of their faith.” What it is saying is that God testifies about their faith. All through Scripture we find God pointing out those who believed and who expressed their faith actively in their obedience. It seems that among other things, the Bible may also be God’s Brag Book. I hope that doesn’t sound sacrilegious. I know that all the wonders throughout the Bible are the work of God. Yet, it seems that God made sure a record was kept and a report was made to honor them for the things that they did in faith. Can you imagine God giving a testimony about you because you believed Him? Wow!

Verse 6 says that we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him out. I guess we can’t have faith in His promises if we don’t believe that God exists, that seems like a given. But we also must believe that He is good, that He wants to do us good. We must believe that as we reach out to Him, He will be reaching out to us and that He will do us good. We must believe that His will for us is good.

Again, I am so like a child here, Daddy God says "I am taking you somewhere." And immediately I start, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" He says, "I am doing a new thing in your life." And, I begin asking, "Are You done yet? Am I done yet?"

I want to have faith. I want to believe and trust in God. I want to please Him by my faith. BUT I want everything NOW. I want my needs to all be met! I want my walk with Him to be smooth and easy. According to the definition of faith above, if I had all of this, if I could see Jesus sitting here beside me, where would my faith be? And if I didn't need faith, how could I please God?

i. Word Pictures in the New Testament, Archibald Thomas Robertson, QuickVerse.
ii. ibid
iii. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the New Testament, QuickVerse.
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