Living Your Faith

Does God ever wake you up in the middle of the night and you can’t sleep because He is nudging you to get up. Sometimes He urges me to pray, even when I don’t know who I am supposed to pray for. But HE knows and that is all that matters. Sometimes, He wakes me to sit quietly and spend time with Him.  Do you know how loud quietness is in the middle of the night?   Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and know that He is God!" I don't mind it when God calls me out from a deep sleep to talk with me because it is usually going to be some good word!

One night, I woke up with a troubled heart because I was worried about something going on in life at the time. I know I am not supposed to worry, but this old flesh does that sometimes, especially when I don't completely give my concern over to God. I decided to get up and sit in the recliner. Without turning any lights on, I sat there wondering what in the world was so important that God woke me up. So many things began running through my mind. As I sat quietly, He drew my attention to this little decoration sitting above my fireplace. As I stared at it, I tried to figure out what He was trying to tell me.

As I began to focus on the word, FAITH, I whispered, "Yes Lord, I have faith, not always perfect faith, but I do have faith to trust You." More quietness. More staring at the word faith. Then I started looking at each letter in the word FAITH and that is when His message poured into my spirit!

What does the word "faith" mean? Well, it depends if you are talking about faith as a noun or a verb!

Faith, as a noun, is a belief in something or someone even though you cannot see it. Faith is a feeling of knowing without any doubt that something or someone is true and unshakable, never changing. Hebrews 11:1 KJV reads, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Having faith is like carrying an umbrella on a sunny day, believing it will rain. Faith is like cracking open a peanut shell knowing a couple of peanuts will be inside. The Bible also tells us that faith is evidenced by hoping for something not yet seen. It is like putting a worm on a fishing hook hoping to catch a fish from a pond you have already caught fish in.

Faith, as a verb, requires your action. Faith doesn’t take you out of the problem you may be in, but it will carry you through the situation or prevent you from making bad choices. In Mark 11:23-24 we are told, "Whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt but believes that what they say will happen.  Therefore, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it." Faith accompanied by action empowers you to keep moving forward and pressing on through whatever you are going through. As my pastor says, "You have to see it before you see it." Years ago, I visited a little country church.  There was an older lady who prayed over a list of sick people from her church and community.  Her prayer has forever stuck in my mind because it was so powerful and full of faith. She prayed, "Jesus, I am praying to you for healing, knowing that you can heal.  Believing that you will heal.  And thanking You for healing." Wow, that was a full circle of faith!

Faith without doubt affirms that whatever you ask of God and in God's will, will be granted to you. Hebrews 11:6 KJV states, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." If you intentionally seek Him, you will find Him.  And when you find Him, you will be blessed and highly favored.

Galatians 5:22 mentions that faithfulness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are characteristics seen in those who abide in God. What does abiding mean? How can you learn to abide in Him?  In Psalm 42:1, David shares what abiding in Him means by comparing its intensity to a thirsty deer. "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O Lord." Abiding is the desire to commune with God and share your deep thoughts, concerns, wishes, and dreams. The desire to abide means to hunger and thirst after Him. You must seek His word and desire to be in His presence as though you were very hungry and extremely thirsty. Therefore, your soul pants after Him.

Faith is so much more than believing.  It has many layers but is always centered on God’s strength in us. My pastor

 preached about faith and these statements really resonated with me:

*People may never know your name, but they will know you by your faith. And you will never know the impact that your faith had on someone. 

*You can’t live on someone else’s faith, not your mama's, grandmama's, spouse's, or friend's.  But you can be transformed by someone’s faith. Perhaps there is someone whose faith through their situation caused your faith to grow?

*Your faith travels with you wherever you go.  Whatever situation you face, your faith will show.  People will watch you as you go through difficult things to see how you react.  Show them what God has done for you by letting others see your faith.

*Even if you lose your faith, He is still faithful!  I can truly say I understand that.  When I lost my son, Corey, my faith was shattered.  It took me a few months before I would even talk to Jesus.  But, you know, He never left my side. He carried me when I could not walk myself. He has shown me time and again, that He was faithful the whole time, even when I wasn't.

Let's think about faith as a verb and what faith in action means. Each letter represents something you must do to demonstrate your faith.

F:  Faith requires you focus on Him.  *Be intentional and mindful of your faith by staying aware of His presence and purpose for your life.

A:  Faith requires that you abide in Him. *Become intimate with Him. Have a deep relationship with Him. He will always be your best friend, no matter what happens.

I:   Faith requires you invest in Him. * You must invest time to pray, to worship, to praise Him, and to study His Word.  

T:  Faith requires you trust Him. *No matter how many times your flesh fails, you must trust and remember that He loves you so much.

H:  Faith requires you to hope in Him. * You will always have HOPE if you abide in Him, even if things around you are all messed up.

Now that we know what faith is, let’s talk about what faith IS NOT.

*Faith is not FAKE. You cannot pretend to trust Him. You either trust Him completely or you don't trust Him at all.

*Faith is not ARROGANT. Faith does not boast about itself and is revealed through your actions. You shouldn't have to tell people that you have faith. They should see your faith through your actions.

*Faith is not IGNORANT. Faith is something that you learn through studying God's word and spending time with Him. God's word gives you many examples of people who struggled but still demonstrated faith.

*Faith is not TEMPORAL. Having faith does not occur in short bursts of time. Faith doesn’t come instantly, it grows as you journey through life. Faith requires you to believe in Him until you see Him face-to-face in Heaven.

*Faith is not HELPLESS. Faith in His will for your life never leaves you helpless. He deeply loves you and wants you to prosper. He will always be your strong tower to run to. His angels will stand guard around you. He will protect and provide for you.

We know many men and women who demonstrated their faith in the Bible.  Ruth, Sarah, Esther, Hannah, Mary, Job, Paul, Moses, Elijah; only to name a few.  There are so many stories where God protected and provided for His children. Today I want to think about a man or woman of faith that you know! What was the “evidence” of their faith? You cannot deny God’s faithfulness when the evidence is right in front of you! Faith when planted in fertile ground declares that God will provide for those who believe and abide in Him. It may be your life, the details of your story, but it is His unwavering faithfulness that cares for you. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (KJV) says, "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."   

Think about how your faith has grown through different phases of your life.  What was once your mountain?  What was once your impossibility? Some things you go through make you stronger; while some things revealed your weaknesses.  And some things you went through showed you just how strong you were.  Your faith is always growing, from the day you were born until the day that God calls you home. So, during your journey here on Earth, abide in Him and let your faith be a living testimony to others.  Focus on Him, abide in Him, invest your time and energy in Him, and demonstrate the hope you have in Him because you have FAITH.