"Remember WHO You Are" (YouTube video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knkrXr-swbI
You may want to take a look at that video link above because this ONE video has given me the material for this and the remaining two episodes/articles in this new, 3-part "Mini-Series".
I also want to encourage you to go HERE to listen to the podcast that goes along with this same topic. Same topic, additional/different information than you get by only reading this blog post.
As I start this new 3-part "Mini-Series" with thoughts that I gathered after watching the above mentioned video a few months ago, I want to share with you the first thought that caused me to pause the video and write it down...
We want faith to take place but we don't want to operate IN faith (WOW!)
Now, as you read over that sentence you may think, "Uh, Mike...what's the difference in the two?"
My answer: "BIG difference!"
I'll start off by making a very simple comparison that may help us all to "get" this part. How many start off each new year with their "New Year's Resolution" with the #1 thing being, "I want to (or I'm going to) lose weight!" And, likely, they become very adamant about doing so with every passing year that they don't accomplish this "goal". TALKING ABOUT or PLANNING to do something is far different than actually DOING that thing, right?
So it is with the idea of WANTING faith in your life or SAYING that you WANT to "live in/by faith" as compared to actually living (operating) IN faith as stated above.
Here's my simple "explanation" (not really a definition) of FAITH: Trusting or believing in something that you cannot see.
What??? Are you CRAZY?
Think about it...if you can see it or know that it is there then there is no faith required, right?
Here's another simple (and silly) example that may help. Let's say you are on one side of a ravine and your friend is on the OTHER side of that ravine and that the depth of that ravine is 1,000 feet. In other words, step off of your side of the ravine and you will die when you plummet 1,000 feet.
You WANT to get to the other side to be with your friend but, there's that gap between you and your friend. You say, "I wish there was a way for me to get from here to where you are!!" to which your friend replies, "There is!" Excitedly you exclaim, "Just tell me how or what to do and I'll do it....hurry up and tell me!!!"
Your friend says, "I know you can't see it but there is an invisible bridge over the ravine that connects the two sides and all you have to do is walk across."
What would you do?
A LARGE part of what you would do depends on how much you actually TRUST your friend, right? And, even then, it would still be very difficult to step out onto something that you cannot see to walk across. EVERYTHING in your body and mind would be screaming "DON'T DO IT!" as a way to try to protect you from what would seem to be certain death.
Sure, you still might be scared even if you COULD see that bridge but it would not take FAITH that it is there in order to be able to take that first step.
Living IN faith or BY faith is a lot like that. First of all, it DEMANDS trust and it also has SUBSTANCE and EVIDENCE even thought you cannot really "see" the answer.
Yep, I'm going to bring in some scripture from the Bible because God's Word is the foundation for my life. It is my anchor and it is what gives me a solid foundation on which to walk in and through this life.
So, right off, there is TRUST involved and that TRUST is based on what you do or don't believe about God and His Son, Jesus. It's your choice but, as I share these thoughts with you, understand that this TRUST that I'm talking about will determine if you do or don't live in or by faith. It's just like the trust you either do or don't have your friend in the example above.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)
Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for. It's not just "wishful thinking" or a "false hope". This faith has substance and that substance is supported by your TRUST and your BELIEF. I'll tie all of this together in a minute but let's go to the next part first.
Faith actually has EVIDENCE of things not seen! It's not a "blind faith" but one that has substance and evidence!
You cannot SEE the wind but you can see EVIDENCE of the wind, right?
So, living IN or BY faith has substance based on your TRUST in the one that you follow or listen to, just like your friend in the above example. Honestly, if you don't believe in God or trust God then you will not and cannot have FAITH in God. It is impossible. As a matter of fact, just go a few verses further down to verse 6 and you will find this: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him..."
The evidence is there. The substance is there. You may have this evidence based on things that have happened in your own life. You may have evidence based on things that you have seen or have been told about things in the lives of others.
No?
Well, just keep reading in Hebrews 11 and you will read of person after person after person that lived BY faith or IN faith and what happened in their lives. This chapter is often called "The Hall of Fame of Faith" because of these things.
So, getting down to the nuts and bolts of all of this, TALK IS CHEAP. Whether you are talking about what you want/plan to do as part of your "New Year's Resolution" or stepping out and living IN or BY faith.
The choice is yours but it WILL require TRUST in order to take ACTION.
Join me next time as I continue on with some thoughts from this video. We will go from talking about FAITH to actually DOING SOMETHING TODAY (taking ACTION).
Until next time, remember...
YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON and, whatever you do, always be sure to...
"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"
No comments:
Post a Comment