The SUBSTANCE of FAITH

Today is "WIDE-OPEN WEDNESDAY"! It's "wide-open" for YOU to take that leap of FAITH!

Faith vs. Reason. Is that the way it has to be when we talk about FAITH?  I'd say "yes" and "no".

There IS a solid place in our lives for "reason". There are decisions that we make in our lives that MUST involve reason or "reasoning", and well thought out reasoning at that!

So, right off, please don't misinterpret what it is that I'm going to say in today's article. By NO MEANS am I saying that you need to throw "reason/reasoning" out the door. Too many people already misunderstand the idea of "stepping out in faith" and have made some very foolish (and harmful) moves in their lives.

FAITH IS NOT CARELESS LIVING! Make sure you get that point. As a matter of fact, if you'll go back to yesterday's podcast and blog article you'll remember that, according to the Biblical definition found in Hebrews 11:1, "...faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen."

SUBSTANCE and EVIDENCE. Understanding this will help prevent careless living and careless decisions.

It almost makes my head spin when I think of how many people I hear say something along the lines of, "Well, you gotta' have faith!" or "Sometimes you just have to step out in faith" or even, "Sometimes you just have to JUMP!"

Again, please don't misunderstand. YES, there comes a time when ALL of these phrases are necessary and TRUE! But, first, make sure you have the SUBSTANCE and the EVIDENCE that is used in the very definition of faith before you make that jump.

THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR:

How much "weight" does this "passion" of yours carry? Another way to ask that is simply, "How IMPORTANT is this passion of yours?" How DETERMINED are you to achieve this goal or dream? Do you have what it takes to stick it out until you reach your goal? Do you have what it takes to carry it out and fulfill it once you achieve it?

Let me use an example from an old television show called, "The Beverly Hillbillies". Do you remember Jethro? (How can you FORGET Jethro if you ever saw the show?). Let's just say that ol' Jethro wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, o.k.? Do you remember what it was that Jethro wanted to have as a profession? Here we go - a BRAIN SURGEON. Of course, the comedic aspect of this was that there was no way in the world that Jethro would ever be able to become a brain surgeon! So, in my way of thinking, there was NO SUBSTANCE to his plan. Make sense?

Yes, it is important to STRETCH and CHALLENGE ourselves in our attempts to better our lives. Think just a moment about those last few words in the previous sentence... "better our lives". If we plan to BETTER our lives then it DEMANDS that we do something DIFFERENT so that we don't keep it the same, right? Doing something DIFFERENT demands a different mindset and approach which means we must "stretch" and challenge ourselves in order to do so.

But, at the same time (and this is part of the "reasoning") our goals and dreams must have "substance" in that it is something that we can actually achieve. Make sense? Hey, I love the NBA but at 52 years of age and also due to my lack of ability there is NO WAY IN THE WORLD that I can become a member of a professional basketball team in the NBA...no matter HOW MUCH I want it or regardless of how many pictures I put up on my "dream board".

Now, once you figure something out that has "substance" for your life (a real passion and something that you feel that you were BORN TO DO) then, YES, stretch yourself and be surprised at how far PAST your expections you landed.

I hope this makes sense...give me some feedback, o.k.?

Tomorrow we will discuss the second part of this "faith equation"... EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. But, until then, whatever you and wherever you go, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

The Time is NOW!

The Time is NOW!

Isn't it? We've all talked about it, right? This week's podcasts and blog entries have all centered around this need that we all have IF we plan to move forward with our goals and dreams. So, isn't the time to "jump", NOW?

Here is a fact to consider: IF you choose to try to achieve your goals and dreams (and, by the way, if you don't choose to try to achieve them, why are you setting them in the first place?) you WILL face moments of FEAR and, along with those moments of FEAR, moments of DECISION.

That DECISION will be about ACTION. Will you "jump" or won't you?

I'm going to share a couple of things from the Bible just to make a point and because it also relates directly to what we are talking about today -

The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7 - "For we walk by faith, not by sight." I don't know about you but my initial reaction is, "Whoa! Hold up there, buddy! I HAVE to see where I'm going!"

And that is our initial and "natural" way of doing things. But, tell me, friend - can you see the future? Can you KNOW with 100% certainty how something is going to turn out? OF COURSE NOT!

And, this is the very FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) that keeps us where we say we don't want to be! We often want someone to make a GUARANTEE about our future and/or our plans - but that is impossible! YES we should make adequate plans and chart out our journey to the best of our ability, but there are NO guarantees!

The other day on one of the podcasts I talked about the fact that there is risk involved every time we get into our cars and drive down the street! There are risks involved every time you get on an airplane or every time I get on my motorcycle.

So, in order to avoid the risks, do you just stay put and never go anywhere? SOME PEOPLE DO!

Did you know that there is actually a word to describe those that have a fear of FAILURE? Here it is: Atychiphobia.

So, back to what the apostle Paul said - sometimes you just have to "step out" and walk by FAITH and NOT by what you can or can not see!

YES this is 100% easier said than done BUT it MUST be DONE in order to move toward success in our goals and dreams!

The writer of the book of Hebrews in the Bible says this in chapter 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." You see, this is NOT a "blind" faith!

When we understand that "walking by FAITH and not by SIGHT" still means we have "substance" and "evidence" then it becomes a little easier to digest!

By planning and carefully working on our "planned route" for our journey (just like planning a trip), yes, there will ALWAYS be unknowns, BUT there is evidence - either from our past experiences OR the experiences of others that have done the same - that we CAN be successful in this action. We have FAITH in that believe. Why? Because there is SUBSTANCE to that faith and also EVIDENCE to back it up!

So, again, we are NOT walking "blindly" when we talk about it being time to "jump"!

Scary? Sure. Worrisome? At times. Butterfly-producing? Most likely!

But just think about the "rush of the ride" that you are about to experience when you are feeling these emotions!

So, what would you rather do? Stay where you are and beat yourself up because, once again, you have failed to make progress in your journey? OR would you rather step out by FAITH which is backed up by SUBSTANCE and EVIDENCE and "jump"?

I ask one more time...

Isn't it time to jump? Isn't the time NOW?

Enjoy the ride and, as you do so...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike