Exercise Faith

12-3-2009
Exercise Faith

When we have a genuine faith in something, we trust whatever or whomever no matter what the outcome or consequence is. We are called to have this same type of faith in Jesus. Faith in Christ should be during the great, good, and bad times, yet we often have a faith of convenience.
When speaking with individuals that believe in God, but don’t go to church, there are usually a few reasons for not going. Many times the individual is lazy. They simply don’t have the discipline to go. Another reason tends to lie in a bad experience that occurred in their past, thereby creating a negative feeling toward the church experience. Some individuals feel they have fallen so far they don’t feel worthy to go to church. It would be awkward to go. Regardless of the reason, God calls us to exercise our faith on our own, and with community (going to church).

There are a couple keys to understanding human behavior as it relates to faith. First, humans are habitual. Chances are you sleep on the same side of the bed every night. When you wake up, you probably have a routine you go through. When you come home from work, you will do the same thing today as you did the day before, and of course you have the same routine at night. Humans are habitual. For those of you that are married, get into bed before your spouse does, but this time lie on “their” side of the bed. Leave “your” side of the bed available. I would love to hear some of your responses from your spouse’s! Seriously, email us the response of your spouse at info@loganstout.com. I will join in on the fun, and report back as to what my wife does.

The second thing to understand is our faith must be exercised. When we exercise our faith on a regular basis it becomes a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it will become a part of your day. Now, this takes time, but imagine if you were to read the Bible just a little bit every day. Take five minutes a day away from watching the television, and instead wipe the dust off the Bible. It’s hard at first, because it’s not a habit. Eventually, you will get to the point where you don’t feel like your day is complete until you’ve read scripture. It’s like working out at the gym. I can’t go more than two days without working out because working out every morning is now a part of my routine. If I don’t work out I feel miserable. Remember, we must exercise our faith in order to make it a part of our routine.

In all times, have faith. For those that have strayed, let’s form a new habit of exercising our faith!

Application:
1. Read Matthew 17
2. Get in bed before your spouse and see what happens when they find you on “their” side.