Faith

4-1-2010

As one grows in a relationship with Christ, so does their level of faith. As a youth minister, we used to have a group of kids do “trust falls”. One person stands on a table or something fairly high off of the ground with his/her back to the group, while the rest of the group creates a stable “landing area” by interlocking their arms. The person on the table crosses their arms, closes their eyes, and literally falls backwards off of the table into the groups arms. This experience can be used to teach many life lessons, and faith is a key lesson. As one falls backwards, you are literally having faith that the group will catch your fall. The question I have for you is simple: how many of us have really surrendered everything we have to our maker? How many of us would drop everything and fall blindly into the arms of Christ?

In James 1:5-8 we are taught a few essential musts to being a fully devoted Christ follower. First, we must use wisdom to make the proper choices in difficult situations, and our source of wisdom comes from God. Remember, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. You can gather knowledge, but only God can give you true wisdom. I pray every day that God will bless me with wisdom that surpasses all understanding. As you pray for wisdom, do not doubt that God will answer, and don’t doubt His answers.

For those of you that have heard me speak or been around me at all, you will hear me say repeatedly, “documentation beats conversation”. I am all about proving it, so don’t tell me, show me. With this mindset, having faith in God could seem difficult because we believe in something we cannot see. To have a genuine faith in Christ, the mind cannot waver. If your faith wavers, you don’t completely understand Christ. I want to encourage you to submit your life to Christ wholeheartedly, and you will see “documentation”. By letting go of your life, and allowing God to take over, you will truly die to self and live to serve.

Your faith journey is like any journey you’ve ever embarked on, and they all involve nourishment. It is extremely important to understand the key to growing in your faith, read God’s word. If you are reading God’s word, you will find every answer you will ever need to live a faithful and joyous life. If you seek answers from the world, you will find yourself lacking. I know because I’ve seen me do it. A life focused on God’s word is a selfless, servant-hearted lifestyle that involves pouring everything you have into serving Christ and serving others. You will have times of weakness, and we all make mistakes, but renew your mind with what is true, and your faith will grow each and every day. Ask for God’s wisdom, trust in God’s wisdom, and keep the faith!

Application:
1.Read James 1: 5-8 and Matthew 21:22
2.Are you feeding your mind with truth or worldly gossip?
3.Evaluate your faith in Christ and if there is doubt, why?