Saturday, November 23, 2013

More on Faith

Last night I wrote about faith, but I wanted to get into it a little more today.  There seems to be a common misconception of the meaning of "faith".  For starters, we have this crazy idea that faith is blind.  We have the notion that to have faith means to commit and entrust ourselves to a desire or an idea that we know little or nothing about. This idea has no power to do what I need or want it to do.  It's only an idea.  It would be like stepping into a puddle that we really have no idea how deep it is.  But because we want to get to the other side of the road, we decide it's a good and necessary thing to cross through that puddle.  It looks like it's not deep, but we can't see it's depth, so we muster up our courage and sweep our mind clear of any suggestion that it might be dangerous.  We visualize getting to the other side of that road. But we have to believe that it's possible, so we're gonna need faith to get us there,  Without faith - even, the wrong kind of faith - I am stuck. I will never step in that puddle. 
So I can try to believe with all my heart that the puddle is shallow and step through it, or remain where I am because without certainty that I'll reach the other side safely, I'm too scared to try. 
However, if we clear up what faith really is, then we will know which way is best.  Faith has an object - God.  Now you're probably confused, thinking, "What does God have to do with whether or not I go to the other side of the road?"
If I believe that God is who the Bible says He is, then I believe He loves me.  I know that He knows everything (like how deep the puddle is), and He cares so much about me that He actually knows how many hairs I have on my head.  The Bible tells me He has all power and that He has good plans for me.  He doesn't want me to perish.  So I put my faith IN GOD and BELIEVE (TRUST) that He will help me decide what I should do.   
He will either say, "Don't step through that puddle - it's really dangerously deep." or He will say, "Go!"
Because I know what I know about Him, and that He does not lie, I will put my faith (trust) in Him and do what HE says.  Obedience always goes along with faith (trust).
There is one catch though:  Unless I know what God's character is and what He has or has not promised me, how can I be certain of which way to go?  I must know what the Bible tells me about Him.  So faith is not blind.  It is based on knowledge - knowledge of God.  I must read the Bible to find out what He's like and what He promises me.  
It's your faith in Him that will enable you to get from one day to the next,  You may not know what adventures or heartaches will come your way, but you will know you have a GUIDE and that you will never be alone.
For those of you who have PD,  you know that there are many "puddles" blocking your progress in a world that is becoming more and more challenging to us.  This is true whether you have PD or not.  So, read your Bible.  Ask Him to help you understand His Word.  He loves you.  He will answer.


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