There you go again…showing your faith.
I say this to myself a lot…and not in an encouraging, “at a boy” way either. More than once have I shown a lack of faith by my actions.
A callous thought towards someone I disagree with. At a loss for words and leadership when the world seems to be as overwhelmingly dark and lost as it has ever been. Struggling to believe that someone can change. Refusing to find something good in a person or situation. Trusting that God does indeed have what’s best for my family and I.
Faith, in all the different ways it can be expressed, has truly been my struggle.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in God and have so for a long time, but I’ve always had to fight hard to grow faith and to even show it, in what I deem is a proper way. What makes matters worse is that I know in my heart that faith is truly the foundation and first element for having a successful life. Faith in God, faith in His Son, and faith in His promises, if practiced and lived out; will bleed into every area of my existence.
FAITH IS POWERFUL.
“How powerful?” you might ask.
The apostle John brings some clarity to this question:
I know when we read this verse, we tend to focus on the “conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith,” part. And rightfully so. Those words are empowering and overwhelming at the same time. And who knows, maybe John, knowing the human races tendency to focus on power and ourselves, understood that he couldn’t stop there. Maybe that’s why he finished this verse simplistically. “The person who wins out over the world’s ways is SIMPLY the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.”
So you see, faith doesn’t have to be complicated. I struggle with it, I’m sure many can identify with that. But when I really think about it, I’m so foolish to get lost in the struggle. Because like John said, the power to overcome the ways of the world is the simple faith that Jesus is the Son of God. If you’re a believer…that shouldn’t be too much of a stretch, right? Of course not! Jesus being the Son of God is the cornerstone of our belief…of our faith. So maybe with that knowledge, we can stop weighing ourselves down with what we think is impossible.
Faith is real…and as believers in Christ, faith lives in us. I don’t know about you, but that’s a great place to start.
The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.” -- Luke 17:5 (MSG)
Jesus, (pointing to a nearby mulberry tree) answered: “It’s not like you need a huge amount of faith. If you just had faith the size of a single, tiny mustard seed, you could say to this huge tree, ‘Pull up your roots and replant yourself in the sea,’ and it would fly through the sky and do what you said. So even a little faith can accomplish the seemingly impossible.” – Luke 17:6 (VOICE)
