Christians: Is Sight your Faith?
Posted: Sunday, May 16, 2010
by Douglas Cartwright
Living Words Coaching and Training
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, how is your faith? And how is your faith in God? Sometimes it seems to me like they are two different things. I know that faith should be ‘short-hand’ for ‘faith in God’ but do you connect the two intimately?
Remember, Mark Twain said “faith is when you know what ain’t so". And that is how much of the world outside Christianity thinks about our faith – that it is a blind faith in something we cannot prove.
Do you get that? Faith is trust or loyalty given because of evidence of prior trustworthiness. Does that not set several New Testament events in a different light? When the Roman Centurion asked for Jesus to heal his servant and then said he was not worthy to have Jesus under his roof: than man firstly asked for Jesus because he had heard about Jesus’ miracles and believed he could do another; secondly he realised that Jesus had supernatural power and was under the authority of some sort of divine being.
He had faith (trusted) that Jesus could do more of what he did based on his knowledge of past performance. And Jesus said (using the word ‘trust’ instead of faith) Not even in Israel have I found such great trust.
When the disciples were carrying on and running around (as my wife would say) when Jesus was asleep during the storm, he awoke, calmed the storm and rebuked them for their lack of faith. But was he really rebuking them for their lack of trust given that they must have started to understand he was no ordinary man. Was Jesus in effect saying “Do you not understand anything about what I can do and who I am? Did you really think I would LET you drown?"
So that leads me onto us. How do we do when the waves are crashing around us and it looks like our [life] boat will sink? Do we wail and rush around or do we obey the command to “Be still, and know that I am God"?
God is the One who talks of what is not as though it is. Basically, he speaks and it gets created. So therefore, even if He did not know you needs before you ask for them (which He does) you could ask Him and he would speak the solution for you - and it would happen.
However, the solution is often not immediately obvious to US. This leads me to ask “Are you living by faith [in God] or sight[what you can see]?" (2 Cor 5:7).
The truth is, whatever your answer you are living by faith. The question is: “What do you have faith in?"
For exsample, if you are more afraid of man than God then your fear is a form of faith. Yes it is. Fear is faith that the thing you fear has more power than God.
If every-time your boat [life] springs a leak it’s the end of the world (yes, I am ashamed to admit I can be like this) then perhaps you are living by sight, not faith – that is, not by TRUST – in your Father. And if you are living by sight then that SIGHT – what you can see – IS your faith. And how small is that faith because you are so limited compared to God.
Does God really deserve your lack of trust?
Or to put it another way, do you think He has earned your trust? (I ask this as a fool because any Christian should believe that after God sent Jesus for us, He is utterly trustworthy!)
I encourage you to think this through: Given God’s power and what He has already done for us plus His promises to supply our daily needs (not necessarily our the false needs of our outrageous desires) then shouldn’t we make a decision to step out in faith and affirm “I am seeking first the kingdom, therefore all these things will be provided for me?"
Let me know what you think.
Doug Cartwright
Struggling to manage your emotions as a Christian? Go to www.livingwords.net/christianresources.html and get yourself a free sample of the incredible life-changing book, Santified Emotions.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I think the biggest hang up many have is not CAN God do that but WILL God do it for me in this circumstance. HE is able. We are "but dust" that sort of puts it into enlightened perspective and He LOVES us - choose our highest good and really is concerned with the minute details of our lives - how did we ever deserve that? We didn't. HE chose us.WOW
Close your bible, open your eyes and mind.I tend to think that opening my bible opens my eyes and mind more effectively...
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