What is Faith?

Mark 12:22b says, "Have faith in God."

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV): "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Paul talks about faith as something the righteous man should live by in Romans 1:17: "For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith." (NASB)

Faith is something obtainable. The Romans had faith. Paul mentions in Romans 1:8, that they had such faith it was being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Faith is something called for in many circumstances. The Dakes Annotated Reference Bible gives biblical examples of types of faith in Hebrews 11 (KJV):

• Abel’s faith worship (v. 4): "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…"
  
• Enoch’s faith walk (v. 5): "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death…" (He walked with God 300 years before he was taken up.)
  
• Noah’s faith work (v. 7): "By faith Noah, being warned of god of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…"
  
• Abraham’s faith obedience (v. 8-10): "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hat foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
  
• Sara’s faith reckoning (v. 11): "Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised."

Faith is a significant topic of the Bible. It is something that is called for on a daily basis in a variety of situations. It is necessary to have as Christians and greatly affects our walk with God. Its breadth is wide and its depth is substantial. It is required for salvation and necessary for a relationship with God. We need it for transformation, to fulfill our calling and to make it through difficult situations. It is what we have to hold on to when all else fails and what is needed for healing and wholeness.

Faith That Leads to Salvation

A relationship with God starts through faith. Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (KJV) Faith is therefore something that comes from the heart. It starts with a belief not only that there is a God, but that He is Jesus Christ and God raised him from the dead.

We are saved by grace through faith. "There is a mixture of God’s grace and power with your will and faith. It is not just all of God, and certainly it is not just all up to you. It takes both God’s ability and your willingness to bring about the new birth. ("This New Life," Billy Joe Daugherty) Faith is something therefore that takes both God and man. God provides the ability and man provides the willingness.

"Faith means trust in God’s promise to accept those who come to him, admitting their wrongdoing and clinging to the Lord as their only hope for deliverance. As Adam’s sin brought calamity on the human race, God’s gift of new life in Christ ushers in a new future for all who receive him by faith." ("Encountering the New Testament," Romans: Encountering Paul and His Epistles) Faith involves trusting in God's promises.

Romans 5:18-19 says, "Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right." (MSG)

Faith is about saying yes to God and what He is doing in our lives at the moment. It is not about making a specific confession or going through some motions. Faith starts as a response to God from the heart -God initiates and the heart responds.

I used to think that if people just said the prayer of salvation and made the confession, they were saved. I thought that this was the one and only critical moment in a person’s life because it determined if they were going to get to heaven or suffer an eternity in hell. Therefore, it was the only thing that really counted. Since then I have learned that salvation takes much more than empty words by someone. It takes the work of God in their heart.

A close friend and mentor of mine told me, "It is all about being available to Him to use as He chooses. We don’t call the shots… It seems to be that it’s more important which direction a person is facing and in which direction he/she is moving, than exactly where he/she is on the journey. The important thing is how we respond to what God is trying to do in our lives moment by moment, rather than reaching a particular point of confession or belief."

I used to feel I needed to be witnessing to people to be a "good Christian." God did so much for me so when I found out that it was what God wanted from me, I felt guilty not witnessing. Witnessing to someone because I feel it is my duty or guilty not to is not a response to God but a response to man and guilt. I started feeling that if I was witnessing to others than I was worthwhile to God but if I was not, then I must be not worthwhile to him. "Saving people and changing lives is something only God can do anyway" is something my mentor told me.

If we are trying to lead people to the Lord on our own initiative and not as a response to the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is going to be manipulative and counterproductive. God is the only one who can save people and give them life. Our job is to love the Lord with all our heart and listen in obedience to his direction. We need to be open to be used by the Lord to be a witness to someone. It may be a witness of action, testimony or direct leading them to Christ -- but it needs to be God initiated and God directed.

As my friend and mentor told me, "Our job is just to do our best to make the choice for God as attractive as possible --by loving and having fun." This makes more sense than trying to get people to say the words. The words mean nothing if God has not done the work in their hearts where they are ready to accept Christ in their lives. He is right, we do not call the shots --God does.


Faith to see God

Romans 1:19-20 (MSG): "But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse!"

Psalm 19:1, 3-4 (MSG): "God’s glory is on tour in the skies. God crafted on exhibit across the horizon… Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, but their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere."

God is constantly speaking the truth --in nature, principles, consequences for actions and day to day interactions with others. The truth of God’s sovereignty, goodness, consistency, discipline, power and beauty are spoken everywhere.

Some people fit God into their little box of who they would like him to be and tote him around like a sentimental rag doll. They profess to be Christians but don’t think of God as having any power. They go to church but think of following the gospel as an imposition. They say "Praise God" but have no real praise in their hearts.

Others don’t know God or care to know him. For whatever reason, they don’t believe there is a God. Or, if they do believe there is a God, they think he will keep them from their "fun" if they attempt to know him.

We are to fear the Lord. Psalm 25:12 (KJV) says, "What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose." The Life Application Notes Commentary writes about this passage, "To fear the Lord is to recognize God for who he is: holy, almighty, righteous, pure, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-wise. When we regard God correctly, we gain a clearer picture of ourselves: sinful, weak, frail, and needy. When we recognize who God is and who we are, we will fall at his feet in humble respect. Only then will he show us how to choose his way."

We want God’s truth to speak clearly in our lives about how indescribably and undeniably large, powerful, and loving God is. The more we can demonstrate how incredible God is by our actions and faith in Him, the more believable our testimony and witness will be to others.

In "Joy Comes in the Mourning" my pastor writes, "But when we bring the true kingdom message to the world, it will not be welcomed by many. This good news is this: The kingdom of God will be embraced by some who will be born again by the Spirit. And it won’t be the call of spiritual superiority or legalistic rigidity which attracts folks to Jesus. It will be the true nature of His Kingdom --with its brokenness, mourning, meekness, hungering, peace and purity."

Faith to Be Transformed

Once we are saved, God has so much more for us. The relationship that was started through faith in God begins to grow and transform our lives. He does not just leave us but calls us into more. Paul says in Romans 10:11: "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (KJV)

At the time when I was saved, I was struggling with severe depression and self esteem issues. I felt very worthless. When I was in my prayer room praying one day, I saw an image of Jesus. He was wearing all white and looked incredible. There was an old rock on the ground covered in dirt and mud thrown away because nobody wanted it. He picked it up, polished it off, and then wore it on the front of his outfit.

I never forgot that picture. I was the worthless rock that was burnt out and wore out --I felt completely used up and worthless. To think I was one of them that inspired Jesus to selfless sacrifice. I had nothing worthwhile to give him in turn for my salvation. He freed me from a life of incredible pain and despair by the sacrifice of his life. He did it because he loves me that deeply --even when I have nothing in me to give.

Everything I am and everything I have is because of him. Yet he did it with no strings attached. I know I do not have to serve him or continue to pursue him --but I want to, with all my heart. Having him in my life makes my day, everyday. Of all people he could have chose, he chose me --burnt out, dried up, and nothing to offer-- and he gave me life.

Isaiah 41:8-9 (MSG):
"But you, Israel, are my servant; You Jacob, my first choice, descendants of my good friend Abraham. I pulled you in from all over the world, called you in from every dark corner of the earth, telling you, ‘You’re my servant, serving on my side.’ I picked you."

Psalm 34:22 (KJV):
"The Lord Redeemeth the soul of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."

God makes an abundant life available to all his children. "God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you" according to Paul in Romans 12:2b (MSG). He gives us continuous guidance by the Holy Spirit and the Word which leads us into this full life. The Psalmist in 119:144 says, "The way you tell me to live is always right; help me understand it so I can live to the fullest." (MSG)

And, as we behold him, we are transformed more into his likeness. Not by our own efforts, but by his grace. In "Passion for Jesus," Mike Bickle states, "Here’s the good news. Sanctification and transformation come from beholding -not from striving!... It happens by his grace working in you."

Romans 12:1 (MSG):
"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday ordinary life -your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do form him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out."

Psalm 17:15 (KJV)
"As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness and I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."

Faith to Fulfill Your Calling

Paul had faith to believe God called him to be an Apostle. In Romans 1:5 he said, "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name." (NASB)

Solomon is another example of someone who had faith to fulfill God’s call for His life, building a Temple to God: "But you will have a son who will experience peace and rest. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name." (1 Chronicles 22:9-10, NLT)

And God spoke to Jeremiah: "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations -- that’s what I had in mind for you." (Jeremiah 1:5, MSG)

God calls each of us to a unique calling and equips us with what we need to fulfill it. His provision and design for our life is combined with our willingness and faith in him to fulfill it. At one time, I was feeling guilty about not doing more for God and my close friend and mentor told me, "It is not about what you do for God but the unique way the Holy Spirit expresses Himself through you." I then realized that it was not about all the things I could do to perform and prove my love but my willingness to be a vessel that he could express Himself through - uniquely using me the way he created me.

One day as I was sitting outside studying, I was looking at a tiny little maple tree that grew up between the wood beams in the floor of my arbor. I found it interesting that the seeds that fall from the maple tree look completely different from what comes after the seed dies and is buried. It rises up with new life in a completely new form. The form of the tree is already pre-designed in the seed.

Whether the tree grows or not depends on whether it takes root in good soil and is provided with water and sunlight. In the same way, we are truly dependant on God for all. As a seed that takes root and begins to form, we spring up into new life when we are saved. We begin to take on a brand new form that is pre-designed by God.

We are so dependant on God’s provision to grow us - the water, the light, the soil, are all his provision to us by His grace. Just as the maple tree does nothing to deserve this provision, it is provided for - so are we provided for. In gratitude for his wonderful provision we begin to grow into our pre-designed form. And just as the environment begins to shape and strengthen the little maple tree so we too, are shaped and strengthened by our environment.

A maple tree is not an oak tree from the heart that somehow forms into something else -- every aspect of it is a maple tree and that is what it grows into being. In the same way, God designed us from the heart to be what he called us to be, in every aspect. Because of how we were specifically designed, we have a heart to become what He has called us to be. However, God always gives us free will to chose.

We need to have courage to be who God designed us to be from our hearts and not try to fit in the box of other people’s expectations of who we should be. It is easy for someone to get caught in the world’s design and lose sight of who God called them to be from their heart. But this is where true enjoyment of the new life in this new land is found --being the person God called you to be to the glory of Him.

Faith when it seems Hopeless

"Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, 'It's hopeless. This hundred year old body could never father a child.'" (Romans 4:19, MSG) Abraham had faith to believe that what God promised God would accomplish despite how the circumstances appeared.

Some days it seems that I get train-wrecked. I go completely off course in my own agenda and ways. I think to myself, it's hopeless. I give up. It is impossible! I can become so stubborn and rebellious. I want his will and I want him to be Lord of my life but sometimes I just want him to go along with my way.

I remember all his incredible promises to me and think: Did he really know what he was getting himself into? I'm sure they must be contingent on me getting my act together. But then when I work hard at getting my act together it doesn't take long before I fall flat on my face. If I focus on me and my capabilities and strength it is hopeless. I cannot become what he has called me to become. I can not live the life that he calls me to live. I greatly miss the mark.

But yet I believe that I can become what he called me to become and I can live the life that he has called me to live. Not because I am capable but because he is generous. He has always been generous to me. His love is unending, his strength is limitless, and his patience is beyond anything that anyone of his children can mess up.

Faith involves belief in God and what he is capable of accomplishing despite our circumstances and limitations -not because of our abilities. "God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him." (Romans12:3b, MSG).

I am very grateful his generosity. Most of all, however, I am just glad for him in my life. I love sharing my life with him, even when I think he must be getting exasperated with me. He makes himself known in every day. My heart’s desire is that my life would be filled with him every moment. Not that I don't already have all of His Spirit in me that I am going to have or have complete access to Him through His death on the cross, but that I would be aware of Him in each moment and not grieve or quench his Spirit. (Filled - controlled, permeated, or borne along with the wind of the Spirit.) Not because then my life would be perfect and I would do no wrong, but yet because then my life would be perfect --filled with awareness of his presence in every moment. Isn't that what heaven is? Being with Him.

I want Him to fill every moment of my day, even when I really do not want to agree with what he has to say. He can mess up my life all he wants and tell me things I do not want to hear all day long --as long as the moments include him. Every moment with him is precious and so many of them I waste on things that don't matter.

Faith to Be the Beloved of God

"What we've learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade." (Romans 3:27-28, MSG)

I have a real hard time getting this scripture. I read it almost daily and try to stop when I find that I am acting in legalistic measures rather than responding to his love. I don't know why this is so hard for me. I am good at striving and working hard and making it happen. I am a good "type A" driven personality.

If my Christianity was measured by the time I got up in the morning to spend time with God, how much time I spent in the Word and prayer, how many days a week I fasted or how I don't swear, drink, smoke, eat unhealthy foods, or drink caffeine, I could become an A+ Christian. I would strive to do better than everyone else to show how much I love God. Then I could compare myself self-righteously with every other Christian and see how I "line up."

But none of this is what God is asking. It is when I get like that that I find that my relationship has dried up and I am out of touch completely with God. What God asks of us is to love him, to have a relationship with him, and trust him. To let him into our lives and touch the dark places that we would rather not go - To be real when we would rather pretend; To be honest when we would rather cover-up; To be vulnerable when we risk being hurt; To show courage when we would rather shrink back in fear; To forgive when we would rather just payback. These are really the hard things.

My pastor writes in his book, "Joy Comes in The Mourning," that "we can only get real peace through complete candor… It confronts that which is real and exposes that which is false. It’s never easy, but it always results in genuine peace."

It is much easier to fast and practice outward acts of Christianity than it is to do the real work he asks us to do --polishing the outside of the cup rather than looking on the inside of it.

Matthew 23:26 (CJB): "First clean the inside of the cup, so the outside may be clean too."

Faith to Receive God’s Promises

"What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you: God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did." (Romans 6:8-11, MSG)

I love to hang on every word from God. I love the revelation, wisdom and promises from God that are in His Word. When I was first saved God promised me that "I would never lack for bread" (Isaiah 51:14b). As I began to meditate on this promise, it began to build faith in my heart and bring me a sense of security.

I had terrible underlying fears in my life about poverty. A large part of my fears were based upon my time in foster homes. I would frequently go with little amounts of food and was always hungry. As I became older, I needed the security of having much food in the fridge --even if it went bad. I also felt I had to have a solid reserve of money. It was my security and I was terrified to be without it.

My fears and need for security also caused me to overwork at my job. Underneath it, I thought that I was really not worth my pay and they would somehow discover this and fire me. I therefore had to work twice as hard to keep my job. The greater my position and pay, the greater my fear became of holding onto it. I was terrified of being without work and not having a way to provide for myself and family.

Then God for a season took away my reserve of money. I became extremely frightened. But, I remembered his promise to me that I would never lack for bread. I kept meditating on that scripture until it brought me life. Eventually I became able to trust God with my security and became unafraid of what might happen. My security was no longer tied to what was in my fridge or how much money I had in my account.

Romans 10:17 (KJV): "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."
The Word of God is not without power. Isaiah 55:11 (NASB): "So shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." The Word of God has the power to correct us, direct us, and strengthen our faith in God. Psalm 119: 9 (NASB): "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to thy Word." Meditating on the Word brings life.

It amazes me now when I think of how paralyzed with fear I was. Now I just know I will never lack for bread… God’s promise. But more than this, as I have continued to meditate on this scripture, it has become a greater promise to me. It is a promise of His Word. I have never lacked for the bread of his Word --it has been provided to me in abundance. I have many different written translations and electronic translations of the Bible. I have bookshelves full of commentary and other Christian literature.

Most importantly, I have never lacked for God’s wisdom, love and guidance through His Word. God is there whenever I call to him. "If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you." (Psalm 143:8, MSG) Thru poetry, writing, prayer and others, he pours out so much on me. He has truly been generous. I have never lacked for bread. "Never again will death have the last word… That’s what Jesus did!" (Romans 6:9, 11, MSG). I have so much to be thankful and grateful for.

I used to think that it was all dependant on me --if I fasted enough, prayed enough, spent enough time in the Word and was without sin then I would be deserving of his blessing and his attention. If I was not doing it, then I was not deserving of his affections. This led to a great deal of striving to earn his favor and blessings. Now I know that his promises are what he did, and is not about what I do.

We have no ability on our own to earn his favor. He provides abundantly for our needs because he is our Father and he loves us. Matthew 6:28b-30 (CJB) says, "Think about the fields of wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread, yet I tell you that not even Shlomo {Solomon} in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these. If this is how God clothes grass in the field -- which is here today and gone tomorrow, thrown in an oven -- won't he much more clothe you?"

Not that this gives us free reign to sin. "Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you." (Romans 6:10, MSG) I have no desire to sin. Sometimes - much more than I would like - I blow it. I sin. I mess up. I don’t desire to but I do anyways. I wish being dead to sin was that I would no longer sin against God and would completely have over come it. "You are dead to sin and alive to God." (Romans 6:11, MSG) I wish this meant that I could now walk sinless and completely in God’s will. My heart is to live this way. My heart is to honor God. I truly feel remorse at my sin and wish it was non-existent.

God wants us to live a life that honors God in everything. Yet, we will blow it. I believe that what this verse means is that you are in the process of sanctification and your heart is alive to God, dead to sin. We no longer desire sin. We no longer find it interesting or entertaining. We no longer think that it is harmless fun. These are our old patterns. We have been washed of these old patterns of thinking and now take sin seriously --not desiring to grieve the Holy Spirit.

Faith In The Midst of Doubt

Romans 14:23: "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." (KJV)

Mark 11:23: "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him." (KJV)

Can you doubt and still have faith?

1 Corinthians 10:12 says we are to cultivate God-confidence not self-confidence (MSG). I believe that the difference between real doubt and real belief is who your confidence is in. Sometimes we can think we have great faith step out and fall flat on our face because our faith is really in ourselves. Other times we can look at the impossible situation and have all kinds of doubts about it, thinking we have no faith at all, cleaving to God, and then finding He rises mightily in the situation.

"We call Abraham ‘father’ not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, ‘I set you up as father of many peoples’? Abraham was first named ‘father’ and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made a father of a multitude of peoples. (Romans 4:17-18, MSG)

God started by calling Abraham father and planted a seed. Then he called Abraham to trust him. Not that Abraham thought in himself that he had the capabilities to become a father, but knowing he didn't, he trusted God to do it -- even when it seemed impossible. It is easy to read about Abraham and seem so simple that he just trusted God in such impossible situations. And God did not let him down.

Sometimes when we have difficult situations, it can seem so much harder to trust God. How do we know we are really hearing from God and it is not our imagination? I wonder if Abraham ever thought that. He must have at one point because he went to Egypt and then pretended his wife was his sister. If he never doubted, he would not have wavered. Some doubt must have crept in.

God comes through on His promises. When we need him and his provision for our life, he is there every time. He is faithful in the midst of our doubts. "But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise - and God's promise at that - you can't break it. This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does." (Romans 4:15, MSG)

Sometimes we can think the promises of God depend too much on ourselves and that we are going to fall short and fail despite our best efforts. This is because our focus is on our shortcomings and difficulties rather than God’s abilities.

We need to do our best at what we believe God has called us to do and then leave the rest up to him. Proverbs 16:9 says, "We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it." (MSG)

Other times we can think we have great faith but our faith is really in ourselves and we are deceived. I've seen people stand in faith or do something where they were so confident they were hearing from the Lord. They had no doubt so they took big risks. Only to find they landed flat on their face. This can be okay if you can pick yourself up, let God get you back on track and have learned something from the experience. In taking significant steps out in faith, I have found that there is security in having a multitude of counsel.

Proverbs 11:14 (KJV)
"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

Proverbs14:12 (KJV):
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

The Gift of Faith

My pastor preached on the gift of faith in one of his sermons. There are times circumstances are difficult and God gives faith to get through them. Life was not easy for Apostle Paul. He had many difficult circumstances and far from had everything earthly. He spent much time in prison and was pressed on every side.

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 Paul says, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you." (KJV)

I would hardly call that "spacious places." Yet he rejoiced and lived the abundant resurrection life more than anyone. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul talks about the reason for his joy when he says "That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going." (MSG)

This was the gift of faith given to him - faith in what lies ahead. Paul says, "He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less." (2 Corinthians 5:5b, MSG) This heaven in his heart was the gift from God that kept him rejoicing even when he was pressed and crushed.

"I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." (Philippians 4:13, MSG)

I used to think that this meant he was never depressed, confused or sad and that the "gift of faith" was a gift of blissfulness. I no longer believe this is true. In 2 Corinthians1:8 Paul says, "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." (KJV)

And in 2 Corinthians 7:6 Paul says, Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus." (KJV) I now realize that the gift of faith was what brought him through these very difficult and pressing times when he despaired even of life.

David talks about this gift of faith as well in Psalm 42:5 (CJB),
"My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
For the salvation that comes from his presence."

Faith for Healing

Mark 10:52: "And Jesus said to him, "Go your way: your faith has made you well. And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road." (KJV)

Matthew 8:8, 13: "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." (KJV)

Matthew 8:16: "When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:" (KJV)
Matthew 12:15: "But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all." (KJV)

There is scripture verse after scripture verse in the Bible that talk about Jesus healing those in need. I truly believe that God does heal those who come to Him the same as he healed back then.

I was healed from depression. It was a few years after I became saved when I started going to church. I went up for prayer and my pastor laid her hands on my stomach. A loud cry came out from the depth of my being. My pastor said to me that it was just the start. Another pastor then also prayed for me. Soon I fell to my knees and waves of depression poured out from me. I then got up and left, only to find the waves would not stop. I didn’t know what to do so I drove to a park and for hours wave after wave came. I was pouring out all this pain that I had stuffed over the years because I did not know how to deal with it. The next morning I woke up a completely different person. It was like someone walked into the house and turned the lights on. It changed my life forever. Jesus completely healed me.

Yet sometimes Jesus does not heal. Five years later I was sitting with the same pastor God used to heal me in a hospice room, holding her hand, knowing it was the last time I would be able to touch her. I kissed her on the cheek and we spoke our final words to each other. It was the night she passed on with cancer.

When she discovered the cancer, people often told her she needed to "stand in faith" for her healing. When she didn’t get healed, some told her that she must not have enough faith to be healed. That crushed her. She believed them and it left her feeling inadequate and a failure as a minister.

But, how could she have faith for so many others to be healed yet not have enough for herself? Some other ministers that prayed for her said she was not "receiving her healing." Some thought she must really have a secret death wish and others thought she must have secret sin in her life.

When I was healed from depression, I had sin in my life. I also had never seen someone be healed before and don’t think I had much faith for healing. In fact, because the depression was so strong, I had a "secret death wish." How could it be then that with all these obstacles God could overcome them and still heal me yet not be able to overcome them for her?

I don’t think "faith" is a magic potion or a secret formula that you exercise the right way to receive healing. If you get the formula right, you get your healing and if you mess it up, you are out of luck. That does not seem like the God I know and love. He is so much bigger than that.

When Jesus was on the cross dying, people said that if He was God to prove it and come down from there. He didn’t. It was His time and God had a purpose. God fulfilled his purpose. When Peter died, he was crucified as well. I’m sure he did not choose to die this way or at that time. God chose it. For whatever reason, it was the time and manner God had chosen.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 says that for everything there is a season, a right time for every intention under heaven --including a time to be born and a time to die. I think that for whatever reason, it was the end of my pastor’s season and had nothing to do with how hard she worked at having faith. Sometimes having faith is trusting people in God’s hands to do with whatever he chooses.

Faith to Fellowship With God and Love Others

"Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1John 4:4, KJV) The Holy Spirit is in us to guide and direct us. "How does Christ abide in our hearts? Through our faith. Christ wants to dwell in our hearts; to reign as King on the throne of our hearts." ("Foundations for Faith," Kenneth E. Hagin)

"The highest honor the Father has conferred upon is that of having joint fellowship with Him, with His Son, and with the Holy Spirit in carrying out His dream for the redemption of the human race. Relationship without fellowship is an insipid thing. It is like marriage without love or companionship. Fellowship is the very mother of faith. It is the parent of joy. It is the source of victory. And He has called us individually into fellowship with His son." ("Foundations for Faith", Kenneth E. Hagin)

My previous pastor, when she was alive, had a very intimate relationship with the Lord. She taught many sermons on abiding and living in the Spirit. She used to spend hours a day in her prayer room talking with God, praying and working on sermons. The scripture that most spoke to her heart was Psalm 42:1, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. She had an incredible passion for God.

When she went out of the country to minister, she would ask me to watch her house and check every room on a regular basis. She once had trouble with flooding while she was gone that created damage. I always looked forward to checking on her prayer room. I felt the presence of God so strong in that room every time I went in there. I sometimes would just stand in the middle of the room with tears streaming down my eyes. I so desired to have that kind of deep and intimate relationship with God.

I still do. Every day is a journey and a learning experience --how to live with God in my life; how to live my life for God; and, how to fellowship with him. I don’t want to fellowship with Him because I want something from Him. When I was young in the Lord and still struggled with much fear, I used to cling to His presence because it brought me security. It made me feel safe. Now I just want His company. He is everything to me and I just want Him in my life.

Psalm 73:25 (KJV)
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."

Life flows from having a relationship with God. Love flows from loving God. On our own, we have very little to give to others. But with God at the center of our life, we have an unlimited supply of everything that is needed for all God asks of us.

Kenneth E Hagin writes, "One of the reasons why faith is not working for some of you is because you do not have a full understanding of what the Word of God says, Faith that works by love will measure up to all the standards set down in the Word of God." ("Faith Worketh by Love")

Love. Give everything of yourself. Not for what you can get out of it. Not wasting time on busy work without meaning. But living thoughtfully, with Christ at the center. Love, in all situations. Don’t separate parts of your life as secular - know you are called to love in everything. Unrestrained. Not with starts and stops but a continuous flow "fountain of love" that is available for all that need a drink. With no lusts or attached hooks - pure love. The love of devotion to Christ that has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Overcoming obstacles of fear and rejection.

That we may love much and love well!