Sunday, August 28, 2016

FAITH EVOLUTION

(dedicated to Dr. A. Petersen for her encouraging words)

The Christian journey is never stagnate.  Every day that you spend reading, dissecting and pondering the Word of God, is another day of growth.  

For example, while I know that it is impossible to please God without Faith, I am constantly refining my concept of what FAITH actually looks like in my day to day life.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

Accordingly, my definition for FAITH is based on core statements excerpted from the Bible and from sermons that I have heard over the years combined with my own personal experiences (of what works and what doesn’t.) 

To me, FAITH is: 

  1. knowing with certainty that everything will work out for the best; 
  2. knowing with certainty that God (Holy Spirit, Jesus, assembly of Angels) is ever present to come to my aid, even when I cannot perceive God with my senses;  
  3. the absence of anxiety or worry in the face of difficulty; 
  4. being able to rest during the appointed time; and
  5. joy and laughter in the face of disappointment, betrayal, death (This joy is not manufactured but is gifted by God when you live in the Spirit).

Within the last month or so, I can now add a new point of clarification to my ever evolving definition of Faith.  

No. 6:
Faith is NOT taking matters into your own hands unless directed to do so.

This is BIG.

At my core, I am really a risk taker.  I may not mountain climb or parasail, but I take risks all the time with my career, with my finances, my projects.  For example, I will readily spend my last dollar on a pair of sparkly earrings if I needed them for a specific event, photoshoot or a present for a friend.  My reasoning would be, “surely God will send more resources for rent, car insurance, groceries.  Everything will work out for the good.  Right?”  Well…not always, darling. Read the fine print.

There really is a difference between FAITH and FOLLY.

Remember the God that we encounter in the Old Testament is the same God we encounter in the New Testament.  Our God is a God of order.  Every occurrence has its season.  There is a time and place for everything.

When it comes to giving, there is also an appointed time.

We are told to give to Caesar his due.  Meaning we must pay our debts.

14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 
Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not? 

15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 

16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  And they were amazed at him.  Mark 12 14-17

We are told to pay our tithes to the church.

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.  Malachi 3:8-10

We are told to take care of the poor.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.  Deuteronomy 15:11

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’ Leviticus 23:22

‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.  Leviticus 25:35

….Back to those sparkly earrings….

Faith in God to provide all that we need or want necessitates that we will not deviate from God’s rules in order to have our own way.  In other words, even though I want/need the sparkly earrings, job promotion, car payment, food for the week, I may not take matters into my own hands outside of God’s laws to obtain them.  In fact, I am bound by the Laws of God.  Faith means that I must trust God to provide me with the desires of my heart in His own way and in His own time. 

We are told to ask God for whatever we want.  Then wait on Him for the victory.

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  John 14:14

If I want sparkly earrings, I should ask God for them.  I should then do my part to prepare for the blessing (learn about sparkly earrings, where to purchase, how much they are, what I will wear with them).  And finally, I must cultivate a lifestyle that will enable me to listen to God for direction as to how and when to obtain them (e.g., I must go to Him in prayer daily in order to develop a listening ear).

Taking matters into my own hands…deciding not to pay rent to afford sparkly earrings, orchestrating a plot to steal them, refraining from giving to the poor to justify them, or failing to take care of my family to obtain them is not FAITH.  This is FOLLY and it is not God’s way.

All we have to do for a VICTORY on Earth is to ask a benevolent GOD…wait in Faith…and do our part (pray and study the Word of God)!  

It is a promise, darling.