Walk of Faith

We live by faith, not by sight.
II Corinthians 5:7

I have been writing this blog labeled “Walk of Faith” since August of 2009 and as we head into the new year I thought I would take a minute and reflect on what it means to actually walk by faith as a follower of Jesus Christ. There are a lot of people that claim to have faith in Jesus and I am not in a position to say whether or not their faith is true or right or genuine or real, that is for God to know and work with. My purpose here is to evaluate what the Scriptures say and discuss it with you.

Much of what I will share with you is from the wisdom of other people like Charles Stanley and Phillip Yancy with my own perspective on it. My goal is not to offend, judge, or rebuke. My goal is to use the Scriptures as a mirror like James says to in chapter 1 verses 22-25. We, as Christians, are to read the Word and do what it says. So lets look at what the Word has to say about faith in general and what this walk should look like.

As humans we differentiate and observe things in this world with our senses. We see the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, we hear the songs the birds make, we smell the spring flowers on the air, and we taste the beautiful creations that chefs like myself and others make (just taste alone has so many subtleties and complexities to it as our palate distinguishes sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami). For those that lose one of those senses the other four are often amplified as they attempt to make their way in the world. The five senses are truly a gift from God that He has blessed us with to enjoy His creation. I pray that we never take them for granted.

Our senses allow us to perceive things as truth. When we see it is raining outside we know we should put on a raincoat or grab an umbrella. When our hands come close to the fire on a stovetop we know to instinctively pull our hand away. Our senses protect us. Yet God tells us that there is a higher truth that we cannot see. He instructs us to live and walk by faith and not according to what we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch . God, in His grace and mercy, even gives us this gift of faith in order to make our way in the world.

For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8

So, what is this Christian faith that God has given us? Faith as defined by the dictionary is confidence or trust in a person or thing. It is a belief that is not based on proof. Faith according to Hebrews 11:1 is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith in God means that we have a confident conviction that He is who He says He is in His word. It is not based on assumptions, feelings, opinions, or circumstances and it is not based on science or what the world says.

Often the picture of faith that emerges in the Bible and in our lives does not fit into a tidy formula. If you muster up enough faith you will not necessarily get rich, stay healthy, and live a life filled with contentment and all your prayers will not be answered in the fashion that you expect. Sometimes faith leads to victory and triumph but oftentimes it requires a gritty determination to hang on at any cost. But no matter what if you hang on the belief that God is in ultimate control and will keep His promises then this is true faith.

If we look at the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 we see men and women that did not often get what they thought they would from their faith. Some of them were beaten and ended up poor and penniless. Others were left hiding out for their lives wearing animal skins. Not exactly the health-and-wealth message that can be found in many of today’s churches. We must remember though that in verse 16 God says of these people who had faith in Him that He has a city prepared for them and that this kind of faith pleases Him. This type of faith is like a difficult race that must be run. Later on in Hebrews 12:1 the author tells us to “throw off everything that get’s in our way” of finishing this race. This faith described here is tough and we must constantly commit ourselves to it. This type of faith is hanging on to God against all odds and believing that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do, no matter what.

Next year we will spend more time looking into what this faith looks like when it is manifested in our lives on a daily basis. Until then have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and God bless.