Faith: The Very Life We Live
Be committed to the life of faith. Faith is the Christian life—it is not a requirement that we switch on at a point in time. It is the very life we live.
Faith life is not a subset of Christian life. It is the Christian life. It should not be seen just as a tool for success and dealing with life.
Understanding True Faith
Faith is taking God-recommended stances based on God-given information. The information He gives us is an expectation of how He expects us to comport ourselves.
If everything and anyone will ever manifest righteousness, it will be because God created that thing in the likeness of His design. No man can build anything according to His standards.
The establishment of a righteous creation is an empowerment to function well. It is the alignment of a man with the position of God that is faith.
The Original Command and Faith
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV)
If you neglect faith, you are getting more trouble than what you ought to get because you are introducing disorder and chaos into the perfect system that God has set up for your life to follow.
Faith: A Matter of Clarity, Not Strength
The issue of faith is not an issue of strength but of clarity and remembrance. The devil always presents alternative narratives to what God had already said.
"And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb." (Romans 4:19 NKJV)
"But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.'" (Luke 5:5 NKJV)
Safety in Obedience
No one could have understood how intentional the devil was in making them disobey God. In fact, Adam and Eve could not have imagined the consequences of disobeying Him. However, their safety was in obeying God.
You do not need to understand life's challenges. Your safety is in keeping yourself in faith—maintaining the sides and stance of God in a matter at every time regardless of your comprehension of the problem.
The Devil's Alternative Narrative
"Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" (Genesis 3:4-5 NKJV)
Jesus: The Perfect Example
Jesus maintained God's stance. That is faith.
"But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."'" (Matthew 4:4 NKJV)
The sin of Adam and Eve was a faith sin.
"But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23 NKJV)
Don't Pit Facts Against God
When you have facts and knowledge, do not pitch it against God.
"So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, 'Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?' And he said, 'In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.'" (2 Kings 7:2 NKJV)
Excel at taking sides with the Lord.
Faith Demands Everything
If you are selfish and self-centered, you cannot succeed in faith. He will demand everything you love preserving including your ego, preferences, etc.
"Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, 'Whoever is on the Lord's side—come to me!' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: "Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor."' So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said, 'Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.'" (Exodus 32:26-29 NKJV)
Faith as Discipline
Faith is a discipline. God's purpose and plans for you will not be fulfilled by accident but by your belief and active participation with Him to make them come to pass. That is what He can reward you for in eternity. God cannot reward you for disobedience. Only a sold-out life for Jesus is worthy of reward in eternity.
The True Value of Faith
The value of faith is not in the result but in its ability to keep you pleasing the Lord. Result is a sequel of faith—it will happen sooner or later.
"For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." (Hebrews 10:36 NKJV)
"That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Hebrews 6:12 NKJV)
Do not judge your faith by result but by the tenacity of your unwavering loyalty to the life that pleases Him.
The Testimony of Faith
"For by it the elders obtained a good testimony." (Hebrews 11:2 NKJV)
Before any supernatural occurrence happened, Enoch had a testimony—his life pleased God.
"By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God." (Hebrews 11:5 NKJV)
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)
Faith Changes Your Dependencies
The life of faith will cause you not to depend on your own position and the position of others but rather on the position of God.
Conclusion
Faith is not a tool we use occasionally but the very essence of Christian life. It requires taking God-recommended stances based on His information, maintaining His position regardless of circumstances, and being willing to sacrifice everything for His sake. Like Jesus, we must maintain God's stance even when faced with alternative narratives. The true value of faith lies not in immediate results but in its power to keep us pleasing God, knowing that results will follow in His perfect timing.
