"but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love."
(Psalm 147:11 ESV)
(The verse right before said that he doesn't take delight in strength or the legs of man)
It's not about what you can do, but about what compels you to do anything at all. The action is only as alive as the motive. In other words faith and work go hand in hand like two sides of a coin.
The thing about faith is that it is unconditional. For a day to be unconditional does not mean that there will be no conditions of the day. Every day and every person constantly has conditions going on. The condition of your situation, the condition of your health, the condition of your attitude, the condition of your physicality, the condition of your pay, the condition of your relationship with someone, and so forth. So clearly it is about being in the midst of contrasting or uncomfortable conditions.
The thing about faith is that it is unconditional. For a day to be unconditional does not mean that there will be no conditions of the day. Every day and every person constantly has conditions going on. The condition of your situation, the condition of your health, the condition of your attitude, the condition of your physicality, the condition of your pay, the condition of your relationship with someone, and so forth. So clearly it is about being in the midst of contrasting or uncomfortable conditions.
There are millions of conditions going on, so clearly for faith to be unconditional does not mean that you wait to have faith on a day when there are no conditions. That wouldn't be faith, that'd be convenient.
Now, I know many of us know this already, but oftentimes we baffle ourselves at the difficulty we face when trying to have faith. We think "why can't I just have faith?" or "I have faith, but it's not working." When we ask why we can't have faith or why faith isn't working we are implying that we expect a condition for faith to prove itself as faith. Faith cannot be based on a result nor can it be produced because of something. It is a free standing action that is based entirely on a hope of something unseen for a very, very long time. It is about Process, not Perfection.
Process.
In short, faith is a risky leap into the unknown, but it is also the ground on which God desires us to tread on in order that He show us just how loving and and good He is. He wants to fill us with an inexplicable joy in a process of our being molded into His perfection. Becoming like Christ is essentially becoming like God....and if you know yourself well enough you know that that's a far and wide chasm from where you are right now.
Jesus said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed (o <--- smaller than that) then you can tell a mountain to get up and throw itself into the ocean. I mean, will the mountain grow stump legs? Will it sort of slide into the ocean? Will it hover toward the oceans and plop down? I don't know. Why? Because I've never been able to make a mountain hear my command and follow it. My faith is yet just a microscopic shadow of an atom. But don't let the process fool you. It's not that you're failing, it's just that you probably were farther from His character and image than you actually thought. He knows. He walks us through it.
In short, faith is a risky leap into the unknown, but it is also the ground on which God desires us to tread on in order that He show us just how loving and and good He is. He wants to fill us with an inexplicable joy in a process of our being molded into His perfection. Becoming like Christ is essentially becoming like God....and if you know yourself well enough you know that that's a far and wide chasm from where you are right now.
Jesus said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed (o <--- smaller than that) then you can tell a mountain to get up and throw itself into the ocean. I mean, will the mountain grow stump legs? Will it sort of slide into the ocean? Will it hover toward the oceans and plop down? I don't know. Why? Because I've never been able to make a mountain hear my command and follow it. My faith is yet just a microscopic shadow of an atom. But don't let the process fool you. It's not that you're failing, it's just that you probably were farther from His character and image than you actually thought. He knows. He walks us through it.
So where do we begin in starting to have more faith?
Let go of what you define as progress and keep your eyes on Jesus.
In other words, let the beauty of the gospel keep you in moments of failure and hardship, to know that you stand before God fully perfected and sinless because Jesus gave us His perfection, and by the Spirit we are free.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
(Romans 8:1-2 ESV)
By the body we remain with sin, but God is training our characters to be a soul who would love and enjoy Him forever. It's good that we are in, we are His, now we are walking by the Spirit as we work out our salvation in fear and trembling among others, in our bodies.
What comes to mind when you hear the words, "will you have faith in this?"
If you start to think "I need to do this or I must do that" ask yourself why? Because you want to be stronger or because Christ finished the need to be strong enough to lay His entire life down. You don't have to be strong enough. You can't be strong enough. You fail at being strong. And that's freeing to realize! We are weak, but He is strong. How strong is He? If I fail does that mean He failed? Failed in what? You getting something you wanted? You growing? You healing? You maturing? The purpose of not failing is not about the body or this life. It's about God and knowing Him. We step out in faith during a difficult or any situation that might call for faith in a God to show us that He's God, but the motivation is not for our convenience, it will be God leading us into awe of Him. We fail and fail and fail, and then one day when all seems hopeless and we are graced to muster a small drop of faith and glory rains down!
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise — dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8 HCSB)
Dwell.
It's easy to dwell on the negative because we are broken sinners that are only capable of producing broken things. We need a Savior and a King to rule over us for the sake of being brought into a whole kingdom where our brokenness is repaired, not by ourselves, but by God.
Dwell on things that you wouldn't normally think. Dwell on the good, the praiseworthy, the honorable, the true, the lovely and such things. Dwell on these thoughts, and when your negativity comes in to kick the good thoughts out, recognize that your thinking is messed up.
Why? Because you're messed up. And so am I. We all are! No one is exempt from needing help from God.
Not even one. (Romans 3:10)
As you begin to dwell on the things that are not innately of yourself, the true, the lovely, the noble, and the right, then allow God to be all of that which you will never be on your own.
Start with thinking.
It's a process not perfection.
Think thoughts that are of God, and do so by knowing what God says. His word is truth, and it is a sword which He gives us to have not because He needs defending but because we need His felt presence for when our lives face anything that is not
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable —
God will be God and have His way, it is our participation in His Plan that He grants us because Jesus paid the price for our admission, that part is finished. Now the Holy Spirit leads us to cry "Abba Father!" In other words, "it's really You God! You're really my Father!"
When you start to have a thought that is not of the above, recognize that this is when you pick up the sword, which is the Word of God. You can't hold something you don't have. If you don't know God's word, the sword will not be there. You could go to a friend and ask them for help, but nothing is as assuring as wielding your weapon against the enemy.
Think about what your thoughts have been dwelling on.
I need to dwell on His truth. And the only way I can do that is to know what His truth is.
Open His Word and sharpen your sword.
The process will requiring slaying until we are good and ready in our souls to behold the beauty and glory of God in deep awe.
Heaven isn't just a place we have a ticket to, it's a receptivity of His glory. Faith makes us more and more receptive.
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