Journey into Faith

When I read my bible, it stands out to me that God is VERY interested in our faith.

Years ago, I remember bursting into tears after reading Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God,...".  I felt like such a failure at faith. I imagined that God was very disappointed in me because of my struggle with a stronghold of fear.

But, what I didn't yet understand was that God is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He starts the whole thing in us and then He finishes it as well.

If you are still here, and you're alive and breathing.....He isn't finished with you yet. He knows exactly how to weave the events of our lives into experiences and encounters with Him that shape and change us from the inside out.

Sitting in a Henry Blackaby study called "Experiencing God" over 20 years ago, God zapped me with a one-liner that cut through years of frustration in my battle with fear. The author said simply, "If you have a fear problem, you have a love problem."  Those few words set me on a faith journey of self-discovery, and inner healing, that has continued to this day.

I occasionally still succumb to fear, but mostly I am victorious. I no longer believe God is disappointed with me (even when I fail), but I believe He is applauding my progress and journey.

Below are a few of the lessons I've learned along the way in overcoming fear.  I hope they help you, too.

1.  Perfect love casts out fear. (I Jn. 4:18) I had a fear issue because I had not encountered the love of the Father in my heart.  Once I began to come into the revelation of His all encompassing love, fear could no longer have it's hold on me. Now, when I start struggling with fear, I know I need another love encounter with the Father. When I run to Him, He does or says exactly what I need to hear or experience at that moment for whatever situation I may be facing.

2.  Guard your access points. There were certain areas of my life where I was more vulnerable to fear than others. I learned to distance myself from those things that might promote fear or give the enemy access to my vulnerable areas. Certain books, movies, conversations, etc. were off limits as far as I was concerned. For instance, when my children were small, I would not watch a movie about child abduction. Why give the enemy material to harass you with later?

3. Watch your agreements. As God began to renew my mind in the area of His love, protection, and Presence in my life, He also exposed the lies I believed in my mind and confessions I made with my own mouth. I learned that both God and satan work through the power of agreement. I had a lot of work to do with cleaning up my habits of speech and agreements with the enemy. I strongly believe and have witnessed first-hand, that some people experience continual difficulties because of the agreements with the enemies plans they continually make with their own mouth. Our words become self-fulfilling prophecies.

4. Speak words of life and faith even when you don't feel like it. This was key for me. I made lots of progress in learning what not to say, but I experienced huge leaps forward when I began to learn what things to say. You need to hear it, the enemy needs to hear it, and God wants to hear it. You can shift the atmosphere around you and others through speaking life and faith.

5. Find out what God is saying and hold on to it with everything in you. Remember, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.(Rom. 10:17) You won't be able to walk by faith if you don't hear what He is saying. We have the Word of God, and those are definitely promises we can claim. But, there is something special about getting alone with Him and having Him speak specifically into your situation. Sometimes it's only a word or two, but how precious those words are! It is no wonder that Jesus himself said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4)

It's amazing to me that now I can actually say I enjoy the faith journey. Sometimes, I think of the faith journey kind of like a video game where you get to go to the next level when you've overcome the enemies in your present level. The difference is we're not alone. The Holy Spirit is with us every step of the way training us, equipping us, clothing us for battle, and then cheering us on. If we mess up, we just get to try it again. He sets us up to win.

I love reading Hebrews 11, known by some as the Hall of Faith. The thing that strikes me most is that so many of the names listed as icons of faith made major mess-ups in their faith journey, and yet God saw fit to brag on them and list there names as examples of faith. I can imagine that He is penning another faith list in Heaven even now that He loves to brag on, and maybe our names will be on there, too.

Remember, He's the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Not Lacking Anything

                                                                         

My brother-in-law has a company that builds and installs cable barriers along our nation's highways. Before the cable barrier was ever approved for installation it first had to undergo a series of 'crash' tests, the supreme test being an eighteen wheeler crashing into the barrier. The test was necessary to know just how strong the barrier would be, and the barrier withstood the force of the huge truck. The end goal was to save more lives on our highways, and evidently many lives have been saved as a result.

Likewise, the very nature of faith is that it must be tested. Nothing like a good trial (is there such a thing?) to reveal what areas in our life still need the light of the kingdom. But, it's often during these trials that we lose our footing and find ourselves reeling from the blow and wondering what we did to deserve such treatment.

James, in James 1:2, even has the gall to tell us to 'count it all joy whenever you face trials of many kinds'. This is a tall order and in fact can seem almost impossible at times. We're supposed to be encouraged when he goes on to tell us that 'the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work'. Feel like partying yet?  Me neither.

But, there is something profound hidden in James 1:4, that can help us in the 'count it all joy' process. James says that perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything'.

It is our Father's desire that we be mature and complete.....not lacking anything. I don't think that Jesus is the author of all our trials or that He delights in sending hardships our way, but I do know that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is a master at taking what the enemy has intended for our demise and turning it around to strengthen, mature, and complete us.

A crawling baby is urged by its parents to begin taking steps. Time and again the baby may tumble, bumping its head, or scraping its knees. The parents endure the agony of this awkward phase because they have a goal in sight. They know without a doubt that one day their child will stand strong and walk confidently. What parent would keep their child crawling on the floor to avoid the risks of walking?

Our Father longs to partner and parent us through our trials, not as an unfeeling, sinister God, but as a wise and loving Daddy who is willing to help us withstand our current pain so that one day we can exchange it for something much bigger and greater.

When we signed up for Christianity we excitedly signed up for Warriors 101, and Overcomers 201. Why are we so surprised that overcomers need something to overcome and warriors need a battle to fight? It's fortunate that we're not allowed to drop our classes, but as Graham Cooke says, "we just get to take them over, and over, and over....."

So, how will we know when we have passed a test? There is lots of mystery surrounding that question, but I will share a few things I have learned on my journey:

• God isn't looking for perfection, but did my response mostly reveal my belief in Him, or did it mostly reveal my unbelief? 
• Did my response include questioning the character and goodness of God? 
• Did my response cause my heart to harden and my stance to be withdrawal, or did it produce a softening of my heart and a determined advancement? 
• Did I play the 'blame game', or did I allow my heart to be changed? 

I found out from my husband that the cable barrier I mentioned earlier had to undergo crashes from lots of different angles, and if the barrier did give way, it would always happen at something called the 'anchor point'. We're made the same way.  When we don't pass our tests, we undoubtedly need an adjustment at our anchor point.

Passing our tests is much bigger than just getting through the trial and alleviating our current pain.  God is building something within us.  He has to know who He can trust and who will represent Him well. He doesn't get upset or even disappointed with us when we fail.  He is so ready to meet us where we are and help us make the necessary 'anchor point' adjustments so we can try again.  He is very patient.

I've always been challenged by 9 little words found in Job 13:15; "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him". Oswald Chambers says that this is 'the most sublime utterance of faith in all of the Bible', and I think I agree. Many times our trials feel like He is 'slaying' us, but the only thing He wants to slay is our flesh. He wants the real you to live, and live maturely, completely, abundantly.....not lacking anything.