There's a story about a young boy who after falling over a cliff, grabbed a branch to stop his fall. When some hikers saw him, they offered to help. Yet, he refused to accept their reach, demanding instead that they go and get his father. When is father appeared he lifted his son to safety. When asked why he would only accept the reach of his dad, the boy replied, "Because I know that he loves me and wouldn't let me go."
Hope for the future, trust in others, wishful thinking - all these things come to mind when people talk about having faith. Faith in the living God though, is something different...something more. It has a real and tangible life-changing impact on all those who choose to embrace it.
Many people who live their lives with common sense have no problem trusting in faith as well. The two aren't mutually exclusive. However, people don't choose to have faith because it can be proven in a lab or a court of law (for if that were the case, it wouldn't be faith would it?) So, people choose faith because they have *experienced* its impact in their daily lives. They are sure and certain because they've actually lived it! They know in their hearts and minds that God can be trusted. He will do what the bible says he will do. To them, faith isn't "blind' to reality nor is it illogical. It is a reasonable, personal response to experiencing God firsthand. Faith is not equal to feelings. Feelings can wax and wane, but faith is based on the unchanging promises of God.
Think I'm crazy yet? Ha! Read on.
There are 7 guiding principles to living a spiritual life:
1) God said, "I am God and you're not". Ha! Enough said. If you can grasp that fundamental truth, the rest of spirituality is easy!
2) God does not need us. But, we desperately need Him...whether we want to need Him or not. We can choose to seek Him or not seek Him, but it doesn't change the fact that we, as human begins created in his likeness - NEED Him. Desperately. When we were created, God planted a seed in us that makes every human being curious about Him...and desirous to know Him, and Who He is. Even IF He is. How He works. What it all means. Whether we choose to follow him or not...we desperately need Him. His grace, His mercy, His peace. We need it. We long for it. In times of crisis, when faced with imminent danger or death, it is then that human beings will assuredly and instinctively cry out "OH GOD!"
3) What God demands, He supplies. Ooh this is a toughie for those of us who are control freaks and think we have all the answers - or those of us who think...if I work hard enough I will get what I want and be - - - can I get a drum roll please - - - "satisfied!" Ha! The only things worth having are those which money can not buy. If God demands our faith, He also supplies it. If God demands that we move mountains, he also supplies the power to move them. By the way, when talking about moving mountains, please do not let your mind drift to the Appalachians...the mountains that God speaks of are obstacles in our life that keep us from living the joyful and abundant life that he intended for us (see John 10:10). For instance, strongholds, addictions, bad attitudes, negativity - can all be considered mountains that need to be moved and CAN be moved with God's power and grace. More on power later (you will see that the real and tangible power of God is by far my favorite subject!! It gets me all goosebumpily!)
4) What you seek, you find. Now there's a truth worth talking about. If you're the kind of person that lives a life of oppression, in constant turmoil because life isn't fair, or nothing good ever happens to you, you will certainly FIND negativity swirling all around you because that is what you yourself are spewing around in your life, in other words, it is what you are seeking. Now listen up! If you SEEK the Kingdom of God, you WILL FIND IT. It's not hypothetical. It's real - but you have to seek in order to find. I'll help you find it if you will take the time to follow my blog and have an open mind. I promise you, It'll be worth it!
5) There is no growth without struggle. True true. How unfortunately true. Yup, sometimes we have got to get completely and utterly to the end of our rope before we'll find another way to hoist ourselves back up to where we can breathe deeply and find peace. To increase in faith means stepping out of your comfort zone regularly. If you're a scientific thinker, it means accepting things you can not see as being nonetheless real! Seriously, if you're so closed minded to think that what you *see* is all there is, you have a quite a bit to learn about reality! If you were to ask a recovered alcoholic how they did it, they would likely say something to the effect of, "I had to hit rock bottom before I could see which way was up". There is no growth, no forward progression without some sort of struggle.
6) What God starts, He finishes. One thing to get straight is if God didn't START it, he is not obligated to finish it. Nowhere in the bible does it say that if you make a complete mess of your life screwing up relationships left and right, using people, spewing criticism and pride around you like fountains of vomit, is God obligated to clean up your mess. Sorry, it's not in the Book. What it does say is that if you screw up, forgiveness is available to you...but you must come to him in humility (meaning in humbleness, not by being humiliated) and with reverence (respect, admiration) and with faith (that He is who he says he is and does what he says he will do). That said, what God starts, he WILL see to fruition. If God calls you to do something, for instance, my brother and sister-in-law recently felt called to Africa on a missions trip (extreme example...but applicable), He will see it to completion against all obstacles, if you are willing to have *real* faith! I wanted kids - any natural and artifical means of conception didn't work (doing it MY way). Adoption started out as a mess (doing it MY way), but when I finally surrendered my life to the Lord EVERYTHING fell into place. No obstacles could come between me and the children meant to be mine. What GOD starts, he finishes. That is why it is so important to discern his will for your life and live it out....it makes life SO much easier, believe me! More on that later!
7) Active faith releases God's power. Ok....here's where I go insane. Off my rocker. They're coming to take me away ha ha ho ho hee hee! This is for real ya'll. There is POWER in living a faith filled life! I'm not teasing. You all KNOW me and you know I'm not some kind of freakish follower of the next big fad that comes along. It takes some convincing to get me to believe ANYTHING. But the proof is in the proverbial pudding. All my life I wanted proof that there IS a God. The proof my friends, is in the POWER. Believe me - you will WANT to harness this in at your first chance. But you need to follow along as we discover it and how we go about bringing the power of heaven to earth! I'm about to get a little funky with this! You won't want to miss it! Stay tuned....
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