Without Faith
“Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)
Whenever God reveals something, He expects us to believe Him and adjust our lives accordingly. What does this mean? It means we trust Him implicitly for all of our needs because He says He will provide (Philippians 4:19). It means we approach crises with the assurance that God will bring good from them (Romans 8:28). It means we overcome anxiety during stressful situations because God instructs us to bring our requests to Him (Philippians 4:6). It means that we never worry that we are alone because God said He would never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). It means that, despite what happens in our lives , we will never doubt God’s love because He has told us that He loves us with an everlasting love ( Jeremiah 31:3).
At times we try to justify our lack of faith! We know what God has promised, but we doubt that He will make a practical difference in our life. We are filled with anxiety and excuse ourselves by saying: “I am just a worrier!” We become bitter during crises and reason that “God could not possibly bring anything good out of this pain!” We appeal for help form everyone around us when we have a need; then we explain: “I know God can provide for my needs, but I think I should do everything I can, just in case.” God calls this faithlessness. Faithlessness is sin because it separates us from God. Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (“Experience GOD Day by Day” Devotional)
Luke 18:7-8: “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
Matthew 14:31: “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
How do we let go and let God take control? It comes down to trust. Do we trust Him with everything in us? When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ (Matthew 22:36-40). Heart, soul and mind!
There is a reason heart is listed first. Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jesus stated, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matthew 15:19).” This is why we need to give our heart to Jesus because He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and then we can have the “Faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).”
Pauline Gesare Okemwa wrote in the devotional,“In His Presence,” the following :
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14, NIV)”
The faith of four Hebrew youths speaks to us in the time of crisis. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, stated their faith both in God’s power and providence (Daniel 3:16-18). And then the persecuting king saw a fourth Person, the Son of God, in the fiery furnace with the three young men whom he had thrown in for their refusal to bow to another god. The story of Daniel in the lions’ den also inspires faith.
I have been wanting to understand what faith means in my life as a Christian. At times, I pray and nothing seems to happen. When I read Christ’s comment about mustard seed faith being able to move mountains (Matthew 17:20), I yearn to have that kind of faith. I need faith! I need it to open the doors of heaven as well as doors at my workplace, in my family, in my studies, and in every decision I make.
I keep on praying daily to have the faith that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had. I need the fourth Person whenever I go. I need His help both for myself and also as I extend my hand to help others have faith in Him.
If we can have faith and walk with God, we will be changed. God will use us to draw many broken hearts to Himself. By faith we can win battles as it is He who arms us with strength for every battle against the enemy. Our battlefields will be changed into fields of blessings.
By faith we will see stumbling blocks turned into stepping stones. These things happen when we know who we are and Who holds us in the palm of His hand. None other than Jesus.
Another reason we need faith is so that we can wait patiently for the answers to our prayers. I like what David said to King Saul before the young man went to fight the giant, Goliath: “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him. . . . All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword, or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:32, 47).
For these praying Bible characters, faith was the hand on the key that opened doors for them. But prayer without faith is like a key without a hand to turn it.
Let’s pray with faith as did these Bible characters, and God will open doors for us as well.
Matthew 21:21-22 – “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
John 14:13 – “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Have you ever had to wait for the answer or maybe the answer was something you didn’t expect? He knows what we need and it may not be what we want. He knows what is best for us; we just need to trust in Him!
“Faith grows strong by coming in conflict with doubts and opposing influences.” (This is why we need to endure and press through because He is there with us carrying us through and) “The experience gained in the trails is more value than the most costly jewels” (Testimonies for the church. EG White)