Applying Faith ~Part 2 August 28, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Theology , trackbackHow NOT to apply faith
As I noted in part one, merely going to the hardware store and buying tools , with no knowledge of how the tools work, is certainly a good first step (knowing that the tools in fact do exist), but requires additional knowledge and skills beyond merely having them.
A key to developing and applying faith there are natural enemies or obstacles that must be recognized and acknowledged first, then overcome and defeated. Some of them are natural enemies and learned behaviors. The whole concept on applying faith is to prevail over unusual difficulties in order to appropriate God’s promises into your life. Obstacles must not only be recognized and confronted but subdued. First you must actually recognize that faith is a weapon of warfare and not just religious speak of the pious. It is not a slick way to rub the genies lamp to get your three wishes either. God is not a mystic genie.
First you must under one of the keys to applying faith is recognizng that actionable faith seeking a result is and will be under constant attack. The attacks are not only external, but also internal; m any times springing from your own heart and mind. Sometimes it is a combination of both internal and external. The forces of doubt fear and evil do not give up gained ground without a fight. Understanding this is one of the keys to faith. It is not to discourage you, it is the reality of the situation, especially if you have tried to exercise faith to receive a covenant promise before and have suffered a severe storm. It is not coincidental. When you exercise you faith in are in the process of advancing your faith and growing spiritually. This is why Paul instruct the Ephesian church that there warfare is spiritual and what the weapons of warfare out, not some nice poetic language or concept to quote 2000 years later. He was telling them how to use these tools and what the conditions would be when they did use them, along with how to arm themselves; very practical instruction.
There are five primary enemies to faith
- disobedience to Gods Word
- a distorted image of God
- being double minded
- impatience
- fear
Disobedience to God’s Word. Simply put we have a choice to obey or disobey God’s Word once we are Christians. The subsequent choice to obey is an act of faith and to disobey or compromise is an act of unbelief.
A distorted image of God. Just because someone is convinced about “their reality”, and just because they are in charge, does not mean they are right. The world has a tremendous influence on our ideas, thoughts and conceptions of reality. Many times believers adopt the world’s view of God rather than the biblical view and this distortion becomes an enemy to active faith, however well meaning “their reality” is.
Questions like this are common: If God really loves me, how can He allow this to happen? Or if He is love and all powerful , why is there so much evil? Or take a step in faith that didn’t produce instant results and people akd, wouldnt you have been better off if you didn’ follow Jesus? None of these questions stem from the bible, they stem from the world and their view of God, not what God has told us about Himself. The enemy of faith seeks to distort our image of who God is. Don’t let non-believers or non-biblical rhetoric define your faith.
Double-mindedness. You must be clear what exactly it is you are trusting God for. Many are unclear even in what they are seeking or asking God for and doubt he is even going to grant it to them. This is indecisiveness, which is not faith but doubt. James puts it like this: “If any of you lacks wisdom , he should ask God, who gives geneourously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him. But when he asks he must believe and not doubt,because he who doubts is like a wave on the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8
Impatience. “Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Hebrews 6:12. ) Quick answers to prayer or a long time to have a prayer answered arent a faith gauge of how much faith you have. Many things are in God’s timing. In our microwave society of instant everything , impatience is a great enemy to our faith today.
Fear. In the book of Hebrews many Jewish Christians wanted to go back to just being a Jew under the old covenant where it was much easier to follow the rules of it. One of the greatest fears what may be lost. Fear is a natural response to the unknown, but it is an enemy of faith, because it relies on the known alone.
One must understand the things that are the natural enemies or the antithesis to faith as a basis to begin on how to apply faith and what to be conciously aware of in using this tool. It really is best to read the owners manual first when you have a tool that is not working for you to see what is being done wrong and how to correct it.
One of the ironies of biblical faith is how we set it so much apart from regular life. We do not find it unusual that just because someone has a ball and a bat and knows how to swing a bat, that not everybody knows how to hit just because they have a bat. We understand that it takes practice. We understand the concept of keeping the eye on the ball and following through and letting wild pitches go. In fact, we acknowledge this is one of the keys to become a good hitter, understanding the mechanics of batting. We also understand that if you ignore them, or try to hit a homerun every pitch, or doubt you can hit a pitcher, fail to wait for a good pitch or are afraid of being hit by the ball, chances are you don’t really understand the mechanics enough to operate as a good hitter.
Yet, when people start talking about faith in God and the instructions laid out in the covenants, instructions laid out in the bible, the promises, the warnings and the proper applications of faith and making it work, it seems this is an area that people don’t believe needs exercised, but should just come natural. That is not what the bible teaches, it is what the world tells us. Applying faith requires knowing what the owners manual says what impedes it, as well as what makes it a working faith
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