Faith

1 Peter 1: 21

…Who by him (referring to Jesus) do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (KJV) emphasis mine

Early in my new relationship with God, I received a lot of “Faith” teaching.  There is nothing wrong with this, I just let my focus get on “my faith” and not my faith in God.  In other words, I began to believe if I really believe and had enough of the right kind of faith, I could move mountains, change the world, etc.  My faith was in my faith like some great positive thinker or new-age, mind over matter mystic.  That certainly failed me often.  That failure made me think that I must be a poor excuse for a Christian, if I don’t have enough faith to accomplish (whatever I was “believing” for).

I was putting the cart before the horse in that my faith and hope is from Him and in Him NOT that He joins me in my hoped outcome.  My hoped outcome in any situation should be determined by my reliance on His plan, which is for me and my good and/or the good of those I’m interceding for.  This comes from a firm reliance, gained over time, in the faithfulness of His word and His daily relationship with me.

This allows me to gain the positive hope that will pour out of my mouth in any given situation.  Not the negative, gloom that comes from the circumstances of any given situation.

Let's start first by identifying what I mean by negative.

Negative is an unrelenting focus on what is wrong; the tendency to grab hold of the problem so tightly that I can't receive a solution. (by the way... negative people will call this behavior "realism" or "reality thinking." Acknowledging the thorns and ignoring the rose is NOT reality.)

Can I now believe that I can give Him my fearful thoughts about a problem in my life (Phil. 4: 6-7), do I really believe that He can work all things for my good (Rom. 8:28), can I trust His plan for me (Jer. 29:11), can I believe the He prepares good things for me in the presence of my enemy (Psm 23)?  Yes!  I am learning (I’m a slow learner) that my faith in God is a restful place and not a focused power to overcome the circumstances.

Two years ago at the age of 60, the division of the company I worked for closed down and I lost my job.  I applied for and interviewed for positions in other parts of the company, without success.  Someone said that starting over in a new position, with a new company, AT MY AGE would be difficult.  I grabbed that negative thought and the fear inside me began to grow.  I quickly realized what was happening and repented.  I began asking God to change my focus from this negative to His way of thinking.  Almost immediately, I thought, “My age and my experience are an asset to anyone and any organization.”  I began to confess that every time fear would run thought my mind. 

I was able to do a lot of reading at that time, take refresher classes on the skills I needed to keep sharp and focused on God finding me the right position at the right time…He did and I’ve been enjoying it for over a year now.

I, like you, have ongoing trials; things are not all falling into place as I planned.  Not being in control of all the circumstances of life is a challenge to my flesh and my attitude.  But I make myself change my focus and remember faith – real faith in Him – is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and within every piece of fruit is the seed for the next.