Thursday, February 27th, 2025
As Christians, faith is one of the most widely used words in our vocabulary. We ask God for more of it, we try to stir up more of it in each other, we share testimonies and remember what God has done to increase our level of it and often times we repent for not having enough of it. It becomes a gauge for how we measure our Christian life.
We can all bring to mind people that live a life full of faith. The grace with which they face challenges and the peace that they carry in all storms is evidence enough of the power of faith. They fully believe that God is truth and they recognize their deep need for Him. On the other hand we can all picture Christians that are lacking in faith. They are constantly dropping negative curse bombs, worried about every monster around the bend and wondering why God isn’t doing miraculous things in their lives. They like the idea of the Christian life, but they haven’t yet harnessed it’s power.
The definition of faith in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is: belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. Either we have faith and believe that everything God has said and will say is true and will come to pass or we don’t have faith and don’t believe these things. There really is no middle ground. Look at this passage of scripture from Romans 14:23 (NKJV):
23 …for whatever is not from faith is sin.
I also want to look at it in the Amplified and Passion translations (respectively):
23 …For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].
23 …For anything we do that doesn’t spring from faith is, by definition, sinful.
Now, hear me out, this is not a message of condemnation. I am not the judge of sin nor am I trying to render a verdict on your life. The part that really speaks to me is just how valuable and central faith should be in our Christian existence. It isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.
Final Thoughts…
Faith isn’t just something we need when life sets a mountain before us. It’s not something only for those days when it seems there is no other way. Faith is for every day, every hour, every single thing we do. If every word we speak, every thought we possess and every action we take isn’t done in faith, what is the force driving it? That’s one of those questions where whatever the answer is, if it’s anything other than faith, it’s a cheap and inadequate substitute.