2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB
"--- for we walk by faith, not by sight---"
[NLT Version unless otherwise noted. Emphasis added.]
In the past we have discussed how God delights in His children, sings over them with joy and lovingly guards them as His own eye, but do you know what pleases Him even more? Faith! Parents, think about how much it pleases you when your children have faith not only that you heard and listened to their request, but actually believe you and believe in you to do it?! The request then morphs from an "ask" to a "sure thing". The only thing linking the two is the waiting in between and that is where faith kicks in.
Now, I know we don't always wait as well as we would like and without our faith sometimes taking a ding in the process. But rest assured; God doesn't punish up but in fact encourages us to exercise our faith muscle by believing He is Who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. This is as easy and as hard as it sounds! Easy because we know God is faithful, unchanging and perfect, but hard because often our mind, emotions and flesh get in the way of submitting to and trusting His sovereign timing and Will. Ultimately, 2 Corinthians 5 is encouraging Believers to have an eternal perspective. This takes some renewal of the mind by keeping our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus and taking every thought captive to the mind of Christ --> i.e., removing any thoughts opposed to God.
But just like with normal strength training in the gym, strengthening our faith muscle is a necessary part of life and can happen in different ways, different intensities and different durations. One way that I have found useful, especially as of late is "replacement". This is where I, with the help of Holy Spirit, actively and with intentionality replace every lie, every creeping doubt and every sprouting fear from the Devil with the Truth of God's Word. For example, following a near fatal injury 11 years ago, when the Enemy roared that complete healing wouldn't manifest and my life would be cut short, I replaced that lie with the Word. For example, I might verbally declare [sometimes through tears], "Lord, with long life will You satisfy me," "He sent His Word and healed them", and of course my favorite, "I shall not die, but live and declare the Works of the Lord". You get the idea. This may have been repeated over and over throughout the day and meditated on it while thanking and praising God in between. You know what happened? The worry, fear and anxiety would lift and God's peace and joy would settle within me, and I was able to rest in Him and His finished work. Was it sometimes overwhelming? Difficult? Seemingly useless? Yes, yes and yes!!! But time and again, my faith muscle flexed and grew each time God answered. Mind you, as I practiced replacement for an example like this, I was also following the instructions of trusted medical professionals whom and whose instructions I also covered in prayer [God can choose to use them too if He wishes]. His answer didn't and doesn't always match my human expectations, but it always matches His perfect Will, which is true and good for me in every way, even if I don't immediately realize it. There are many things I and my loved ones are standing in faith for and have placed under God's sovereignty, Will and timing for manifestation. Hope is not lost, hope is not deferred, hope is marinating in our faith in God.
Let's be clear: Faith doesn’t deny earthly reality, it simply knows that God can supernaturally circumvent reality if He so chooses. Circumvent means that God can change earthly reality from a natural fact to His supernatural Truth. I also flex my faith muscle by ingesting God's Word. This faith building exercise of taking in the Word of God is the best [spiritual] food plan you can follow. The resulting spiritual fullness from constantly feeding on His Word produces faith that grows stronger and stronger the more I intentionally abide in God and have His Word abide in me. Those who believe won't be put to shame, even if we never see the fruit of our faith manifest in our lifetime. Faith refreshes simply at the Word. Faith hopes simply at the Word. Faith stretches simply at the Word. Faith is assured simply at the Word. It wouldn't be faith if we had to see it before believing for it. Walking it out by looking at Jesus is how faith helps us hold on.
Faith is more precious than gold because it is simply trusting God and also acting like we do. While God does the supernatural heavy lifting, we get to do our part in the natural. How wonderful would it be if we rested confidently in that Truth and not the daily lies often masquerading as natural facts we are bombarded with? God shuts the mouth of the Enemy, because the biggest faith we have is in the One coming to make all things right...Jesus. As we move through this Advent season, let us look to the Author and Finisher of our faith, the One Who gifted us each a portion of faith and celebrate His birth, His Resurrection and His return. That's faith, my friends. That's hope. That is Jesus!
Takeaways for you to remember:
#1 Faith is believing God, believing in God and trusting Him.
#2 Exercising faith strengthens your faith muscle. The more you do it, the stronger it gets.
#3 Faith believes without having to see it first.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
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