The Outflow of Faith

We all spend a lot of time trying to become better people. The local Chapters store is full of shelves brimming with self-help books. Christians especially spend a lot of time doing this thing I like to call "sin management". We have somehow come to believe that our actions are what matter most. I mean, actions speak louder than words, don't they? But contrary to what our surface-obsessed world might say, our words and actions aren't what matter most. Instead it is who we are, not what we say or do, that matters most to the Lord. This is not to say that actions and words don't matter at all - they matter a fair amount! But read through any of the Gospels and you will see that words and actions are not enough for Jesus. In fact, words and actions are virtually worthless if we have done nothing to address the attitude of our hearts.

Jesus teaches us a third way. A way that is not driven by words or actions, but by something different.

He does not teach knowledge accumulation - knowing and saying the right things at the right times.

He does not teach outward action - doing the right things at the right times.

He teaches inward transformation - transforming our words and actions by transforming our hearts (Luke 6:45).

This concept is introduced to us very early on in the Bible through the story of Abraham. Abraham was counted as righteous not because he did and said all the right things (though as the father of our faith he was a pretty stand up guy!), but because he had faith. 

We spend so much time trying to control the outward things that we neglect to focus in matters of the heart. We focus on sin management and trying to control external factors that contribute to our sin instead of focusing on the only thing that is actually within our power to control: our hearts. We cannot control the world around us, but we can take responsibility for our own thoughts, feelings, words and actions. 

In Matthew 17 Jesus tells His disciples that they were not able to drive out a demon because of the weakness of their faith. Might it also be true that we are unable to get a grip on the evil in our lives because we too lack faith?

(Photo via RobinMeadDesigns)

If we don’t defeat sin, if we don’t thrive, if we don’t successfully endure suffering might it be because we lack faith? Maybe we fail not because we are weak, not because we are incapable, not because we are naïve or lacking in knowledge or self-control (though all these things may be true) – but because we do not have faith in the God who has demonstrated over and over again throughout history that He always gains the victory.

This does not mean that we need to beat ourselves up over it. But just that perhaps we need to shift our focus away from "sin management" and towards faith growth. 

What does that actually mean? How do you increase your faith in practical way?

Here are a few places we can start:

1) Get to know who God is

We cannot trust someone we don’t know or have no relationship with. Take a lesson from your other daily relationships: trust grows when we spend time with someone and see that they are a person of integrity, that they are loyal, honest and have our best interests at heart.

2) Look for God in the small things

Sometimes our faith is weak because we don’t look for God’s work in our lives or we miss the small but incredible ways in which He works. In Matthew 17:10-13 Jesus tells the disciples that what the Scriptures say about Elijah and the Messiah are being fulfilled right before their very eyes, yet they failed to see it. Why?  I think it has something to do with their eyes. They were looking for some triumphant Saviour who would overthrow Rome, not a humble carpenter's son and a crazy wild man who ate honey and locusts. Sometimes we don't think that God is at work in our lives because we are looking for grand gestures and miracles. God does those from time to time, but most of the time I believe that He works in the small things – in the encouragement of His Word, when a generous friends buys you coffee, when you're able to pay the bills every month, when someone offers to complete a task you had been struggling to find the time to do, when you choose love over bitterness. God often shows up in humble ways that we don't expect.

3) Don’t be a slave to your emotions

Sometimes our faith suffers because we don’t feel as though God has fulfilled His promises. We don’t feel  happy, we don’t feel  forgiven, we don’t feel  blessed, we don’t feel as though things will work out for good. Emotions are tricky things because they are powerful. I firmly believe that emotions are a gift, but like any gift they can be raised to the position of an idol. Depend less on how you feel and more on what you know to be true (this is where wisdom and understanding come in). Keep company with people who regularly remind you of God’s faithfulness and His Truth.

4) Take a leap

Faith in another person is solidified when we take the leap of faith and they come through. My relationship with my best friend was solidified when I shared with her a very personal story about a hurt that I had experienced in my childhood. Our trust in one another grew as she shared a similar story and we were able to comfort and speak truth into each other’s lives. My trust in her was solidified because she never judged me and to this day has never told another soul (though sharing with her was a first step towards me being willing to share my story with others). That age old saying, “you never know until you try” is true. You can never grow to trust someone if you are never in a situation in which you must trust them. Take a leap; step out in faith and see what God will do. Give Him the opportunity to show you that He is trustworthy.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7