FAITH

Posted on March 23, 2007 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

I have recently been pondering the concept of faith.

For the past few months, I have kept a list in my journal of various truths I am learning regarding the rewards and difficulties of living a life of faith. (Below is a partial list. These are in no order, but listed as I happened to write them down…)

• Faith is a choice. A daily choice. A moment by moment choice.


• Faith embraces and then obeys promptings.


• Faith necessitates that we first make a choice to believe.


• Faith is often times very hard work. It is not natural. Does not come naturally.


• A life of faith can be scary and fears will need to be stepped through.


• Faith takes time to listen for God and then listen to God. It also chooses to believe what God has told you – and that God has told you.


• Faith is the only pathway toward hope, growth, guidance, and joy.


• Faith is shrouded in God’s love. (And in this is somewhat of a mystery.)


• Faith always leads us out of our comfort zone – yet into joy, purpose, and truth.


• Faith balances courageous steps into the unknown with patiently waiting upon the Lord.


• Faith is truly seeing what is not there – and then reckoning it as true.


• Faith does not fear the unknown – it chooses instead to believe despite the unknown.


• One of the pillars of faith is perseverance. Another is patience.


• Faith will include struggle.


• Faith and Feeling often conflict with each other.


• Faith and Logic often conflict with each other.


• Faith comes down to who do you really trust… yourself or God?


• To live by faith you must die to yourself – Yet to not live by faith is to kill your dreams, potential, and purpose.


• Faith is courageous.


• Faith tests our core beliefs and center of trust.


• Faith trust God with the “how.”


• One lives a life of faith on God’s terms, not on their terms.


• The supreme Natural & Spiritual Law is the “Law of Faith” (According to your faith, so shall it be done unto you – Matthew 9:29) Other Laws of nature (i.e. The Law of Love, The Law of Sowing & Reaping,…) have their foundation in the Law of Faith.

Some of the Blessings (not mentioned above) of Stepping Out & Living by Faith include:

Our lives are refined. Our character is strengthened.

• Our knowledge, understanding, and love of God are deepened.


• Our priorities are reshaped and aligned. We are taught to “number our days.”


• We are humbled.


• Our lives become focused.


• We experience true joy.

We must trust God wholly. The children of Israel would have long before entered the Promised Land – but their doubts and fears continually drove them back into the wilderness. Always, our doubts delay. Do we really trust our all to God or not?

Your thoughts on faith???