How strong is your faith? You might pray for a miracle, but without faith it stalls before it can rise before the throne of God. No prayer is heard and acted upon without the wings of our faith having been attached to it. Are we like Peter in our prayers? Do we begin to walk on water, but look around us, falter in our fear and wavering faith, and then begin to sink?
What is the litmus test for our faith in God? Is there one thing that we can use when looking at someone which will tell us the truth about their faith, and reveal the status of their relationship with our Heavenly Father? The answer is yes, and that test is for the presence of their love... a love for each of their brothers. If someone were to dip a test strip into you how would they find you; positive, or negative for love?
Has God provided you with ample wealth and provision? Do you lack for nothing, and thank Him for it each day? Do you go about your work, and ask Him to bless you even more? Well this is good, and some will prosper in this world, but if you look in the shadow that you cast there are many who are in need, and want for the very basic necessities of life... what have you done for them? What is the will of God for you, and how do you manage the wealth He has entrusted you with?
As believers in Jesus Christ are we strangers to the world? Do we separate ourselves in our faith and behavior to the point where those who once called us friend can no longer recognize us? Our faith sets us apart from the sin that is in the earth, and although it pursues us like wolves; we are strangers to its pack. Jesus was like a foreigner to His own, just as we should be to ours.
Are you confident that you are saved? Do you walk towards that moment when you will face judgement without hesitation in your step, or falling to the ground in the midst of an anxiety attack? If we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then the grace of God will flow through Him, and without our having earned the right to our own salvation we will be saved... not by anything we have done, but simply by our faith in Jesus, and the mercy and grace of God Himself.
Are we proud and arrogant in our faith? Do we have an overconfidence in our own ability to follow Jesus? When we begin to approach our faith with pride rather than humility then we are dangerously on the verge of falling aside from Christ. Did Jesus take pride in the miracles performed by His hand?
Today I ask you a simple question: “are you saved as a believer in Jesus Christ?” Knowing who Jesus is, acknowledging Him to have lived in the past, or that perhaps He was a great prophet, this is not what I am talking about. My question drills into the very heart of the Christian Faith... do you acknowledge Jesus as the living Messiah, the Risen Son of God, and have you placed your life in His hands by believing, and having faith in Him as such? These are not trick questions, but are easily understood. The hardest part is stepping out in your faith... from the world you know into the unseen.
Do you love those around you? I am not talking about your wife and children, but also your neighbors who you might not like so much. How about those who are detestable, or who hate you; do you love those? Well, if you are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and obey his teaching, then you should love them all.
Are you dying because of the sin in your life? Perhaps you say no, but do you say this too quickly, having become so accustomed to the subtle sins that you hardly notice them? Our bold sins make an impression on us, and frighten us, but the tiny sins often pass by unnoticed, and yet kill our faith none the less... dragging our faithfulness down like exhaustion drowns a swimmer; slowly draining him of energy until at last his head slips beneath the water.
Is your life smooth right now, and everything easy and comfortable? If it is, how long has it been that way, and if so, is it because you are simply avoiding the challenges in life? Practice makes us better, exercise makes us stronger, discipline gives us determination, and in everyone’s life... tribulation toughens us.
How do you forgive? Do you forgive by degree with the small wrongs being easily forgiven and spoken of openly on the street corners as if forgiving them were a victory, but the large transgressions remaining, and being mulled over in your heart until they are almost forgotten, but never truly put away by true forgiveness? Do you make right the wrongs, and separate them from you? We should forgive the most vile transgressions just as we forgive the minor inconveniences. We should embrace forgiveness as Jesus did.
We must face tribulation on our journey towards the kingdom of God. Some who begin their walk Of faith seem to believe that by following Jesus they will not face hardship or suffering yet that is not the case. What is true is that Jesus will be right there with us in the midst of our tribulation, and that the promise of heaven remains our solid promise, and that the joy of God shines before us in the form of Jesus as a continuous reminder.
How is your faith today? Does it remain stored away in a seed sack; a tiny seed in your heart awaiting its season in a barn, or does it flourish where you have planted and tended it? Are you satisfied with the little, or are you led by the Spirit to grow and produce much fruit? Jesus tells us to have faith in God, but that doesn’t mean that our faith is complete when first received, or is dormant and unable to grow like a seed which hasn’t been sown.
You say you are a Christian, but are you really? Have you taken the name of Jesus without having been born again? What a mysterious happening this is when we confess openly our faith in Jesus Christ, and go down in the waters of baptism. The joy and change that rushes over us leaves no doubt that our journey has begun, and that we are no longer dancing around the monicker of Christian, but have indeed become one. Are you still flirting with the flame of faith, or have you entered entirely into it... has it burned up the old you, and replaced it with the smoke and incense of a new and glorious person? Have you entered into the great mystery of faith?
Are you complacent in your edification of one another? Do you speak of your faith in Jesus Christ when together, and lift each other up in faith? Do you pray for the troubles of your brothers and sisters in Christ so that they might be spared the intoxication of night, and be ready for the moment of our Lord’s return? We should encourage ourselves and others of faith.