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The Measure of Faith

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The past month has been nothing less than a whirlwind.  And that is putting it lightly.  From unexpected situations to heartbreaking news, I feel like I have experienced every emotion known to man.  I’ve cried tears of sadness followed by tears of joy, only to hang on for dear life to this rollercoaster of feelings.  And I’ve never been a fan of rollercoasters, nor do I recall asking to ride one.  But, no matter what the problem or crisis, this has all boiled down to one thing for me…..The measure of faith.

The definition of faith is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something.  Synonyms include trust, confidence, conviction, optimism, and hopefulness.  It’s a belief not based on proof but on promise.

 Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) says, ” Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will    actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

It’s crazy to me that one minute I can feel secure and strong and the next minute I’m overwhelmed with doubt and fear.  For the most part, I consider myself positive and that my foundation in Christ is stable.  But, it’s those moments that come out of nowhere that attempt to steal our joy and our confidence in the Lord.  It’s the day when the doctor gives you a bad report or your symptoms are screaming louder than the Word of God.  It’s seen in the weeks where our bills are piled high and the fridge is empty.  When we find ourselves in quicksand, what will we choose to believe?   The true measure of our personal faith is determined when our options are gone and time has run out.

I believe faith is something that we walk out daily.  We all have seasons of struggle and those where the ride is smoother.  And I don’t think that faith is a one size fits all kind of deal.  Or that we attain a level of faith, never to be in need of more.  Recently, my prayer has been not only to increase my level of trust in God, but for Him to expose the hidden places that need work.  Sometimes the darkest situations can bring out deep feelings that we tucked away years ago.  The roots of our faith, or lack thereof, can lead us to the real problem.  I want my faith to be tied to the only source that I truly need.  And that’s Jesus.

I pray that my assurances in life aren’t based on the good days or the answered prayers.  But I desperately want it to be anchored to the cross and what Jesus did for me.  I want His Word to consume my thoughts, even when the world says otherwise.  I want to boldly confess that He is good and always will be.  Even when I don’t get my way.  His ways are higher.  His plans are better.

As the old song said, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”.  That sums it up.  I believe when we get to Heaven, things will finally make sense.  But for now, I’m choosing to trust.  I’m picking hope.  I am believing for miracles in the face of the enemy.  And even if I have to remind myself daily, my faith is not based on what I can see or touch.  But it is founded on the goodness and grace of Almighty God.  And that’s a foundation worth building on.