There are Two Kinds of Faith

Faith, I wrote about the difference between common sense and faith yesterday.  It go me to thinking a little more deeply on the subject.  My thoughts lead me to two distinct questions.  What is faith...exactly?  How do I make sure I'm "walking" in faith each day?

So first, what is faith?  Well, according to Hebrews 11:1 (I use the amplified bible, I love the way it expands the text to all the meanings that the Hebrew or Greek word meant) Paul explains faith this way. "Now faith IS the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.]. (Italics mine)

What is a title deed exactly, well it is a piece of paper that says you own something.  You can have a title for your car, or a deed for your house.  They are all "proof" of ownership.  So this means to me that faith is proof of my ownership of what I am hoping for.  Something that has not manifested in the natural, by faith is mine spiritually because I believe it is so.

This causes me to absolutely convinced that they are real.  Want an example?  Your faith in Jesus Christ.  You have all that He promised, you will have eternal life with Him because you have a conviction in your heart that it is so.  Nothing physical proves it, there is nothing "tangible" that says this is what is going to happen after you die.  No one has come back as far as I know to let any of us still here know for sure what is on the other side, save Jesus.  This we believe as well, through FAITH.  So in a nutshell, faith is a hardcore belief in something you haven't received yet, in things you cannot see.  Once you see them you no longer require faith to sustain your belief in it.  I hope I am making sense.

So my next question was, how do I make sure I am walking in faith everyday.  Well, the truth is that this is not the real question.  I walk in faith every single day, every hour, every moment.  How?  I have faith that I will be able to breath in and breath out with no difficulties.  Nothing says that something wont happen to me to make that so, but by faith I believe that this is not a problem.  When I am in FULL FAITH, I don't think about it, I just do it, expecting a result.

Ever have an asthma attack?  The worse thing in the world you can do in the midst of one is tense up and worry about being able to take your next breath.  You have to force yourself to relax, let the air come in and out, and stop thinking about how hard it is to breath.  You have to have faith that the next breathe is going to come, and it does.

How about getting out of bed in the morning.  Every morning I wake up and I have faith that I will be able to swing my legs around, sit up and get out of bed.  I expect it to happen and it does.

Whenever I walk, I have full faith that one foot will go before the other.  One leg will follow the other.  I don't think about it I just do it.  In faith.  I believe, first, that I will be able to take the next step, the action comes next.

I can go on like this for pages and pages, but I'm sure you get the picture.  We live in a state of faith at all times.  The big hurdle is what are we putting our faith energy into?  Am I having faith that I WONT be able to pay the bills this month?  Or, am I having faith that God will provide everything, just like He provides my ability to breath and walk?

It's amazing what will happen if you start really thinking about how much you use faith each and every second of your life.  Satan can't steal my faith, he can't keep me from having faith.  It is what makes me able to function.  So he has to do what he can do, steer my faith in the wrong direction.  It is up to me to stay focused on Jesus Christ, on things above as Paul put it, so the enemy is not able to do this.  There is so much power in faith.  This is why Jesus said with faith the size of a mustard seed I can move a mountain.

If I can move my body, teach it to do "new" tricks, etc...  which is all by faith, than there is nothing that can stop me from attaining what God has promised me.

What stops me dead in my tracks, what stalls my forward momentum?  Doubt.  Which is nothing more than negatively charged faith.  It pulls my faith in two directions at once, and like James wrote, "If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.  Only it must be in faith that he asks with NO wavering (no hesitating, no doubting).  For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.  For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord.  [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. James 1:5-8 (Capitalization mine)

I cannot be of "two" minds, one will always be at war with the other and stop me from making any progress.  Stagnated and putrefied, that is what becomes of all my efforts when I allow my faith to waver towards the negative, while trying to stay positive.  Ever been around stagnate water?  It is disgusting to look at, smell, and feel.  If I let this continue, my physical life begins to reflect my spiritual.  Things start to fall apart and I feel at a loss, consistently.  This is when I am most prone to cry out, "Why God, Why?"  The answer is right in front of me.  Because, I have not been applying my faith towards things above as He directed.

Now, I know this is not an easy proposition.  God knows it as well.  That is why Jesus directed us in Matthew 6:33-34 this way, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.  So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own.  Sufficient for each day is its own trouble."  First thing when I get up, I should be seeking my connection with Him, He will show me the way through today's concerns.  When I get really worried, it is not about today I am worrying, no it is my faith being applied negatively towards tomorrow and what will happen if I don't do this, or if I do this the wrong way, or don't make the right decision, etc...

So let me wrap this up.  You and I are always walking in faith, but there are two kinds of faith.  Negative and positive.  Which one we use is up to us.  The key is that we have to decide to use one exclusively, otherwise we get pulled in two directions at once which causes anxiety and distress, and a sense of no control over any circumstances in our lives.  Personally, I have no desire to use negative faith, I will stick with the positive.  To do this, we must each take time out every single day to seek God's face and have a real relationship with Him.  It can't just be a Sunday morning visit, He wants to spend every waking (and sleeping) moment with us and for that to be our conscious decision.  This is a life that He rewards, if with nothing more than an incredible peace of mind.

Daddy,
Thank You for giving us faith.  You have given us free will as well, and we can use our faith to advance or retreat.  Thank You for showing us and revealing to us consistently Your hand at work in our lives.  We are not able to make progress without positive faith.  Show us each and every time we begin to slip into the realm of negative faithfulness, and accept our humble plea for forgiveness.  We repent of the propensity to doubt You, and pledge ourselves to You this day.  Making a complete sacrifice of all we are, to become more like You Jesus.  Help us to follow Your example, and seek our Father's face each and every day, so we are consistently running the race to win.  Keeping our eyes on the prize, which is eternity with You.


In Jesus name,
Amen