This past weekend I was the speaker at an annual Anglican Women’s Conference. My topic was Faith Moving Forward and I want to share with you some insights that I gleaned as I prepared for my time with them.
The definition of faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. In Matthew 17 and Luke 17 Jesus describes that if we have the faith of a mustard seed (smallest of seeds in ancient Israel) you could say to the mountain be moved from here to there and it would move. I have always looked at this passage and thought that I simply needed more faith to move the mountains in my life. But Jesus was directing our faith not to the quantity or strength of our faith but to the object of our faith. Our faith is only as strong as the object in which it is placed. As Christians, our faith must be placed on the person of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 11:1 says: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. In other words, our trust in Christ alone gives us this confidence. So, the question I have for you today: “In what or whom have you placed your confidence?” It may be that you need to spend some time pondering this and even write out a list of where you have misplaced confidence.
The Greek words used most often in the New Testament for faith is pistes which indicates a belief or conviction with the complementary idea of trust. Believing and trusting leads to action.
Faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:26)
James talks about demonstrating our faith by works. Often what we do says more about what we believe than what we say. Therefore the definition of faith contains two aspects- both knowledge and trust.
- Knowledge – believing something to be true
- Trust – relying on the fact to be true.
The best picture of this is illustrated by a chair. Knowledge and believing in Christ’s promises, is recognizing that a chair is a chair and agreeing that it is designed to support those who sit in it. Trust is actually sitting in the chair.
Peter Kuzmic, noted theologian, writes: Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future. Faith is having the courage to dance to it today.
Friends, this is the key to our faith – having the assurance that Christ is able to fulfill every one of the promises in His Word to us, that Christ must be the object of our faith, and that placing our hope in Him opens the eyes of our hearts to hear the music of the future. And faith is having the courage to dance to it today. Pray with me Paul’s prayer asking the Lord to open our eyes to His Word giving us hope for today and courage to step out in faith. Where is He calling you today to take a risk and step out in faith?
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. (Ephesians 1:18)
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