FAITH. WHAT IS IT?

I love faith.  Really.

Faith changes things.

It gives hope when there isn't any.  It assures we are safe in the midst of destructive experiences. Faith is that invisible game-changer for everything in life.

The flesh has it's common rules.  It feels comfortable in setting the stage for our day. And, then we hear flesh's clear bossy inner voice; do it my way.  Our flesh fights with our spirit.  That's why we have ongoing discussions in our head.  The spirit and the flesh don't see things alike at times.

But faith....faith has this knack of betraying the rules.  Water has been walked upon as if it were a mere neighborhood sidewalk.  Promises of impossibility become true. Death oughta get nervous because it's about to die so that life can arise.

Faith isn't a Sunday morning ritual.  Rather it is a Monday morning assurance which will last all week long.  Sure life hiccups with hic at times; but faith is our spiritual sergeant beckoning us to never give up.

Faith is that invisible inner conviction that what isn't, yet, can be.  We are to believe that God participates in what we might determine to be our routine lifestyle.  People with faith have just as many things go wrong as those who have none.  The difference is that the faith factor sheds new light on possibility and hope.

Faith doesn't just call us to be the church on Sunday mornings.  It nudges us to believe value is in the midst of our bad moments.  It calls us to trust what we can't see (God and His working Kingdom) over what we can see (injury and frustration).

So how does it work?  He gave us no formula.  It is a developed combination of assurance and conviction.  This may seem simple, but one either believes it or he doesn't.  Each person is free to choose.  The one with faith, regardless of pressures and disappointments, will live in perpetual hope.

The one without it?  This one will act only with attitudes of hope if the day has gone well.  Their days of joy are dependent upon what happens or doesn't happen to them.

The Spirit of God is available to assist every person when we hit those rugged times of setback.  Faith isn't about sitting in rows for an hour.  It is about standing on promises from above when the harshness of routine life wants to convince us otherwise.

Faith?  It's that strange element of the heart which insists that nothing shall separate us from the love of God.

Romans 5:1-5.