Does your faith capture heaven’s attention like the woman with the issue of blood tapped into the essence of Jesus’ virtue when she touched the hem of His garment and was healed? (See Luke 8:43-48.) In Psalm 3:4, David said, I cried to the LORD, and He heard me. Does heaven come to attention when you pray? Does God bend down to listen to your prayers?
I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. 2 Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe! (Psalm 116:1-2, LAB).
Everyone has a measure of faith, but we have to be careful and not take our portion for granted like the servant did when his master entrusted him with money to invest. Instead of capitalizing, the servant hid the money for safekeeping. As it turned out, the master rebuked him; called him wicked and lazy. (See Matthew 25:14-30, LAB.)
Faith is well-equipped to flip impossibilities.
I view faith as a living organism that gains strength from challenges; inactivity can stunt its growth capabilities. The good news is the LORD doesn’t expect our faith to be perfect when He returns; however, He does expect it to be alive. Therefore, we should be able to chart our faith’s maturity over time. For example, has our faith flatlined, or is it moving progressively toward trusting God more and more.
How does one’s faith achieve heaven’s honor?
I’m sure many of you feel the same as me, not satisfied knowing that I have faith but cannot activate it to the extent God wants me to. As a result, the Holy Spirit inspired me to start this blog as He teaches me weekly how this beautiful gift of faith works. So here’s what I’ve learned so far in a nutshell.
Stalwart faith demands having a personal, intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. There are no shortcuts. As a matter of fact, spending quality time with the Spirit should be the highlight of our day. The more we incorporate Him in our daily activities, the more conscious we are of His constant presence. We show love and honor when we make Him our top priority with our time, resources, and all other aspects of our lives. These are essential ingredients faith needs to flourish.
Dr. Tony Evans, the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas and the president of The Urban Alternative, describes faith as: “Acting like God is telling the truth.” That description, right there, elevated my understanding of what it means to walk and live by faith.
Questions to think over:
- In what areas of my life could I be inhibiting the growth of my faith?
- What steps have I taken lately for heaven to recognize I’m trying my best to walk by faith?
- How can I tell if my faith is being honored in heaven?
© 2021
See you next time on Paulette Talks Faith.