A space to discuss the essay, Faith Is a Journey, Not a Spreadsheet:
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Faith is a journey, most definitely. And everyone’s faith walk with Jesus is different and that’s ok. I recall a former pastor telling me that Faith was spelled r-i-s-k. In order to be obedient to His call on our lives, we must be willing to step out in faith, even when we can’t see the end result, even when it feels uncomfortable or hard. God will give you everything you need to walk out your faith journey and it starts the day you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and continues until you are called home. But know this, faith is an action word (verb). If you walk in faith, step out in faith, and live your faith then you’re on the right path. If you proclaim to be a faithful follower and have faith, but do nothing, then you need to decide why and how to change your thought process to align with God.
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Yes, there is no optimal program that can be developed to grow in Christian faith. How we pursue our faith may depend a lot on how we define Christian growth. Knowing what God’s heart is like, growing in humility, growing in fruits of the Spirit to be more Christ like, seeking and gaining a deeper understanding of God’s word, seeking and growing in the love for others, being steadfast in faith amidst trials are some aspects of spiritual maturity that come to mind. The customized program that Jesus allows as the Author and Finisher of our faith will be different as our starting points are so very diverse. We all have different perceptions of God, different levels of knowledge about Him, different abilities, different opportunities, different experiences in the world, different weaknesses toward sin and we are called for different purposes. All of these differences call for different approaches to training and growth. The spiritual training God allows through the people, circumstances and resources He brings will be different. It amazes me how through all the different experiences, we are all held together in Christ. While our spiritual journey differs in nature, we all grow more and more into one person, our Lord Jesus Christ with each step of obedience in response to His love. As the article started with the analogy of running a race, may I end this post with the exhortation from Hebrews 12: 1-2. We run not for optimal life now (though sometimes it may happen) but for the joy that is set before us in heaven.
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Hi Carlene,
Thank you for sharing that insight regarding “Faith is a Journey”. I agree that Faith and Risk are attached at the hip. Like dance partners each doing their part. And able to pull off the midair flips! It takes faith and it takes risk. Working together it looks so good. It does take practice to get it right. So how do we practice our faith? By taking godly risks to the dance floor. We dance and we dance to the music of the Holy Spirit and to the Word of God. It’s not so much gathering data as it is developing our relationship with God. We dance with God, we love to be with God!!!
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In my Journey of Faith, I have learned that Faith and Patience are power twins. Patience MUST have started working on you, as you will need patience to wait on the promises. Waiting time doesn’t have to be wasted time if we get out of our “feelings” I have also learned, when faith steps out, fear steps in. All fear is : False Evidence Appearing Real.
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Very true! I just read a quote from Charles Spurgeon today that relates to your thought.
Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith; they also give us opportunities to honor God through our steadfast confidence in Him, even when facing the apparent denial of our request.
We can have faith in God at all times as He never changes. We feel fear when our abilities and resources fall short of the problems we face, but God can use these circumstances for our growth and dependence on Him.
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