It Starts Small

I like to think of the testing of our faith as a squeeze. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. I come to believe there are a few ways our faith is tested.

Our Heavenly Father tests us to see if our faith is real. Satan temps us to stumble us.

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:7

Pure faith comes by trials. God’s trials are tailor made and Satan’s are standard issue.

50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. Mark 4:50

Going back to the story of Jesus healing the nobleman’s son we watch a man who had superficial faith, transition to having the kind of faith our a Heavenly Father desires for us.

Jesus spoke, the man heard.

This man heard Jesus speak the Word of God. Faith is not naming it and claiming it. Faith is not receiving from God what you want. Faith is accepting from God what he gives. We don’t tell God what to do. The key word to understanding faith is heard. He heard Jesus speak. He didn’t just hear, he listened.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Faith is taking God at His Word!

This man heard Jesus speak to him and he believed what Jesus poke. God is not a liar. Faith is a response to the character of God. Jesus told this man you do not believe in me, you only believe a miracle. Jesus was asking this man to believe upon him. The man heard and responded by believing that Jesus could heal his son.

When our hearts are right, our faith responds to God.

Finally, the man, went on his way. Real faith is faith with legs on it.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26

This is not saying we gain faith by working, it says by faith we work. When we hear the Word of God and obey, we can find rest In knowing he has spoken absolute truth.

51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. John 4:51-52

This man went on his way, but what didn’t he do? He didn’t rush home to see IF his son was sick or healed. He went on his way resting, knowing and believing what Jesus said was truth. He didn’t need proof his son was healed, he knew he was healed.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Psalm 37:5-7

Answered prayer is not the reason to believe. Answered prayer is the result of believing that when God speaks, and in obedience responding to what he reveals. I do not follow Christ because of what he can give me. I follow Christ because of what he can do through me.

So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. John 5:53

It’s through this man’s faith to trust, believe, and obey that his son is healed. Even more, this man could testify as a witness to Christ and he spoke the truth that a Jesus had spoken to his whole house and his whole house believed in Christ.

I have to keep going back to my journal and remind myself what truth as been spoken. Remind myself God is absolute and he is not a liar. You’d think it would just be automatic. To just completely have this amazing trust and belief. Sadly, I’m human. I can only say each test, each squeeze, gets easier, but each time I am so thankful and rejoice! Rather than just having a superficial faith, my faith says I believe without having to see.

That first real testing of my faith had me fighting the feeling of failure. There was freedom and a silent moment of victory, but it wasn’t long before I started to shame myself because I didn’t have strong faith. Failure. Is it final?