Genuine Faith

Genuine faith comes by the grace of God, and trials prove its authenticity. Fire exposes faith forgeries. So is your current challenge a test in faithfulness? It may be hard to hold your head up in faith because of the difficulties you are experiencing. Your Savior seems to be on sabbatical, but you still seek Him. You fill in the blanks by faith, and you love Him even though you cannot feel Him. Your faith facilitates fervent love for your Lord, so you continue to believe in Him even though you are unable to see Him.

Furthermore, your faith under fire inherits inexpressible joy through prayer. That seems strange to the uninformed. People may become curious about or a little perturbed by the persistent peace and assurance that travels within the depths of your soul. But you know you are saved by the grace of God, for this is your baseline. Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ is your foundation and your launching pad for a life consecrated to Christ.

Because you have entrusted Him with eternity, you can trust Him with this temporary trial. Because you trust Him with your soul, you can trust Him with this sorry situation. Do not fret that your faith is under fire, for this affliction is meant to stoke the fires of your affection for Christ. Turn the tables on trouble by diving deeper into your devotion to Jesus. It takes trouble to tear off encumbrances to your eternal perspective. Lukewarm living tends to create cataracts in your spiritual eyes.

When you start out as a new Christian, your faith is fresh but you have infantile intimacy. You discover that growth in your faith (like all relationships) comes from resistance. Sometimes life pushes back with pressure and prickly circumstances. When Christ comes into your conflict, your faith increases. Your faith is the most valuable asset you own. Your money may move you closer or further away from faith but it cannot acquire it. Jesus purchased your salvation on the cross. Therefore, the currency that Christ accepts is faith. Yes, give generously to good works, but do not depend on your benevolent acts as a surrogate for belief.

Your faith either diminishes or compounds in worth. Allow your current crisis of belief to increase your faith. As it grows in your mind and heart, its value increases. If your only faith experience is your salvation, then your faith is stunted. Stunted and immature faith is no match for the inconvenience and injustice of this world. God wants to grow your faith into robust authenticity. His revelation is most compelling under pressure.

Therefore, see these tough times as a transition from your teen years into your adult years of faith. Genuine and expanding faith can be the fruit of fiery trials. The Lord’s love will lead you through this tough time as you learn lessons in faith from teachers of trials. Moreover, your strong and authentic faith will be a springboard of comfort to others. Effective ministry is one incredible outcome of adversity. But genuine faith is God’s ultimate goal. Genuineness is like gold. It’s valuable, compelling, inviting, and everlasting. Above all else, it glorifies God.

Post/Tweet this today: Because we have entrusted God with eternity, we can trust Him with our temporary trials. #genuinefaith #wisdomhunters

Additional Resource: 5 minute video- Big Daddy Weave: Overwhelmed

Taken from the April 11th reading in Seeking Daily the Heart of God v.1

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