Faith.
It’s the substance of things hoped for.
It’s also the evidence of things not seen.
So...if I just have faith, then everything in my life will turn out okay, right?
Wrong.

Dear readers,
I apologize that it has been so long since I’ve jumped on my blog to write a post...so much for New Year’s Resolutions to write a blog post a week, right? I would have, but this first quarter has been difficult. My family has been hit with some health problems that have stopped the progress of many things for us. I have been dealing with some personal storms that will probably later come out in my writing and have faced the difficult situation of discovering who among my new friends are actually my friends and not just fair weather chums. Due to a commitment to a theater, my business has been suffering and my car has had trouble that has cost me more for the repairs now than it would have cost me for a brand new used working car. Needless to say, it has been a dark and stormy first quarter.
But it has not been without it’s sunshine. And one of the bright points of my life this year has been the things I’ve been discovering about God, such as the topic I was writing about above.

Faith.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes this word makes me bristle. It’s not because it’s a bad word, but rather that it is so misunderstood. With the Word of Faith movement today, and the Faith teachers that falsely say to “name it and claim it,” it’s easy to get caught up in the stuff like that. But I have learned something very important about faith during these rainy trials in the first quarter.
Faith isn’t trusting that God will make all your problems disappear.
Faith is trusting in God’s character for Who He is, trusting in His promises and in the Hope that we have in Jesus our Savior.
Of course, there’s more to it than that, but this is a small portion of something that reached out to me.

Take a look at the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. Many of those names had faith in God but were martyred, left with their infirmities, never actually saw the “goodness” come about in their lifetime. Look at pillars of faith like William Tyndale, Patrick Hamilton, Bonhoeffer, etc. Many of them had strong faith in God, but still suffered loss and martyrdom. So...if that’s not what faith is for...what is it?

Faith isn’t a magic formula to abra-kadabra your problems away. When we start using it as such, we are in the wrong. That's now the way God intended us to use this marvelous gift.

If you are facing challenges in your life I challenge you this today. Instead of saying “God get me out of this! I have faith You will deliver me!” start beginning a journey to get to know God for Who He is. It may seem like a cancer patient starting heart treatment, but it all ties in to every aspect of your life. Such an adventure is one that few are prepared for, nor do they realize the wild ride it will take them on. It’ll turn you inside out, upside down, humble you and lift you up all in one. But it’s worth it. It’s so worth it.

Do I have it perfect? No. Absolutely not. My name will never be in the Hall of Faith that will be passed down through the ages, but I can only hope to say that I learned this one lesson. Faith is never letting go of God...no matter how shaken you are in this life.

And then acting upon it.