Faith Is...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I know these are trying times for many of us, and yet all the more we need to look to God for guidance. In the midst of adversity and most difficult of times, God moves and showers us with His peace when we seek His face. God is in control and in charge. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other..." Ecclesiastes 7:14 I pray that you will wait upon the Lord. Remembering that faith is based on the knowledge, belief and trust of God's Holy word and His promises, instead of our trying circumstances.

I was blessed the other day when going through the "All of Grace" Audio CD by Charles Spurgeon. I was both humbled and yet comforted when meditating on the fullness of God's wonderful everlasting grace. I am afraid to say this, but the reality of God's ever present grace in my life led me to then think about my faith, or rather the lack of faith I display in my actions whenever I doubt, fear or worry. As I thought about my faith, I saw my sin of having "little faith", my disbelief in the things that I already know to be true. "You of little faith,"..."why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31 Jesus spoke about our faith continually. "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Matthew 8:26 When we read further through scriptures regarding our "little faith", we also notice how Jesus encouraged us to fully trust Him. "...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20 Jesus gave us hope by saying He did not require us to have a "gigantic faith", but rather faith as little as a mustard seed. Do you have faith as small as a mustard seed?

Faith is defined as: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 With that said, how often do we deny the Lord Jesus by displaying no faith at all in our actions? We learn that faith is required to please God and it is the root of obedience. Faith is so important in the life of a believer that God even chose faith as the channel of our salvation! It is through faith we believe in Jesus and are saved; not through hope or love, but through faith alone in Jesus do we receive our salvation. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Faith is made up of 3 virtues: knowledge, belief and trust.

KNOWLEDGE - Faith is not blind; it is based on the knowledge of biblical facts learned from God's Holy Word and through His Holy Spirit. God's Word leads us to an understanding and knowledge of the truth, which allows us to have faith. "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17 For example, we can board an airplane and not see the captain, but still have faith that the captain is in the cockpit and has the required knowledge, ability and desire to get us to our destination safely. If we can have faith in man, why is it so hard to have faith in God? Sometimes my disbelief has been so great in my mind that to display my actual faith required me to go against my fleshly thinking. If displaying our faith feels "foolish" in the eyes of this world, then I beg you, be a fool for God! God will never let you down.

BELIEF - Faith is believing that Christ is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Not only should we believe it, but we should expect it! Faith is to have peace about what we believe and expect, regardless of our feelings or difficult circumstances. When flying in an airplane, do you believe the same captain who got you off the ground is the same captain that will get you back on the ground safely, in spite of a bumpy flight? If faith in flying is reasonable and practical, then faith in God and His Word is reasonable and practical as well, right? "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:18 Do you believe in Jesus, His mighty works and His promises? Are you waiting upon the Lord? Or do you choose to believe the deceptive uncertainties and doubts in newspapers and even in your mind?

TRUST - Faith requires that our trust be based upon the knowledge of God's Word, believing that it is inerrant and trustworthy. We exercise our faith by living in expectation of the Bible’s promises! "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 I can only get peace and rest when I totally surrender the questions and doubts in my mind over to God and trust in Him. To follow our feelings instead of trusting Him and His promises is foolish and only hurts us further. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14:1 Faith is trusting in Jesus and having the assurance of the things hoped for. A child of God prays with certainty that God does answer prayer. God loves to be glorified through His answered prayers. Will you trust God even when your circumstances are frightening and perplexing?

Not that I have overcome my doubts and fears, but one practical way that God has helped me in my times of unbelief is to ask Him to help me overcome them through prayer. "...Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:23-24 Many times I must remind myself that when misleading and destructive thoughts occupy my mind I should have enough faith from past experiences to know that God is always in control. I don't have to know how, I don't have to know when, but I do know that God will! I need to believe that He will take care of me and trust that He will always provide for me even though my actions often do not warrant His unconditional love and faithfulness. Why? Because believers are His children and He always loves His children no matter what they have done!

Is your faith and standing with God based upon your good moral deeds, your resources, your accomplishments, your own security or human traditions? Or is your faith based upon Jesus? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and your Savior? "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:66 If you are not sure your faith is based upon the work of Jesus Christ alone and you want to receive Jesus Christ by faith, please sincerely pray: Lord Jesus, I need You. I know the penalty of my sins is hell, and You were crucified on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me for my sins. I need You in my life. Today, I make You my Lord and Savior. Take control of my life and make me the person You want me to be. In Jesus' name, amen. "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Acts 2:21

If this letter has prompted you to give your life to Jesus Christ, congratulations, you are now God’s child! Giving your life to Jesus Christ means that you have totally surrendered your life to Him and are committed to following His teachings in the Bible. Once you have made this life-changing decision, you need to begin cultivating a personal relationship (not religion) with God through Jesus Christ. You do this by attending a weekly Bible teaching church, studying the Bible daily through a weekly Bible study with other Christians and most importantly, obeying the teachings in the Bible. We do these things because we want to know Jesus even more, and because Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross and therefore we are grateful to God for His mercy and His grace! We find joy in His grace and our salvation!

If you gave your life to Jesus through this letter please share your story with me at aurelio@c28.com and I will send you a free Holy Bible to start your relationship with Christ. I would suggest reading the Gospel of John in the Holy Bible so you can begin to better understand what Jesus has done for you, the benefits of having a relationship with Him and the assurance of your salvation. If you are still undecided and or have more questions, please visit www.c28.com and click on the ‘Need Jesus’ section. Lastly, please keep praying for C28 and the ministry of C28; we truly need your continued support!