faith.
September 3, 2010
Today was my first day back into the “Green Letters” group at school. Have you ever heard of the book “The Complete Green Letters” by Miles J. Stanford? If not, you should definitley look it up. 
If you are interested in this book, here is a link to amazon! $2 for a used copy…. click the link below:
Now, moving on from advertising for him… this week we began with the first chapter- faith. The obvious title of this posting. Going through Hebrews now in classes and also going to the ‘Green Letters’ group this week, the word faith has been on my heart and mind a lot. When you think of faith… what do you think? Is it an emotional feeling, is it probability, maybe even an impression by something you have heard or thought? I know that through my 18+ months of being here in Michigan at New Tribes Bible Institute, God has really exposed the need of my definition to ‘faith’ compared to God’s.
Being here, I have tried and tried to understand the faith I have… what it looks like, why it doesn’t all ‘feel’ the way it should, what my next ‘step of faith’ will be, ect. I have tried talking about it, thinking about it, praying and reading more, trying to think I was being faithful. But especially through the last month of ‘Leadership Training’ here at the school and Hebrews class combined with “The Complete Green Letters” I have come to the realization that faith is much different than I thought it is. It has nothing to do with how busy I keep myself ‘spiritually’ but the ‘facts’ that I believe in.
What is faith? In Green Letters, Miles J. Stanford tells us that true faith is soley based on facts and is anchored on scriptural facts. How can you have faith in something you don’t know about? You can ‘think’ or ‘guess’ that just MAYBE it may be true- but that is not factual, that’s just guessing?…right? Take this verse, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).” What is this saying? In order to have faith, we must be IN the Word to HEAR the Word. Faith is not a guessing game… it’s based on God’s True Word that is factual.
I think of ‘impressions’ and probabilties’ in one’s life as the “guessing game.” Not to sure on what God’s Word says, but not in the Word to prove what they believe. Miles J. Stanford writes, “It is not impressions, strong or weak, which will make a difference. We have to do with the Written Word and not ourselves or our impressions.” My example of this in my own life is when I see something ‘sprititually inspiring.’ I see it, it has made an impression on me (the quote, the song, the story, the testimony, the miracle…ect.) and instead of seeing how it lines up with God’s Word or even what God’s Word says about it, I allow it to leave an impression on my life and I believe exactly what it says. It seems to be more of an emotional ride that is decieving and makes one believe their faith is real- but it ends up being a ride that leaves one discouraged, maybe feeling hopeless, and unconfident in what they believe. It should?! If you are not IN the Word, than how would one know if what they believe is lining up with the facts in God’s spoken and written Word?
Probabilites is one I definitley struggle with often. It’s a walk of sight for many… the idea of “Well, if my life is good… I am probably good with God” or “There has been no struggle in my life, therefore… I am probably living a life according to God’s Word.” The probabilties is just another part of the “guessing game” in our Christian life. In my life, it seems to be a way for me to be lazy and to not study out convictions or needs that have been exposed in my life. So instead of being in God’s Word, I think in a week maybe He will give me a circumstance to learn this Truth, or a teacher will say something that ‘hits the spot’. Another probability is thinking, “I CAN DO IT (on my own).” One may not be saying it out loud, but they could be definitley thinking about it consciencely. This is why we need the Word, to point us BACK to Him and the Truth He has laid out before us about faith. There is a difference between a walk of sight and a walk of faith. When one lives a walk of sight, than one is living in a state of unbelief- a life full of probablity, uncertainity, and impressions. BUT when one lives a walk of faith, they know the Truth’s of God’s Word that allows them to not guess or assume they are living faithfully, but gives them confidence that they are. Miles writes, “Many people are willing to believe regarding those things seem probable to them. Faith has nothing to do with probabilites. The province of faith begins where probablitlues cease and sight and sense fail. Appearances are not be taken into account. The question is- whether God has spoken it in His Word (Miles J. Stanford).” Is what I am ‘probably thinking true’ actually Truth and lining up with God’s Word?
This brings me to certainty. “There must be a definite knowledge of God’s purpose and will… For faith is not a force that we exercise or a string to believe that something shall be, thinking that if we believe hard enough it will come to pass… not biblical faith (Miles J. Stanford).” A definite knowledge, a certainty, and facts produce faith. The faith we have needs to rest upon facts. The confidence in God’s Word, knowing what God’s Word says, to oppose any trial that will come our way. Having a faith based on ANYTHING besides facts will leave us hopeless, exhausted, discouraged, and insecure. It’s only knowing what God’s Word says that we can face the trials, obstacles, difficulties, and some defeats that leave knowing we have hope, power IN Him, and a secure position IN Christ. These things “are the very food of faith.”
In the book “The Complete Green Letters,” Miles quotes James McConkey: “Faith is dependence upon God. And this God-dependence only begins when self-dependence ends. And self-dependence only comes to its end, with some of us, when sorrow, suffering, affliction, broken plans and hopes bring us to that place of self-helplessness and defeat. And only then do we find that we have learned the lesson of faith…” Wow. self-dependence vs. God-dependent… where do we begin? I guess we begin with, every person wants to live a life of hope and victory… and they only way to obtain hope and victory in this fallen world is through dependence on God- apart from my own strenght and my own self reliance. It’s by being IN HIS WORD that I am able to depend on God, have confidence in His Truth, and hope for the future. By being IN HIS WORD, I am able to walk a life full of victory and hope!
If you have your bible near you, turn to 2 Peter 1:2-4, “3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Here is my question to you: how could you trust this piece of scripture in 2 Peter, if you have never studied the attributes of God, His character, or His faithfulness to His people and believers for the past 2,000 years? I could only assume that it was through probability or impression that one could believe this verse and have never studied out God’s promises and His faithfulness. This is why being in His Word is so important to our faith, so that is it not mere guessing or probabilty or feeling- but that it is a true faith, based on actual facts, provided by the spoken words of God written in a book for you and I to study and have FULL confidence in. “We cannot trust anyone further than we know him. So we must not only learn the facts involved, but must intimately come to know the One who presents and upholds them (M.J. Stanford).”
Faith, reckoning God’s Word, resting in the Truth’s of God’s Word; not in man’s probabilities and impressions.
How does this truth of faith rest in your hearts and minds today?
I challenge you and myself to study this out more… and see what God exposes in our lives!
(ps. thanks for taking a look, reading, and sharing in this Truth with me today! let me know if i could be praying for you… I know I need it!)
