Is faith a factor in your decision making?
Most of us don’t literally step into thin air like Indiana Jones did, but we exercise very real faith every day. An interesting question to ask ourselves is, in what or whom have we placed our faith?
We believe that drivers approaching an intersecting red light will stop as we proceed through a green light. We trust that our schools will adequately educate and protect our children for six to seven hours every day. We have faith that medical professionals are qualified to safely perform invasive procedures on our bodies. I could go on, but you get the idea.
Our actions demonstrate great faith in other people.
Do our lives testify to complete confidence in God?
Honestly, for most of my life I have not taken many risky steps of faith in God. I depended on my parents, myself, my husband, my skills, the prosperous USA, my friends, and my job to name just a few of the idols in which I have trusted. It feels so much safer to count on things that seem solid, quantifiable and controllable. Until they’re not.
In more recent years God has placed me in circumstances in which I have no choice but to trust in Him. Alone. This is not a comfortable feeling for someone who likes to see exactly where her next step will land. But I’m thankful for it.
Because God is teaching me to trust Him.
Trusting God is different from knowing about God. Knowledge of God is important for a life of faith, for we won’t trust someone we don’t know. But it is faith, not just correct doctrine, that God desires and honors. And actions reveal the true objects of our faith.
Rahab was a Canaanite woman whose only knowledge of God was that he was powerful and that he had miraculously delivered Israel from Egypt. She simply said, “I’m with Him.” She risked her life as evidence of her complete faith, and God noticed.
Do we who have well-developed theology act with the decisive faith of Rahab?
The widow who donated her entire worth to the temple was commended by Jesus as having made the most valuable contribution. She had acted in faith, while the others gave what they could easily afford to give.
Do we give what we cannot afford to give in confidence that God is our ultimate provider?
My faith has a long way to grow.
In our information and technological age we regularly make calculated decisions that serve our best interests. Fine. But, maybe we’ve left too little room for faith. What if, after considering well-reasoned options, we learn to factor in faith.
Which choice best demonstrates faith in God? Which choice would reveal His power and bring glory to Him?
God always approves of faith.
Is faith in God a factor in your important decisions?
“We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5:7
