Faith formulas

   

     You know, the Bible says the just live by faith, going from "faith to faith".  Some think this describes levels of faith, and we can and do move to higher levels of faith, but actually this is about kinds "kinds" of faith, or faith that requires different actions in different situations.  Ignoring that sometimes reduces us to robotic, formulized little one dimensional saints. We grab hold of one concept, one little formula, start working it, have it work for us and then attempt to apply it to everything under the sun.  Sooner or later, we go bust.  Sooner or later we hit an area of life where those little rules we were applying, don't fit any more.  For example, among us faith folks, many of us only seem to think faith works one way.  We speak to the mountains, don't doubt, they move and we have what we say.   However, what if you encounter a situation where those rules do not apply?   Like a parrot, do you just keep squawking at the mountain?  Or, do we go from "faith" to another "faith"?

    To have the God kind of faith means you have the same convictions, producing the same desires as God about things.  Through your whole life, living in the Spirit, you come to places where God's faith rises up in you and orders your steps.  Yes, at the mountain of hindrance, you command.  But, what about at the altar of the worship of Jesus?  What does your faith demand there?  You stop talking to mountains and "rejoice with unspeakable joy full of glory".  That is what faith, at that moment requires you to do.  If you believe in Him, though you have not seen Him you love Him, you rejoice, you laugh, you give Him glory,  (1st Pet. 1:8).  Are you too busy commanding mountains that are hindering you to offer up the faith that rejoices in Him?

   What is the point?  I am so glad you asked!  Faith is a relationship with God.  It doesn't just produce a relationship, it is the relationship.  It can't be reduced to a singular formula.  At the mountain it requires one thing, at the fiery furnace perhaps another.   Our fathers in the faith lived by faith.  Some, walking in faith, subdued kingdoms and others walking in faith the same way, were sawn in half.  God's convictions about eternal destiny, a city not made with hands, drove them forward to pay whatever it cost to make it to the end.  It was not victory in that one battle or that other battle, but staying on the journey, walking with God, that brought them the prize.  Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him.  He didn't have to.  He could have called ten thousands angels and destroyed the world and all the human population.  He could have dropped back to His own formula of Mark 11:22-24 and commanded the mountain of murderous people around Him to just drop dead, and they would have.  But, faith asked for something else.  This time faith did not ask for cursing trees or moving mountains.  This time faith took Him past Mark 11:22-24 to Mark 11:25 and asked of Him, "when you stand praying, forgive if you have ought against any..." Mark 11:25.  Come on now, are you not glad He was not restricted by formulas?   Had He acted on a different faith formula, my friend, you and me would be lost.  Are you not glad, that from the cross He could say "Father forgive".  Whew!  "Oh, say but I'm glad, I'm glad"