Faith will Follow

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The scripture says – Pick up the shield of faith. I respond, Yes, Lord. But then when the enemy attacks, I seem to have trouble remembering where I kept it after the last time I picked it up. Then, a voice inside my head reminds me – oh no! It is impossible to please God without faith. Result? Panic. Frustration. Hopelessness. Disappointment. Discouragement. Disillusion. And more – all the burning arrows of the enemy, right on target.

Why is it so difficult to pick up the shield just when it is needed most? Faith is supposed to be courageous in the face of fear. Then, why does it become so elusive at the time of need?

This takes me down the thinking lane.

Remember, when Jesus healed the sick, cleansed the leper, forgive sins? He said – Your faith has healed you or Your faith has saved you – but don’t we all know and believe that it was Jesus who healed, cleansed, forgave or saved? Then why did He keep crediting the faith of the person with the work He did? No, Jesus was not lying and no, He was not encouraging just for the sake of encouragement. He was making a very important statement – and we know its importance from the sheer number of times He said it to different people.

I go further down the lane.

Who was Jesus to these people? The prophet, the healer, the son of David?
What did these people need to have faith in? Jesus.
Is faith any good without Jesus? Impossible.
Why? Jesus is not merely the object of our faith. It is not in Him. It is Him. Yes, our faith is Jesus. Faith in Jesus is our shield.

Why else would it be impossible to please God without faith? Because it is impossible to please Him without Jesus. This is the Son the Father is pleased with.

When we go to Father God in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, it is not merely our faith carrying us. It indicates that we believe that we have access to Father through the Son. But for the Father, it is Jesus whom He sees. Therefore, it is not just that we trust Jesus, it is Jesus’ response to our faith.

Then, what is lacking? We have Jesus. Why doesn’t faith work?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

How come Jesus was able to do all those miracles? Power? Authority? Obedience? Yes, all those powered by the love of Father God that abides in Him – and the confidence thereof.

You see, before ‘whosoever believes in Him’, ‘God so loved the world’. His love precedes our faith. Christ did die for us while we were sinners – and had no faith or object of faith. We had not yet received faith or Jesus, when He had, out of Father’s love, died for us. The pattern must follow in our lives too. Once we are in love with the Jesus who died for us, we will trust Him for everything else.

Be confident in the love of God – which is in Christ Jesus. The love of God is Jesus. Be confident in the One who died for us, before we ever knew Him.

Keep this love, faith will follow. Faith in Jesus is not far behind love for Jesus.

Now when you pick your Shield of Faith, it’s not just faith – it is Jesus standing in front of you, receiving all the burning arrows of the enemy and not letting any harm pass through to you. Is Jesus elusive in our time of need? No. Our Shield of Faith is right where He said He’ll be – with us till the end of the world.

[written: 12/05/07]

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