The Focus of Our Faith - Post 5

1) I don’t read blogs (or many books for that matter) because: My passion and desire is to live for Christ in the purest form possible.
 
While walking with Christ is NOT complicated, it is hard. What makes it a battle?  What makes walking this earth as the Child of the all-powerful, all knowing, sovereign, living God of  the universe difficult? Deception and unbelief  do.
 
In my last post I talked about sticking with pure truth as much as
possible to avoid deception. This time we’ll focus on faith – or lack  thereof.
 
Our “difficulties” in following Jesus should be faith purifying  experiences.  Right?  James tells us to count it all joy when meet trials of various kinds. We ought to be counting it all joy because the final outcome of suffering and trials should be a deeper faith in Christ. 
 
The potential danger of looking to anything or anyone other than the Word of God to guide us in our walks and battles against sin is the improper focus of our faith. Our faith needs to be in Christ to get us through trying
times NOT man. This is why God through Paul tells us:

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did  not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of  God.   1 Corinthians 2:1–5 (ESV)

It is of utmost importance that our faith is in the power of God not man (including ourselves). A misguided faith is a weak and faltering faith because it will fail and failure will be our experience. Conversely, faith in God is a faith that will growth because our experience will be in Him Who is always true and faithful.
 
The danger of running to a book (other than God’s Word) for comfort when we are struggling is that our faith then rests in the wisdom of the author rather than the power of God. We are not followers of man and it can be dangerous to become so reliant on a person that we are recalling what they have to say rather than what God says. 

Let me put it this way by posing a couple of questions. Do you quote scripture or other men and women when the battle is fierce? Do you stand on the promises of God and have faith in the power of God or do you remember what an author said in your favorite book? The difference is profound and the results will reveal where our faith is. If our faith is truly in God and Him alone then victory is ours to have.
 
This post is already longer than I intended but two points scream out to be addressed. First, in all humility and love I tell you I certainly have NOT arrived to the depth of faith where victory is found all the time. But truth is truth and just because I don’t have victory all the time doesn’t change the reality that when our faith is in Christ and Him alone, we will walk as we ought. I am who I am by the grace of God and press on.
 
Second, the reality is books are good, teaching is good and preaching is good….as long as the author, the teacher and the preacher are PUSHING you back to the Word and Power of God. Please use your God given discernment and if the book you are reading does not put your focus on the Word of Christ then put it down and read a different one, preferably the Bible.  

Alive to God in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Fred

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