UnShaded Revelations

I came across some previous Bible Studies I wrote and taught a few years ago. I’ve decided to share them with you all, so the next series of posts will include these studies.

Walking in Faith…What does it mean to “Walk in Faith?”

As we begin our faith walk, there are a few things we must hold on to and remember:

1. God has a plan for us.
2. God is always with us.
3. God will make a way. – I use to always hear this phrase growing up in church, I understood the context of it, but not the true meaning behind it, until I experienced Him creating pathways for me when I didn’t see any other way or their truly wasn’t any other way.
4. Nothing takes God by surprise. – Any and everything that happens is either God-allowed or God-ordained…meaning He already knew about it…and it’s working according to His plan (Romans 8:28). 

In order to reach a new level of faith with (and in) God, there will be some things that have to change, some things you have to leave behind…not necessarily things you dislike, it may very well be things you love, but things that are no longer conducive to or for this Faith Walk. 

“Never let the OLD you spoil your appetite for who you have become!”

Pastor Corey Jackson, 2015

As we’re changing in Christ, becoming anew in Him, we can’t afford to allow the things we’ve been attracted to, attached to, and/or accustomed to deter us from becoming who we are suppose to be in Him.  The element of change can be difficult, disturbing, and can even bring about a great deal of pain, but understand change is necessary. 

We have to decide if our faith is going to be “a part” of our lives or if our faith will become our lives.

Let me explain the difference. When faith is part of our lives, we control it. When faith is our life, it controls us. For example, when faith is part of our lives, we do just enough not to feel guilty or to keep our membership active in the church. But when faith is our life, we can’t do enough for God. How many of us have truly made our faith our lives? 

What evidence will we have that faith is no longer just a part of our lives, but has become our lives? How do we measure?

The following are examples of the evidence we may begin to see:

1. Serving – Oftentimes, we look at serving as [only] an act of volunteering, a check on our checklist, or a good deed done. While all of these are true, when we look at serving as an application of faith, it aids us in fostering Christ-like character. Simply put, when serving others we learn to take on Christ’s servanthood identity (Mark 10:45). True servanthood begins with altruism, maintains humility, and when all is said and done seeks the good in others.
2. Parents, through faith, will invest in the future spiritual lives of their children by ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and love of Christ.
3. We will begin giving sacrificially as a sign of a faith-centered life; giving doesn’t always mean monetarily – time and talents are included in this.
4. We will actively minister and evangelize. Some who have not done much beyond attending services will add to His by finding additional ways to serve or be involved. Others will find new ways to serve, in addition, to what they are already doing.
5. Those who have neglected purpose or their call, for whatever reason, will begin to fulfill purpose and answer their call.
6. There will be more love, more joy, and more willingness to forgive, let go of old grudges and hurts (all motivated by the power of faith).

What changes do you need to make in order for God to become a priority?  Maybe it’s abandoning a secret sin, obsession or addiction or possibly giving up a grudge or negative attitude toward someone you may have or who you feel offended you, or maybe you need greater faith to enable you to persevere in a difficult situation or relationship; whatever the case is…

One of the most recognized scriptures regarding faith is 2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight” …what does it mean to walk in faith? 

Walking in faith requires trusting and relying fully on God; even when we don’t understand all that is going on around us.  Others should be able to see and know who (believers) we are by our faith-full actions. 

So how do we walk in faith? 

1. Walking in Faith requires us to trust God – Proverbs 3:5 Tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding”…we have all faced some level of disappointment in life, so we’ve learned to depend upon no one but ourselves, but if we are going to walk out purpose and live the life God has called us to, we have lay aside all of our misgivings and rest in His understanding. That brings us to our next point.
2. Walking in Faith requires us to surrender.  We have to surrender our will to God’s, even when odds seem to not be in our favor, we have to trust God to guide us to our intended end. Surrender to the Will of God WITHOUT complaining – This was true conviction for me; oftentimes, we find ourselves trying to bargain with God on what He has for us, especially if it’s not something we wanted or we don’t feel it’s under the most desirable circumstances.  Surrendering to Him begins with our thoughts, we have to do more than offer lip service.  Once our thoughts change, our actions will soon follow.
3. Walking in Faith requires full obedience – We have to learn to be obedient, regardless of what it looks like. 1 Samuel 15:22 says “…Obedience is better than sacrifice”.  It’s not a matter of being obedient in some things, but in all.  Partial obedience is still complete disobedience. We have to attune our ears to the Holy Spirit in order to hear just what He has to say to us.
4. Walking in Faith requires an accurate self-evaluation – To be honest, we don’t always accurately evaluate ourselves.  We provide every excuse and/or justification for any and all of our actions, but we have to learn to be honest with ourselves. We have to use The Word of God as a base for our evaluation. 

So now I leave us with this challenge/question? Are we going to allow faith to be a part of our life or be our life?