Attitude Your Faith

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And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Luke 11:9

I recently met a young man who was waiting on God.  Waiting.  Waiting.  Waiting.

His life had been headed down a dangerous path, and he was waiting for God to rescue him.  He had done nothing to get himself to a better place. He hadn’t looked for any help.  He hadn’t tried to change his behaviors.  He was just “waiting on God”, he told me. Waiting…and waiting.

I admire people of faith.  I think it’s important to really believe; to live as if what you are believing is  already truth.  To trust God completely, fully, recklessly (Hebrews 11:1).  To take Him at His word and build your life upon it. Living a life of faith is something we should all strive to do. To live for what we believe, whether or not we see it in front of our eyes.

But a major problem occurs when people use the guise of “faith” in exchange for the role of passivity; to cover insecurities, or to hide behind their greatest fears.  

Lack of action.

Little motivation.

Zero responsibility.

People expect God to live for them– rather than to work through them.  

Maybe you know someone like that.  Or maybe that’s something you’re struggling with even today.  

I heard a joke once about a man who was drowning, but he had faith that God would rescue him.

A jet ski came by, but he declined saying “No thanks, God will rescue me!”

A rescue boat came by, but again, he declined saying “No thanks, God will rescue me!”

A helicopter came by, but a third time, he declined saying “No thanks, God will rescue me!”

And finally, he drowned.  When he awoke to heaven he approached God and asked him, “But Lord, you promised to save me”.  To which God replied, “I tried…I sent a jet ski…and a rescue boat…and a helicopter…but you weren’t having any of it.”

It might get you to crack a smile or even chuckle…but isn’t there some truth to this ?

How many times do we allow our false ideas of faith to keep us stuck?  To prevent us from moving in the direction that God wants us to go?

“God will give me a sign…God will close the doors if it’s not meant to be…God will bring him/her into my life…God will work out this relationship for me…God will take away my feelings…God will eventually get me out of this addiction…”

I know He can, but will he?  Is that the kind of God we serve?  Do we serve a God who acts on our behalf, or a God who gives us the strength and power to act on His behalf?

I don’t know about you, but I see my relationship with God as much, much larger than just a puppeteer interacting with his puppet.

God DOES ask us to trust Him with the things we cannot control…but he also asks us to take action in the things that we can. He asks us to know Him, to love Him, and to honor Him…and then to live confidently in return.

We are called to take action, to make decisions, to live our lives, and to do what it takes to get ourselves where He wants us to be.  Our connection with God is a two-way street, and like it or not: WE have a role in this relationship.  We have a choice.  We have a will.  And with that will we can either say yes, or no.  We can stop, or we can go.  We can stay the same, or we can grow.  Live in the old…or awake to the new.

It’s important to trust God, to seek his wisdom, his power, and his strength.  It’s important to give him our worries and our fears and to trust Him with tomorrow…but it’s just as important to allow Him to work in us and through us today.

Don’t allow your fears, insecurities, and inadequacies to paralyze you  in the name of  false “faith”.

Real faith lives a life of action. Real faith is alive and active.  Real faith takes responsibility and moves forward one step at a time.

I trust Jesus.  I trust Him with my tomorrow.  I have faith that my life is in His hands.

But it is that very faith that drives me to act.  To change. To choose.  To live.  

To Ask, To Seek, To Knock…if you think about it, those are all ACTION words.

So don’t ever confuse “faith” with “passivity”. Because real faith is one that takes action.

Consider this: What is an area of your life in which God is calling you to take action in faith?  

Jesus loves you!
Today is your day!

Location: Nigeria Ibadan, Nigeria

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