(Not so much a series of teachings as much as a series of personal reflections on Bible passages that God has used to stir my heart regarding this important matter of faith amidst the challenges He has led me through. Go to part 2.)
When my heart is persistently shaken by challenging circumstances, it can feel like the core of who I am is vulnerable to wear and tear. This affects things that are essential -- the pillars of my heart that my life in God depend on. One of those pillars is the pillar of faith.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it's impossible to please God. Romans 14:23 says that whatever isn't done with faith is sin. But Isaiah 7:9 puts it yet another attention-grabbing way: "If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all" (ESV). In other words, if our faith fails, we fail. If we're not firm in our faith in God, we won't be able to be firm in love, hope -- in anything that God is meant to provide.
This makes faith mighty important. "More precious than gold" according to 1 Peter 1:7. It's something I don't want to lose. It's something that I need to pursue in order to grow in (1 Timothy 6:11) so that when circumstances shake it, it will be firm and I will be firm.
I've known such shaking and there have been times when I've seen serious cracks develop in my faith. And the only way of repair that I know of is to fill my heart with the truth of God's Word, for I know that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). And as I cling to "the hope of the Gospel that you heard", I can be "stable and steadfast" in my faith (Colossians 1:23) no matter what I face!
© 2009 by Ken Peters
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