We have it on proper authority that everyone is born with a measure of faith. "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45, HCSB). Wouldn't you love for someone to open your mind and give you a new understanding of what is and what will be? The Scriptures say we have not because we ask not. Ask the Lord to increase your faith. Faith helps you to know who you are and why you are. All you and I need is a little more faith for a greater understanding. There is a marvelous awakening when we add to our faith. With a bit more confidence in our faith, the heart and the mind can open to a whole new reality. It starts with allowing God's truth to rule all aspects of our lives. Open your thoughts to the Lord, and He will help you understand.
Two minds are better than one, especially when one belongs to the Lord. When two people marry and become one flesh, they unite in a way that makes their faith in God unshakable. Believers understand this union, thereby discerning what it means to have faith and perform the work necessary to acquire more faith. I am not whistling in the wind because the Scriptures tell us to make every effort to add to our faith. "Let the gift of undeserved grace and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you keep on growing" (2 Peter 3:18, CEV).
Grow to the point in your faith when you stop parroting messages that repeat what you already know. "So, let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely, we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God" (Hebrews 6:1, NLT). Please work with me and let us add knowledge and wisdom to our faith.
We need to ready ourselves and move forward to a point where we reduce doubt and increase hope. "This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. Hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place" (Hebrews 6:19, CEV). You know our most holy place, our body, or "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV)? The Lord went to prepare a place for us, so have faith and make a holy place for Him here on earth in this present age. It is our reasonable service to separate ourselves from entanglements in this life and give glory to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We understand that there are people who do not believe and often fail to learn from their mistakes. Too many in this world embrace rebellious attitudes that breed strife even over simple things. Mistakes are in the records for our education, not for us to use the same mistakes as a kind of innate right given to human beings. This teaching is nothing but deception. A defiant attitude leads us to do foolish things that war against the soul. This prideful attitude is not new, and the solution is not new; the answer is still to love. To the extent that godly love for another person exists, have faith that there is such a thing and that it is possible to achieve it in a more significant measure.
The message to love one another is as old as time. For various reasons, individuals ignore the message or do not have faith in the truthfulness of the Word. Do you trust the Lord? To achieve greater confidence, you must "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5, ESV). Too many people allow their hearts to harden to the idea of loving their neighbor as they love themselves, even though the Lord says we should. For the love of God and in the name of the Lord Jesus, we need to grow a faith that leads to everlasting peace for everyone.
Listen to the Lord and acknowledge Him by anchoring your soul. Unless we anchor our souls securely in the Lord, we will not retain the faith we need to embrace the love for our neighbors and enemies. The prophet John said: "Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don't know who we are" (1 John 3:1, CEV). We know from that great cloud of witnesses that those who do not hear His voice do not retain their faith and cannot stay in step with the truth.
We need to make sure that we stay in step with our Creator so that we do not become erratic in our thinking. So, let us take a closer look at our faith and determine if our anchor is in the Word of God. We should be mindful of our conscious thoughts because they represent what we believe in our hearts. The result of going against our belief is a crisis of faith, which ends in stress and guilt.
If we believe we can do anything we want, and God is alright with us doing any and everything, we are saying that God is not the same today as He was yesterday. God did not and still does not condone sinful behavior. The Apostle Paul warned us about those who would distort the gospel of Christ. We need to remember that just because we think something is okay does not mean that it is okay with God. As we move on to a new level of thinking and become more mature in the Word, we can diligently walk in the Spirit, by faith.
By faith, we can discern when something is not congruent with the Word of God. The world is dying because few have come to the knowledge of the truth. We must "Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples (Psalm 96:3, NASB). By faith, we take the time to examine the Scriptures and separate varied interpretations and personal opinions from the real gospel. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV). By faith, we resolve unproven opinions that distract us and cause us to follow the wrong people. "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24, NIV). By faith, we understand our primary mission is to add love to our faith and consolidate the two into one harmonious song that will reach across time and touch many.
Have faith in the Lord, and as it is within your purview to do so, love everyone else as you love yourself. "Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other" (1 John 4:11, NLT). When we lose sight of the primary mission, quarrels erupt over disputable matters, simple things like loving only your friends and hating your enemies or having the freedom to eat and do whatever you want, no matter the consequences. What shall we say then? Anchor your soul in the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. No matter what anyone says, "You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own" (Ephesians 2:8, CEV ).
