Mind Over Faith?
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 (NKJV)
How many times are we more apt to pay attention to what we see in our situations over believing that God is actually in control of the thing? Well, with our human nature being the way it is, probably more times than not; and I’m not much of an exception myself many times. But what we have to remember is that the Bibles tells us that to each man is given a measure of faith. And it doesn’t matter what you’re facing or going through in your life, if someone tells you that you just don’t have enough faith, they are wrong to say that. Simply because it’s not your faith that needs to grow, but your doubt that needs to shrink. There is a difference. And besides, the Bible also tells us that all it takes to move a mountain, is the faith the size of a mustard seed (Matt. 17:20), and everyone has at least that much of a measure!
How many of us face a situation, and then sit around trying to convince ourselves that we believe and have faith. Faith isn’t something you have to search for in the pit of your heart and then drag it to the surface kicking and screaming to evoke some sort of magical deliverance from something. Faith is a reality just as much as your own existence. It’s just a matter of learning how to use it correctly, because you cannot force something to exist that is already there. So what exactly is real faith? If you have indeed accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and are saved, you know it, right? That’s your faith! Not “believing”, but knowing.
You “believed” enough to take a step of faith at one time in your life and accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, now you know in your heart of hearts that He is. That is all the “faith” you need. Now, I realize there is the gift of faith that is given to many people who can easily believe for just about anything. But that’s because they have been given that gift to go along with whatever calling God has on their life, and that calling may require much faith for others who are not mature Christians, and a host of many other reasons. But that does not mean that YOU do not have the faith you need to be free of any given sin or situation. Everyone that has Jesus Christ in their heart has this faith. But it can easily get lost between the heart and the brain.
Being logical thinkers as human beings is our biggest downfall when it comes to faith. Because there is nothing humanly logic about God and how He operates. And for those who were practically raised in church, many of us were just plain taught wrong about what faith really is, by being told God will move on your part if you either have enough faith, or if it’s “His will”. And there aren’t too many people who have as much faith as a new Christian, simply because they don’t know any better than to have blind child-like faith. Then they get indoctrinated and told what they can and can’t do or believe for or that God will move on their part whenever they get “good enough” to deserve it. This is just plain wrong! Because the Bible also tells us that there is none righteous, not ONE (Romans 3:10)
So what is faith? It is listening to the heart rather than the brain, emotions or an given situation.
Because it’s not what we see with the eyes, but what we already KNOW in our own hearts–and have ever since we first met our savior.
