Describing Faith II

The Facets of Faith
In part one of How to describe your faith; we talk about the benefits of faith. Knowing what the benefits of your faith are important. But now it’s time for us to move into describing what faith is. As I said in part one, faith is not something you can sum up in one word or even one sentence. It just has to much depth; to many facets to it. We could try to say it’s trusting in God, but then that leave us trying to describe trust. The point is we cannot just deal with surface level descriptions of faith; unless you just don’t want to continue maturing in your faith. So let’s begin looking at and describing faith.

The first aspect of faith is it stretches your imagination. Ephesians 3:20 God is able to do exceeding more than we can think or imagine. Faith always begins with a mental picture, a dream or an idea. God starts by stretching our imagination. In Genesis 15:1-4, When God wanted to use Abraham, named Abram at the time. He began by placing an image in his mind. God was going to use Abraham to bring forth the nation of Israel. But before He could do so, God had to get Abraham to look beyond his current circumstances. God needed to stretch his imagination. Faith is visualizing the future in the present. It is impossible for us to imagine all the possibilities that God can do through our faith. Whatever you can imagine God says, “I can do more than that!” If your imagination is not out of this world, it’s not faith, because faith stretches your imagination.

Secondly, faith is taking the initiative. Mark 5:25-28 A woman had an issue of blood for twelve years. But she took the initiative; a risk, because she believed if she could just touch the fringe of Jesus’ cloths, she would be healed. To understand just how much of a leap of faith this woman took, you have to understand the time she lived in and what the risk involved in what she did was. In Jesus’ time one of the biblical laws was that when a woman had an issue of blood, what we call today the menstrual cycle. When they would have their cycle, they would be considered ceremonially unclean. Anyone deemed ceremonially unclean could not enter the temple. This was a big deal during that period. The temple was where the presence of God was. So to them it wasn’t as simple as not being able to go to church. Hear a few praise and worship songs and the preacher hoop it up. For them it was being shut-off, from God. Another aspect of the law was anyone who touched a woman experiencing a flow of blood or even sitting on the same seat or bed as the woman, was also considered unclean. So to prevent this from happening, a woman during the time of her cycle would have to go to a building that was designated for women to stay at during their cycle. And they had to stay there all the way up to seven days after their cycle ended. (Leviticus 15:25-29) This was to insure that no one would accidentally touch a menstruating woman and become unclean. Now this woman had been having her issue or cycle abnormally for twelve years. So, hearing of Jesus and that he was in her town. She knowing the risk associated with it, decided, not only to leave the designated area. But set out to intentionally touch Jesus. She said to herself “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” and then took the initiative. Faith is taking the initiative.

The third facet, faith is risking failure. Acts 3:1-7 Peter, takes a big risk in this chapter. On their way into the temple for afternoon prayer, Peter steps out on faith, during what we could call, rush hour for the temple. It is three o’clock in the afternoon at the temple. The much of the town would be also making their way to the temple as well. So, what Peter was about to do was not something that would occur in the shadows. Not only that but the man whom we are looking at would have been very well know at least in the sense that he was brought to the temple everyday and sat at the entrance. So most of the towns people would have known that he was crippled. What Peter, was about to do was risky. If Peter told this man to get up and walk, and he didn’t everyone would see it. But, because he had faith, Peter takes the risk and speaks healing into this man’s life. There is no such thing as faith without risk. There is always a risk when you step out on faith. Faith is stepping out into the unknown. It’s looking at all things from God point of view. You take a risk standing up for righteousness. You take a risk speak up for what you believe in. You take a risk when you share the gospel with the lost. But, you do it because faith is risking failure.

So the first three aspects of faith are: It stretches your imaginations. When it comes to faith, your imagination should be out of this world. Faith is also taking the initiative. It’s leaving the designated area of complacency and moving intentionally toward what is hoped for. And faith is risking failure. It is sticking your neck out to do what seems impossible for you, but what God can do with you. These are just the first three facets. We will continue our look at faith in part 3 of how to describing faith. Until then Enjoy God’s Blessing!