“Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22 NLT)
“He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 ESV)
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3 BSB)
Over the 37 years in which I was married to Melody I learned to recognize her different faces. She had a face that immediately screamed out, “I’ve gat a secret.” She had a face that let me know that she wasn’t pleased. And among a few other faces, my favorite was the face that whispered in my ear, “Come on over big boy.” That one always got my attention (TMI)
In scripture there are various faces to “faith.” I believe the main three that will benefit me most in life are…
…faith in,
…faith of,
…and faith for.
The starting point when it comes to faith is realizing that all faith is a gift from God. He gives each of us the “Measure” of faith. That is the seed that is planted within us when we come into union with Christ. It is the faith from God that is the soil from which all of faith grows. I am convinced that the foundational face that I am looking for is “Faith In.”
Face 1: “Faith In”
The “faith in” face of faith focuses not on faith itself but on the source of that faith, which is God. Once I have received the measure of faith from God to believe I am able to make the choice to keep it dormant within me or direct it back to God. Choosing to place my faith in God is the only way to live from a firm foundation in life regardless of what is taking place around me. It is faith that keeps its focus directly on the face of God. When I am going through a tough time my faith in God will keep me strong and centered. When I am at a loss of understanding and can’t seem to find my way out of the fog my faith in God will keep me moving in the right direction. Faith in God keeps everything together. This is the face of faith that assures me the God is Good, and all things work together for good, regardless of current circumstance or situation.
Face 2: “Faith Of”
The “faith of” face of faith also focuses on God. However, this face of faith focuses to a greater degree on itself. This is the faith that God possesses and places within me. This is a powerful spiritual force within me. It originates in God, but it operates in me. This face of faith is received by hearing the Word. As I feed this faith with the Word it grows in strength and effectiveness. I hear God’s Word, meditate on it as it mixes with faith, and it grows and becomes unstoppable.
Face 3: “Faith For”
The “faith for” face of faith focuses on me. From the foundation of acknowledging that it was given and fed by God and His Word, I now must take responsibility for my part in the life of faith. I am to “walk by faith.” I have the privilege and responsibility to use the faith within me to further the Kingdom of Heaven in my life and in the world in which I live. While “faith of” is received by hearing, “faith for” is released (put into operation) by speaking. I speak to the mountains in my life and expect them to move. As I speak out faith filled words things happen.
In a nutshell…
…God gives me the measure of faith to get things rolling from which I place my faith in Him. That faith deposit grows as I use it to place my faith in Him. I receive increased deposits of faith as I take the time and effort to hear the Word of God. As the Word enters my spirit I mix it with the faith that is already there and the original deposit grows into a sizeable account. I am then able to withdraw from that account as needed. I am able to release faith for desired results. That is how mountains are moved, the sick are healed, demons are cast out, and all of heaven’s solutions are applied to earth’s problems.
As always, so much more could be said about…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 330: Three Faces of Faith