Faith...It's Simple

Dear Men and Women of God,

As I write today, I am considering all the things I have to be thankful for...including you! Life with God is so good! Where would we be without Him? He has a plan to make every area of our lives beautiful if we will trust, yield to, and have faith in Him.

As you may remember, my themes for my monthly newsletters this year revolve around a particular virtue that I think should be cultivated in the Christian's life. The last two months I discussed contentment and passion. This month I would like to address a topic that I hope you all are familiar with...FAITH.

If you are born again by the Spirit of God, you have faith and are able to operate in it. Faith is the very nature of God that is alive in our recreated spirits. We receive a measure of it when we are born-again, but we can grow in it as well. Faith is something that most Christians have heard a lot about; however, not all of us operate in it regularly.

Let's look at a simple Bible definition of faith:

Hebrews 11:6 (New King James version)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

(The Message)
It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him.


According to this verse, there are two main ideas involved with living a life of faith:
#1-Believing that God exists
#2-Believing that he cares for us enough to answer us when we pray

Have you spent time fellowshipping with the Lord and/or asked Him to meet a need lately? I know the Lord has quietly reminded me several times, "How long has it been since you asked me for something? Stretch your faith! Let it grow! Believe Me for something!" These challenges from the Lord encourage me to pray about all things-not just the "big" things. Trusting God for EVERYTHING keeps our relationship growing and vibrant. God pours His blessings on us and we pour our love back on Him through thanksgiving and worship.

Last Sunday, Pastor Jeff preached about transition and the seasons of life that we all experience. It is especially essential that we exercise our faith during times of change. We cannot always see the path ahead clearly, but we can trust that the Lord knows the next step, has a good plan, and will guide us into it. Our faith, combined with our confessions that line up with the Word of God, will together forge an incredible, light-filled path for our lives. This is the most exciting and peace-filled kind of life to live!

Pastor Jeff and I pray that yours is an ever-increasing faith! We love you and are believing for God's very best in your life!

In Christ,
Pastor Rebecca