| Here's an interesting fact for you: Did you know that | | | | every shadow? What happens to our faith in the |
| your car's motor only turns one direction? (All together | | | | times of crisis and adversity? It's easy to believe God |
| now: Well, Duh!!!) It's true. Whether you're going sixty | | | | when things are running smoothly. But how quickly we |
| miles per, backing out of the garage, or sitting waiting | | | | shift gears when the going gets tough. And what can |
| for the traffic cop to turn green, your motor is running | | | | we do about it? |
| always in the same direction. You see, the magic all | | | | We wouldn't expect a teen-ager to walk out of the |
| happens down in the gear-box. The power from the | | | | DMV, putting his brand new, still damp, driver's license |
| motor isn't directly connected to the wheels; it's linked | | | | into his billfold, and then enter and win the Indy 500 |
| up through a series of gears and clutches, so that | | | | race the next weekend. No, we would expect him to |
| processes like braking and changing speed or direction | | | | spend some months getting used to his Chevy, and |
| can happen smoothly, with a minimum of | | | | then move on up to the high-performance race car, |
| wear-&-tear on the motor. | | | | going round and round the track many hundreds of |
| Now, I'm no mechanical wizard, but I can spot a | | | | times, getting used to the car's characteristics in |
| metaphor a mile away. It occurs to me that those two | | | | various speeds and under a variety of circumstances, |
| polar opposites, faith and fear, are really the same | | | | alone and with other cars on the track. He (or she, of |
| thing, aimed in different directions. For now, let's call that | | | | course) will build up his skill level exactly like a |
| thing confidence. We all have confidence in certain | | | | weight-trainer will build his muscles, until he knows |
| areas, and seem to lack it in others. For instance, I'm | | | | exactly what he is capable of under the pressure of |
| sitting in a chair, and I have placed absolute confidence | | | | real competition. |
| in the chair's ability to uphold my considerable weight. | | | | Faith is a spiritual quality; it is fed and exercised by the |
| This is based partly on past experience, i. e., I've used | | | | Word of God. Spending time with the Word, not just |
| this chair many times before without adverse effects, | | | | reading it but meditating it, making it a part of your |
| but also on a fundamental knowledge of how physical | | | | conscious thought, and bringing your daily prayer life |
| objects work. I would trust most chairs, but I would be | | | | into agreement with the Word, these are ways of |
| less inclined to walk out onto a frozen lake at certain | | | | building up the "faith muscle," if you don't mind the |
| times of the year, depending on the temperature. | | | | mixed metaphor. We can call it "praying the answer |
| Under some circumstances, I would have more | | | | instead of the problem." We also must be aware of |
| confidence in the probability of the ice breaking than of | | | | the forces within ourselves that must be overcome. |
| it holding me up. And that's my point. | | | | Often it takes a strong hand to keep the flesh from |
| When we turn our confidence toward God, that is, | | | | automatically shifting into the fear mode. (The flesh and |
| when we agree with what His Word says about our | | | | the emotions work hand in hand; you'll find that as you |
| situation, we call that faith. If we have more confidence | | | | build up your faith, your will, or volition, will become |
| in our circumstances overwhelming us, the result is | | | | stronger, and you will have more control over the |
| fear. Of course, we use other words as well; doubt, | | | | emotions, and thus the flesh.) |
| fear, and unbelief are but three of many names for | | | | A few days ago, I heard a good definition of faith: |
| that same thing, confidence that is turned away from | | | | "Faith is simply acting as though God's Word is true." |
| God and toward the impending disaster. | | | | But of course we must know God's Word before we |
| The Apostle Paul tells us that God has given to each | | | | can believe it. And don't settle for half-truths. "Without |
| of us the measure of faith, and indeed, we all seem to | | | | Him I could do nothing," we say, and wring our hands |
| believe something pretty much all of the time. But | | | | and gaze mournfully at the sky. And then we sit down |
| where does our belief go? Are we confident that God | | | | and do nothing. An outside observer would naturally |
| is our provider, or do we believe that the rent is going | | | | conclude that we are without Him! But a person of |
| to come due and we will be evicted? If your child is | | | | faith, a born-again child of God will stand up and boldly |
| fifteen minutes late coming home from school, do you | | | | declare, "I can do all things through Christ who |
| suddenly imagine kidnappers and molesters lurking in | | | | strengthens me!" And then mash the accelerator. |