Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)

It sounds like such an easy word. In fact I’ve known people who have said to me things like “I wish I could have faith like you”, or “I wish I could just believe” but they were limited by either their preconceived notions of what faith is like, or held back by fear. They couldn’t let go and believe in a Creator when the world around us screams out at us that this isn’t all an accident. There HAS to be a creator behind what we see and experience. I know some of the people I’ve talked to refuse to believe in a God because of the bad things that happen to us in this lifetime. Why He allows the horrible events of the word to take place will always be one of the great debates.

But faith is so much more than just wondering why our lives encounter suffering, pain and disappointment. Faith is the very act of knowing there is someone bigger than humans in control, and that the grand purpose of the universe isn’t our happiness.

Many people try to will themselves to believe, thinking that if they can just force their hearts to head in the right direction the rest of their soul will follow. While I believe that’s the right idea conceptually, it’s the wrong focus. That’s like sitting in your car willing the wheels to turn. Most people use the steering wheel to direct the car instead!

For us, our steering wheel is our mind. It’s in the mind that our thoughts direct our souls. Most of us have thought patterns that need to be redirected so our “wheels” will turn in the right direction. Focus on where your mind is steering your soul – is it where you want to be going? More importantly, is it where God is directing you? If not, then it’s time to inspect your mind and track down those thought patterns that are unhealthy and aren’t designed to take you where you need to go.

Use the Word of God to direct your thinking. Spend time in it each morning. You don’t have to be a scholar and spend hours each morning. 10-15 minutes a day with a directed plan will allow you to read through the entire bible in a year! It can be very profitable to focus your mind and start the day off with time in the Word. As you read, pick a verse to focus on through the day.

Looking for scripture on a particular subject to replace those thoughts with? Use our friend Mr. Google and search for bible verses – we have so many resources at our fingertips, so there is no excuse for not being able to track down scriptures to use to replace those thought patterns.

When we drive we turn our steering wheel a little at a time. it will be the same way when we are working to replace thought patterns. It’s a process to turn the car around so to speak. Start today – identify one thought you want to replace. Find a scripture that is a God centered thought to replace it with. Focus on that verse just for today. Find ways to meditate over and over on that verse through the day, which is a fancy way of saying think about the verse often. Turn it over in your mind. think about what it means – don’t just repeat it, but try to determine what God wants that verse to mean to you today.

Rinse, Wash & Repeat: – make it a daily pattern to do this and in time you’ll find your mind is starting to head in the right direction. Redirect your thinking and you redirect where you are headed.