| Points | 100 |
| Due | September 21, 2022 |
Prompt
Sit before the Lord and ask Him what lies you are believing about yourself. Then hand Him the lie and ask Him to show you the truth. Continue to meditate on the truth until it becomes revelatory. Describe what transpired and what you learned.
Essay
When Jesus tells the father who has a demon-possessed child that all things are possible if he has faith; the father’s response is, “I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:23-24). The father affirmed his lack of faith and absolute trust in Jesus’ words. The division between faith in the strength of my beliefs and faith in Jesus’ words became more apparent as I ventured closer to the Lord. The Lord revealed my obscured arrogance and presumptuous singular pursuit of faith.
Am I trying to level up my faith to reach a super-spiritual state so I can overcome life and all its banality? Like the apostles asking, “Lord, Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5), am I seeking the power to move mountains (Mat 17:20) while remaining negligent of the Lord’s will? Do I know if the Master wants this mountain removed? What is His purpose? I’m chasing a secured spiritual position in having a solid faith to demonstrate its inherent power to affirm my beliefs but am I the recipient of its glory (Rom 4:20)?
Faith must submit to the Lord’s will even when I cannot understand why; the pursuit is to please the Lord, and I need faith to do so (Heb 11:6); then afterward, “[I] have done that which was [my] duty to do” (Luke 17:10).
Faith is not the power that bends my will to obey the Lord. I trust the Lord not because I have mountain-moving faith but as a response to the Father’s love for me (1 John 4:19). Because of my love for Him, I hold on to his every His word (John 14:15,23). Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). However, without love, I can never know God, “for God is love” (1 John 4:8). I can strive for the faith that defies physical laws (Mat 14:29) and remove mountains. Still, without love, “I am nothing” (1Cor 13:2). With a little more faith, Peter could have reached the Lord, but he denied knowing Jesus when a maid asked him (Luke 22:56-60). After the resurrection, Jesus did not ask if Peter believed; the Lord asked, “Do you love me” (John 21:15-17)?
Love will draw me to Jesus, and with grace, He will lead me home, where I find rest at last.
100