Faith Is....
By Linda Mishler
9 May 2008
I have had a relationship with God for as long as I can remember. I am talking about a relationship,not a "religion". The older I get,the more I feel like a little child,hungry to know more of Him. Faith to me is as natural as breathing in and out... believing that as I do,oxygen will fill my lungs.
The problem most people have with God is that they get stuck in religious tradition and are fearful to believe God can do things in new ways. They want to know ahead of time what the new ways look like and feel like and refuse to get out of the boat and see what the water feels like and how enjoyable it can be.
When I was 15,a pastor in our town dared to be different and allowed teenagers to come into his church in blue jeans and barefoot. He loved and welcomed them in whatever condition they were in. Unheard of in that day. What he did showed me a very clear picture of the true heart of God,beyond just the stories and placed into reality.
In the story of the prodigal son,when the father sees his lost son coming down the road...he runs to him,arms opened wide.
Somehow, I've always kept that picture of love in my heart even when I am hurt by the ones who are supposed to love me. I have learned of God's warrior heart towards me,fighting always to protect me. I've learned if I hurt it is because I have an enemy who enjoys nothing better than to steal,kill,and destroy. I have chosen to live by the promise that I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.
Faith to me will always be as strong and as innocent as the faith of a child. In the Bible,God always lifted the lowly,the women,the children.
He always shook the religious world around him,surprising people with His love in very unconventional ways.
Now faith is shaking what can be shaken, finding the buried treasure in what is left.God is still rocking the house today,tearing down the house of the Pharisees and showing His true heart to all who will look.
Faith is leaving behind an established church,reaching out in faith and trust that you are hearing God and building a new church. A new beginning,facing the winds of change and flying with them.
Faith is always pressing forward...beyond things seen with our natural eyes...into the unknown,trusting in the Hands that hold you.
Ephesians 1:17-19 is a prayer ...
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,the Father of glory,may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the greatness of His mighty power.
That is my prayer for you.
Hear God's heart for you here...
Rise up,my love,my fair one.And come away. For lo,the winter is past.
The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth:The time for singing has come.....
Let me see your face, let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
You are all fair my love, and there is no spot in you.
Set me as a seal upon your heart,as a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death.
