What is faith?  You probably know what Hebrews says “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  What I’m asking is, what does that mean?  Up to right now, I would have answered something nicely religious sounding like “believing in heaven is an example of faith” or “it comes down to trusting God” and maybe even “since we can’t see God, we believe in faith that He exists and loves me” and so on.  Faith just is one of those things all Christ followers have a pretty good but vague idea of what it means.  I don’t think most of us really explore the full depth of faith.  I know the bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God.  I actually felt like I had that one nailed pretty well, after all I believe in God (faith), I trust Him with my life (faith), and I am counting on eternal life with Him (faith).  Check that one off the list.

Until I read Luke 18:8.  Christ is talking to His disciples about persistence and justice, then He slips in a seemingly simple question “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”  Sure He will.  I went through my above mentioned mental checklist of my examples of faith, and almost made it to the next verse.  I didn’t.  When Christ comes back, will he find faith in my hometown of ATX?  Will He find it in the high school 2 miles from my house?  Will He find it on college campuses?  What wouldn’t let me go was the faith and works verse.  You know, the old faith without works is dead verse.  It forced me to ask myself, what work can I point to that shows my faith?  Put another way, what am doing in my life that requires God?  What am I doing that is bigger than my ability to get it done?  Because if it doesn’t require Him, it’s not really faith.  If I know how I’m going to pay all my bills, no faith required in my finances.  If I never leave my safe world, no faith required.  If I never go out to make Him known, no faith required.  My favorite bible story is the rich young ruler who wants to follow Christ, but not if it requires him to sell everything.  What Christ really said to him was “have enough faith that I will provide for you and come follow me”.  He didn’t.  I asked my self again, where am I looking to God to work in my life?  Where am I desperate for Him, where am down on my knees pleading with Him to move in a mighty and undeniable way?  Where can I give Him glory?  Where am I stepping out to fulfill the God sized dream He has given me?  If Christ came back today, I’m afraid my life would be stamped “No Faith Required”.

As I read Luke 18:8, I realize that Christ knew this would be an issue for His followers.  We are so easily lured to safety.  To comfort.  To the familiar.  We work so hard to provide security in form of nice houses, nice cars, and savings accounts.  Then we can give a little.  Not enough to cause us any discomfort, or put our security at risk of course.  We go on mission trips too, as long as they’re safe ones.  Because God would never put us at risk or in danger.  He would never call us to go somewhere scary, somewhere that the outcome was uncertain.  And we certainly wouldn’t take children along.  That would be irresponsible parenting.  Move my family to a Muslim country?  No, that’s not what God wants.  God loves me, and just like we love our children, that means God wants me to be safe.  I want to protect my children from everything I can, I really do.  Not God.  He wants so much more for us.  He loves us enough to say things like- sell it all and trust me, don’t worry about what you will eat or drink, and even, go to the ends of the earth and proclaim Me.

So what does faith look like for you and me?  I’m pretty sure it doesn’t look much like my life right now.  Where is God calling you to have faith and get out there and do?  What “work” has He laid on your heart that in those quiet and still moments, you can’t quite let go of?  That calling that scares you to the point where you push it down.  That action that you have no idea how to pull it off, no clue how to make it happen.  If someone asked you, where would you point to in your life to show your faith by your deeds?  (James 2:14-19).

It’s time for more.  More faith.  More works of faith.  It’s time to face our fear, and the fear that we inadequate.  That’s true by the way.  We are inadequate.  But where God has called us, He is more than adequate.  He can and will come through for us in a mighty and undeniable way.  A way that brings Him glory.  A way that allows our lives to reflect His glory.  A way that brings meaning and purpose and joy beyond our circumstances.  Stop being afraid of doing what God has called you do,  fear is  a lack of faith cleverly disguised as common sense.  The bible is not full of stories of common sense.  It’s full of stories of faith.  Faith is action in the face of fear.  Action in the face of uncertainty.  Action that requires more than we can do, provide, or control.

I’ll leave you with a beautiful quote from CT Studd.

Should such men as we fear? Before the world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts.

Grace and peace to you.  And faith.  Real faith.  The faith that moves mountains, trusts God with our all, and fills us with joy unspeakable.