Devotion

[Art Azurdia]
What is authentic faith?
The cultivation of an optimistic outlook on life with a kind of spirituality attached to it?
A holy hoping for the best?
Is this how you think of faith?
Authentic faith is the confident assurance in events not yet seen
Faith is not a call to believe in things when common sense tells you not to
Faith is not a mindless stab in the dark
It is not a crossing of the fingers and hoping for the best
It is not a leap into apparent nothingness
It's a word that speaks of reasoned, careful, deliberate, intentional thought
Thought upon what? God and his promises
If you are absolutely gripped by the coming realities that have been promised to you by God, then how you live your life in the present will be radically different than if you did not possess that certainty
This is what faith is, my friends! Positive certainty expressed in action
Authentic faith is not merely believing in God. It is believing God
Taking God at his word, living in obedience to his revelation whatever the cost because you know down deep in your bones that God will always do what he says, that his speaking is his doing
It is an abiding assurance in God and his promises that animates you to persevere in your obedience to Him
Do you wish to be a more consistently obedient, steadily persevering Christian?
A stronger Christian?
A more courageous and outspoken Christian?
Then you need to strengthen your faith!
Your faith instinctively strengthens in direct proportion to the expansion of the object of your faith!
You expand your understanding of the object of your faith and faith itself will obediently follow
The object of your faith--if indeed you are a Christian--is Jesus Christ and all of his promises
Is your faith weak?
It is owing to the fact that you don't know the object of your faith well enough
But when Jesus Christ becomes progressively bigger, or better yet, your understanding of who he is progressively conforms to reality, your faith will become increasingly stronger
But how does that happen?
By immersing yourself in the faith-arousing Word of God
Read of Jesus Christ!
The same powerful Word that long ago brought the universe to life is the same Word that can bring you to life and furnish you with a faith that is truly and authentically Christian