Heart Tracks - The Faithful One

"According to your faith be it unto you." Matthew 9:29....."Faith has no value of its own, it has value only as it connects with Him. It is a trick of Satan to get us occupied with examining our faith instead of resting in the Faithful One." Vance Havner

I have lost count of all the times I have fallen into the trap Havner speaks of; of constantly looking at my degree of faith instead of the Author of it. Faced with a crisis, I have sought every means possible to "work up" my faith, making sure it was enough, that it would be pleasing to Him. I expect you have fallen into this trap as well, and all the while we don't see how we have drifted into a kind of works belief system, one of trying to get His approval. One of "proving" to Him that our faith is strong enough to move His hand on our behalf.

None of this is helped by so much of the present day teaching on faith. I once had a well meaning brother tell me that when we fail to exhibit the kind of faith God desires, we "give Him an out" in His moving on our behalf. Think of what this means. It says that the Father, rather than seeking every way to help us, instead looks for reasons not to. You may read that and be appalled, but really, how often have your own beliefs mirrored that? How often have we felt like God stood back, examining and measuring our trust and belief in Him, placing a near impossible standard before us, and all so that He might find reason to turn His back on us? This kind of belief system causes us to come before Him as beggars and orphans, not as sons and daughters, inheritors of His Kingdom through Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that if we have faith "as a mustard seed," one of the smallest of seeds, the Father would take and bless it. He would do so if that mustard seed faith were focused not on its size, but its Source. We are always looking at the quantity of our faith. Havner calls it the devil's trick, and it is because it takes our eyes completely off of Him and puts them on ourselves. Anytime he can get us to do this, he wins. Where is he winning with you and me right now? Where are we trying to work up our faith, putting our faith in faith, rather than resting in and upon the One who is its object? Where are we looking to something other than He who is the Faithful One?

Nothing is more spiritually exhausting than living with "faith in our faith." There is no rest there, only a performance quota that is always trying to win His favor. He calls us, you and me, to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the "Author and Finisher of our faith," and rest in Him. You have not much faith today? Bring what you have to Him. Determine that you will look upon Him, and nothing else, and see what He works in you, in me, in return. Sometimes, we, like the father of the child near death in Scripture, can only say to Him, "Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief." If we will bring that mustard seed faith to Him, focus it upon Him, we will experience wonders, and the greatest wonder of all will be seeing and experiencing Him......the Faithful One.

Blessings,
Pastor O