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I had an interesting discussion a few days ago with a friend of mine who has been having some issues with faith. Well, not just faith in itself which the Bible defines as being sure we will get what we hope for and being sure of what we cannot see. (Heb 11:1 NLV) What we spoke about was more substantive. His was a question that centered around the credibility of faith. To break this down even further, what we were speaking about was his lack of faith in what Christians call faith.

There were several legitimate questions that he asked (some of which I have asked myself in my lifetime). Is ‘faith’ a distraction from the ‘realities’ of life? Is it a wise thing to do as the Christian cliché says and “leave everything in God’s hands”? How safe is that? Faith, is it a false sense of security, a fantasy perhaps?

So how safe is faith? Is it wise to leave everything in God’s hands? Scientific evidence has demonstrated that 60 to 90 percent of illness is stress-related. Studies also show that people who practice some form of religion tend to be less stressed out than those who do not. There are emotional and physical benefits to having  faith! Hebrews 11:6 says that He (God) rewards those who have faith in Him. 

Is faith a distraction from the realities of life, a fantasy perhaps? Many rely on what is tangible or what can be seen as grounds for belief. Faith works differently. The person with whom I was having this discussion with pointed to that faith is “fantasy living” (something that most atheists agree to). At the risk of sounding sacrilege, I do not fully disagree with the suggestion that to some degree there is a bit of ‘fantasy’. I call it ‘functional fantasy’, fantasy because in the present tense, what is being asked for and what is believed in is not yet tangible; it is functional when it is taken into account that (as discussed earlier) having faith has emotional and (consequential) physical benefits.

Faith, it should be noted, does not give blanket security from emotional or even physical harm. We see that in the recent natural disasters in the United States, China and Myanmar. Many believers have been affected by these disasters; some have even lost their lives! Does that give evidence to that God is powerless, to that He does not exist or to that faith is irrational thinking? The short answer to that question is ‘no’. The prevalence of these natural disasters and other developments were foretold by Christ Himself as a lead-up to His second coming; they actually give credence to what is said in the Bible. Matthew 24:7-8 is one of many reference points.

Bottom line, faith is making feelings secondary while trusting that God will fight (and win) our battles. 2 Corinthians 5:7 speaks of us walking by faith and not by sight. It is unconditional trust when trust is not warranted or when trust appears to be sheer absurdity. It is the audacity of hope or the audacity to hope.

I find faith to be abnormal, it is abnormal thinking, abnormal actions and abnormal reactions; abnormal because it is atypical. Atypical because it is atypical thinking, atypical actions, atypical reactions, atypical because it is unprecedented. Unprecedented thinking, unprecedented actions, unprecedented reactions. Get the point?

In closing, Christ has promised in Mark 11:24 that whatever we ask for when we pray, if we believe that we will receive them, we will have them. Faith brings results, it brings deliverance, it brings healing and reconciliation; most importantly, it brings salvation.

May your faith be renewed today.

Akhenaton
mail@pharaohsprotege.com