Introduction to Faith, Part Two

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Faith is abandoning your own righteousness and entrusting the hope of your soul, in this life and the one to come, to the righteousness of Another. Faith is the willingness to confess, without excuse or shifting the blame, sins that you once denied or hid. Faith is abandoning your own wisdom and feeding your heart on the wisdom of God. Faith is giving up on your delusions of control and resting in God’s sovereign authority. Faith is admitting your weakness and crying out for the strength that only God can give. Faith is refusing to be a glory thief any longer and living for the greater glory of God. Faith is taking up your cross, dying to yourself, and committing yourself to live as a disciple of Jesus. Faith is letting the cross of Jesus Christ and His empty tomb define your identity and your hope. Faith is much more than a one-time decision; it is a lifestyle lived with the presence, promises, and call of God always in view.

Essentially, faith is impossible. It is unnatural and counterintuitive for us all. Self-trust is natural. Fear is natural. Worry is natural. Self-righteousness is natural. Doubt is natural. Autonomy and self-sufficiency are natural, but faith isn’t natural. So here’s where the call to faith always leads you. Faith, properly understood, always leads you to cry out for God’s grace. It takes grace to have the faith to entrust yourself and everything you are and have to God and His grace. Faith is important because it is the only pathway to finding and receiving God’s greatest gift, His grace in the person of His Son, Jesus.

If you commit your lifestyle to faith in Him, you will celebrate His grace more fully, and things in your heart and life will become more pleasing to Him. Remember, without faith it is simply and absolutely impossible for anyone to please Him.

Adapted and modified excerpts from Paul David Tripp, 40 Days of Faith
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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