HOPING FOR FAITH

I don’t know whether you’ve been told this before or not, but having Faith is hard work. It is not for the faint of heart. It requires real work.

Getting Faith, temporarily, is easier than maintaining it over an extended period. Continuing in Faith is the challenge.

The Apostle Paul said, Faith is a Fight, and we should fight a good fight.

The title for today’s message is from a very famous passage in the Bible.

In Hebrews 11:1 it says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen”

This passage clearly shows us that we should Hope to have Faith. Hence, Hoping for Faith.

Faith isn't a given. It isn’t guaranteed. It’s not a part of a package deal.

Faith is the outcome we hope to have…after life gets through lifing. We Hope is that we will still be Faithing!

Faith is a process; it can be either progressive or recessive depending upon your level of commitment to it. You can soar with it or sink without it.

And speaking of levels, Did you know that Faith has levels?

Some are said to have had great Faith, while still others had little Faith. There were also those whose Faith was inactive or missing…begging the question, Where is your Faith?

Again, Faith is not a given. It is not a gene to be passed on through DNA. It does not come with your membership.

Just like having a gym membership does not guarantee you Fitness.

Whether you’re seeking either improved Fitness or improved Faith you’ve got to put in the work.

Building Faith is a lot like building Stamina. What if we replaced the word Faith, with the word Stamina, where it appeared in the Bible?

For example: Stamina is the substance of things hoped for. Hebrews 11:1

We walk by Stamina, not by sight (seeing where we are going) 2 Corn 5

Fight the good fight of Stamina Timothy 6:12

The testing of your Stamina will produce perseverance James 1

Jesus said great is your Stamina, be it done for you Matthew 15:28

We’ve all likely heard it said that Faith is an action word, what if that action is Stamina! “Stamina without work is meaningless, its dead”

For further confirmation, the Bible tells us to “work out our Faith”

Faith/Stamina is not a one-time decision, but rather a continuous act of courage and conviction, even in the face of doubt and uncertainty.

You need Stamina to Stand!

King Solomon was one of the wisest persons to have ever lived, and he had this to say; “the race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strongest, but to those who endure to the end”. Stamina is a synonym for endurance.

The overcomers are the ones with more Stamina, rather than those who possess faster speed or greater strength.

So, let’s see how we can build our Spiritual Stamina to stand in Faith.

First, we need to understand that there is a strong correlation between Physical Stamina and Spiritual Stamina. We need to get Fit for Faith!

Exercising our bodies is a lot like exercising our Faith, when done correctly and consistently both will yield favorable and visible results.

Fitness improves as you encounter resistance, as does Faith.

You work out with weights in Fitness, the same with Faith. Its called Strength Training. Management of Resistance produces Stamina.

We are naturally resistant to stress. Our emotions take over and tell us to stop going to the “gym”.  Stop working out, stop believing!

When we set Fitness goals we focus on things like meal planning, proper rest, making smart choices, and getting to the gym regularly.

But then you get busy, and you slide on a few of your initiatives. You skip those workouts, and you stop eating healthily. Sound familiar?

We do the same thing when it comes to Stamina for Faith. The Bible says, you started out well, who hindered you? Oftentimes the “who” is us.

To build Faith Stamina we need to develop a pattern of consistency.

Here are 5 Tips that can help us on our journey to becoming Hopefully Faithfully Fit.

1.    Take Baby Steps – Don’t go ALL IN and BURN OUT fast, focus on small sustainable changes. Read or do something uplifting at least once a week to begin with. The gradually and steadily increase your activity.

2.    Give Yourself Grace – Don’t allow guilt or shame to shut you down, when you slip up! It’s a marathon not a sprint. Acknowledge the miss & keep it moving. Whatever you do, don’t stop, just keep going!

3.    Add Some Accountability – Whether its a person or a community. Teamwork does make the dream work! Find someone to be accountable to, as well as becoming an accountability partner or covering for someone.

4.    Remember it’s a Process – Growth is not measured in inches or pounds, but days. Stay consistent. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT! Every minute makes a difference. Famously said, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

5.    Focus on the Purpose – Just like Fitness offers you a better life, so too will Faith. Building Spiritual Stamina equips you to outlast the opposition and enjoy a life with bigger and stronger Faith muscles. Giants will be no match for you.

Just wait and see what you can believe for, once your Stamina begins to increase!

The Best is Yet to Come…

This a Thompson Truth