The Journey to Faith

Your Faith Journey begins with the first step

 Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Why is Faith so Complicated?

Developing and nurturing a faith in God is a lifelong journey. There are a lot of ways to get there, and we’ve discussed a few in my previous blogs:

• Discovery #8: The “Saved by Faith” Conundrum
• Discovery #16: Understanding the Full Implications of Jesus’ Sacrifice
• Discovery #21: The Second Principle of the Old Testament: Faith
• Discovery #21: The Fifth Principle of the Old Testament: Sacrifices

After four blogs, is there anything more that can be said? I think so. Faith is something that seems to confuse, frustrate, and elude many people — especially when we’re talking about their faith in God. For some, faith follows a predictable path. For others, the pathway to faith is elusive. In my experience, faith comes in stages — each stage builds on the previous one. They may not come in the precise order I’ve listed below, but they all lead to the same conclusion. The first eight involve us. The last two involve God.

The Journey to Faith

I’ve often heard it said that those with no faith in God envy those who have any faith at all. Perhaps they’ve tried and been disappointed. I find that most of those who lack faith are in that condition because they’ve tried to approach God on their own terms. Faith is not the byproduct of will nor the outcome of intelligence — it often finds us rather than the other way around. Yet, once found, faith must be constantly exercised (like a muscle) if you want it to grow. Without faith, it is impossible to know the very God who created the universe and everything contained within. The path is not complicated, but it does require an open mind, tons of patience, and sincere humility. It is available to any who are willing to take the journey. All you have to do is take the first step.

1. Awestruck: The journey often begins when you are hit with something so extraordinary, you just can’t forget it or explain it. It will probably be something that confuses you, challenges you, inspires you, and/or frustrates you. It may be something as simple as an amazing sunset, the flight of a butterfly, the birth of a baby, or the vastness of the night sky. In that moment, we are awestruck by a power we deem to be greater than ourselves. We reason that IF what we observe is from God, THEN that would explain why it appears so wonderfully, miraculously, and deliberately designed. Next, if we are willing to take that thought one step further, we might ask, “What if the power behind our observation is actually aware of who we are, and (by some miracle) they care for us?” Such is the beginning of wonder, hope, and awe. Dare we hope that (somehow) we can call upon that impressive power when the world is overwhelming us? Now I ask you: Lean into the mystery of what strikes awe in you. Allow yourself to be impressed by the totality of all the wondrous things you’ve observed in your life and ask, “Could God have caused this?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
2. Reflection: As you reflect on the possibility that a supreme being (God) might be responsible for those extraordinary events that stun you, think about why/how those events speak to you. What is it that impresses you, and why might you attribute it to God? Reflection is something we rarely find the time to do in this busy world we live in, yet taking the time to think about the origins of things or the causes of things that have impressed us will yield remarkable insights. For example, I never cease to be amazed by the miracle of a simple hummingbird (Check out this video!). How does it accomplish what it does? No other bird moves quite like it, leading one to conclude that this bird was not created by accident, but by design. What else affects you that way? Tossing aside all prejudice and preconceptions, let the experience itself speak to you. In your heart of hearts, do you see God in the event? Do you hear Him speak to you? Do you feel His presence? If so, your journey has begun.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
3. Research: Those driven by the need to understand such things may choose to research what humanity knows about the observed events that move you and how they might be explained. Others may choose to skip this step and just accept things without understanding them. I’d propose that there is a beautiful compromise. If you accept that God has spoken to us through the Holy Bible, many answers lie within. A sincere study of its origins and content will reveal that only God could have authored it (See my blog: “Is the ENTIRE Bible a message sent to us from GOD?“). Once you develop confidence in its content, you’ll discover it is the best source for understanding God and helping you on your journey.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
4. Acknowledgment: When we finally confront the reality (or possibility) that a force greater than all humanity exists and is (or may be) in control of all (or most) of the universe, your journey will become increasingly more exciting (and all the words in parentheses will disappear). As you will see, initially, your acknowledgment of God will pose more questions than answers. However, this journey gets much more interesting when you ultimately conclude that God must exist and is active in our world. For those who pursue this thought, a world of discovery awaits. There will be no limit to the wonders God can reveal to those who are open to discovering Him. And, each time we “see,” “hear,” or “feel” Him in something we observe, we are drawn closer to Him and His presence becomes more real.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
5. Trust: Trust in God is developed over time — it does not happen overnight. And, like all things that take time, possessing an open mind, a measure of patience, and a dose of humility doesn’t hurt. The real test is in how much time you’re willing to invest and how many steps you’re willing to take. What will dissuade you from moving forward?  Will the next step always be predicated on the results of the last step? When dealing with a force we perceive to be at the level of “God” (whatever that means), the first assumption we should make is that our knowledge is infinitely less than God’s. Thus, if we expect Him to “show us the way,” we must be willing to submit to Him and change how we define trust. No one can manipulate God, so our trust must come on His terms, not ours.                                                                                                                                                                                                          
6. Experience: At some point, the goal is that you build up enough experiences trusting God, and the result is that you can finally accept Him despite your remaining uncertainties. When your experiences reinforce your trust, faith is born. And when faith is reinforced by discovery and revelation through the reading of God’s word, a genuine bond with the very God of creation is formed!                                                                                                                                                   
7. Faith: Faith in God is also a never-ending journey. It grows in direct proportion to our willingness to test it and verify that it is real and anchored to something greater than ourselves (God). You might ask, “What is the difference between trust and faith?” Good question! In this journey, trust comes before faith because once you’ve trusted God and taken the first step, faith will replace trust at some point. As the author of Hebrews says, “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.” (Hebrews 11:1 NCV) To fully appreciate what this means, we must begin with “blind” trust, where we’re sort of testing God to see what He will do. As our trust grows, it becomes something where we are “sure of the things we hope for” and we “know(ing) that something is real even if we do not see it.” At that moment, our trust becomes faith — we are no longer blind.                                                                                                       
8. Commitment: Once we are assured that our faith in God is justified, our natural inclination is to dedicate ourselves to Him. This is a crucial moment in our journey. We approach Him without conditions, completely transparent and vulnerable, with complete confidence that He will not disappoint us because He understands our need for Him.

At this point in our journey, we find ourselves at a crossroads. We want to acknowledge that God exists and commit ourselves to Him. But if our journey has taught us anything, it is to recognize that our separation from Him came with a purpose. We were born into a life of sin that has (until now) kept us from enjoying a life with our creator. At this point in our journey, we can finally do something to erase our sins and reconcile ourselves with God. All God asks of us is a simple 2-step process:

• • Repent: This is the whole purpose of our journey – to recognize why we are separated from all those wonderful things that struck us with awe. God is that “wonderful thing” we seek. But our sins have kept us separated from Him. He does not want that separation, and that is why He’s led us on this journey. Once we’ve discovered who He really is, we want desperately to be with Him (and He with us). All that remains is for us to recognize our guilt, confess our sins, and ask for His forgiveness. To help us in this process, God has revealed in His Holy Word (the Bible) that He came to earth as a man to express His deep desire to relate to us and to save us from our struggles. That man was Jesus. He not only understood us, He sacrificed Himself to rescue us from the endless cycle of sin—which leads to death. Experiencing Christ leads to a profound and personal revelation that changes everything! It enriches your commitment to God and His Son, making everything much more meaningful. We repent out of thanks for what He has done for us.
  • Commit: Filled with the relief that comes with true repentance, we then commit ourselves to the God we now know loves us with a love that is greater than any we have ever known.