Why do we torture ourselves by making everything more complex than it really is? I do this regularly. Faith is a subject matter that has become increasingly complex as we study the Bible and walk through life. Some package it up in the form of 'self-help' or reduce it down to a quantity. Some will say, "you must build up your faith, faith is like a muscle and we must exercise it." I believe there is truth in those statements, yet if we distill faith down into the simplest of terms what do we come up with.
I believe we get some insight from the Scripture found in Genesis 15:6, "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." God said something to Abram (Abraham), Abram heard the words... they were filtered through his mind, past experiences, encounters with God, his upbringing, his issues, his weaknesses, his very core of who he was, etc...and he simply believed the Lord, and God himself, credited to Abram's very being, simple righteousness. You can see that this Scripture explains faith to us in simplest terms with no "BUT" on Abram's part.
Now remember, God promised Abram a bunch of descendants. In order to have descedants you must have babies. Abram was at least over 75 years old if not older at this time. To make things more complex Sarai his wife was barren. God promised Abram the immpossible. Don't worry I am not going to launch into the whole "with God all things are possible" routine (true as it is).
See it says in verse one of Genesis 15 that Abram was struggling with fear, because God spoke to him and said, "Fear not, Abram, I am your sheild, your reward shall be very great." Abram then questions God and asks how this can be since he has not children. Then God takes Abram outside and simply has him look up! Sometimes we need to simply go back to looking up.
Abram came from a family line that struggled with indecision and settling in the crossroads of life. He knew firsthand what doubt felt and looked like. Yet, in this moment of fear and anxiety something 'shifted into gear.' He simply believed God. How did he believe God? He simply believed His words that He had spoken.
Simple faith looks like this: A heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. When someone gives us a promise we generally believe that person based upon what we know about that person. Is he or she willing to fulfill the promise? Is he or she capable of fulfilling the promise? What is the track record of the person who is doing the promising...is there proven reliability? Abram believed that God was willing and able and that God had proven His ability to fulfill. He simply believed.
As you read this, how would you describe your faith? Do you have trouble simply believing God's word, why or why not? Do have trouble trusting others? Have you spent adequate time getting to know God and His word?
Remember, Abram before this moment in Scripture had deomonstrated over and over that he believed, but when it came to this one area of weakness or barrenness he struggled and wavered in fear. All God requires of us to simply take Him at his word...
Hebrews 11:6 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Bryan
