The Discipline Of Faith

Ode On A Distant Prospect of Eton College- Thomas Gray

-excerpt-

To each his suff’rings: all are men,

Condemned alike to groan;

The tender for another’s pain,

Th’ unfeeling for his own.

Yet ah! why should they know their fate?

Since sorrow never comes too late,

And happiness too swiftly flies.

Thought would destroy their paradise.

No more; where ignorance is bliss,

‘Tis folly to be wise

Our enemy would want us to hold to the idea that “ignorance is bliss” and “tis folly to be wise”.  How wise are you to the devil’s schemes?  To what extent are you aware of the battle that surrounds us?  I wager that the devil, the father of lies, would prefer that we not think about him at all!  Or, that we would attribute much that goes on in and around us to the idea, “that’s just the way life is!”  He is winning the war if he lulls us into this thinking.  He is the master of propaganda.

prop·a·gan·da  (prp-gnd)

Ephesians 6:10-18 

 The Armor of God

 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

As I walk with God, waiting on the fulfillment of His word to me, I have been focused on my faith.  Two posts ago I wrote about Conquering Faith and my desire to overcome the tendency to waiver and be tossed about.  When I read the below devotional, it hit me like a ton of bricks and  I had mutiple AH HA’s as I read.  In reading the definition of faith, I am struck most by the phrase,  Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.   This type of “vision” does not come natural to us but is an acquired discipline.   I have learned that to be a man of faith that can “move mountains”, seeing through the eyes of faith when the human picture does not look good, takes real discipline.  It is so easy to “freak-out” and over-react or act according to our human senses.  It takes a real discipline of faith to say to yourself and those around you, ” I know this looks real bad but lets take it to the Lord and ask for wisdom and His perspective.”   In stead of asking ourselves “How  can this possibly work out good?”, we need to ask God, “What do you want me to do?” and then trust and obey while leaving the How up to Him!  When we bring God and His power, wisdom, and love into the picture- All things are possible! 

Just like weight lifting- the more you lift correctly the stronger you become in that discipline, so is it in the realm of faith.   The more we carry our shield of faith and USE IT, the more we will soar on the wings of faith and God’s power- to the Glory of God!  Blessings, Jon

faith  (fth)

n. 1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.

2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one’s supporters.4. often Faith Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.6. A set of principles or beliefs.

dis·ci·pline

 (ds-pln)

n. 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.

2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.3. a. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order.b. A systematic method to obtain obedience: a military discipline.c. A state of order based on submission to rules and authority: a teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom.4. Punishment intended to correct or train.5. A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order.6. A branch of knowledge or teaching. 

shield
 (shld)

2. A person or thing that provides protection.3. A protective device or structure, as: a. A steel sheet attached to an artillery piece to protect gunners from small-arms fire and shrapnel.

The Discipline of Faith- (from Streams in the Desert)

“All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).

The “all things” do not always come simply for the asking, for the reason that God is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith, and in our training in the faith life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith.

Real moral fibre is developed through discipline of faith. You have made your request of God, but the answer does not come. What are you to do?

Keep on believing God’s Word; never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed. The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God’s Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line.

Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes.

In the lives of all the great Bible characters, God worked thus. Abraham, Moses and Elijah were not great in the beginning, but were made great through the discipline of their faith, and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them.

For example, in the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt, we read in the Psalms:

“The word of the Lord tried him.” It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honor which were greater than his brethren were to receive; it was this which was ever before him, when every step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfillment, until he was there imprisoned, and all in innocency, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left to languish alone.

These were hours that tried his soul, but hours of spiritual growth and development, that, “when his word came” (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself.

No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these. When God has spoken of His purpose to do, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard; but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.