I have always struggled with the idea of faith…I have thought in
times past that faith was a commodity that I had to have ‘enough’ of in
order to make something happen (like new birth) or in order to ‘get’
something from God (like healing) or in order to hold onto and not lose
something (like salvation). I Faith was something I had to somehow
‘muster up’ and then, if I ever had any, something I had to keep at
constant high levels for fear of losing anything I had somehow gained
‘though faith.’ I was always examining myself to see if I had enough of
this ‘thing’ called faith, and of course I always felt I never had
enough! This made me feel weak, made me sometimes doubt, made me feel
like a sorry Christian, caused me to expect nothing at all from God,
made me feel insecure about my salvation, even.
I am so happy that all I believed about faith turned out to be false!
Really, the way I saw faith, I made it into a work! And we know that
salvation is all God’s work and none of ours, and not only that, His
work is finished, finished from the foundation of the world! God
already did a complete work for us from the start of the whole
creation…and Jesus broke forth into our tangible existence and revealed
it here on earth 2000 years ago…now we are simply waking up to what is
already real and true! Hey, that is wonderful!
Faith turns out to be simply seeing what is already true, seeing
reality! It is like the confidence and trust that comes from seeing
what Christ has already done for us. We don’t work up faith within
ourselves, it’s already there! It’s God’s gift to us and is really HIS
faith in us, bouncing off the walls of our heart and reverberating out
when we hear the good news of our salvation, of what Christ has already
done and completed in and for us!
So faith doesn’t make something happen, it all already happened;
faith doesn’t get God to give us something, for He already gave us
everything; faith doesn’t even have to desperately hold onto what is
given, for it’s ours permanently as a permanent reality!
What is it that Christ has already done, that we already are and
have, that is true permanently for us? What can we say is true for the
whole of us, the entire human family, the whole world, through His
perfect original creation of us and His perfect finished work for us, as
us? All people are already loved and accepted, already made righteous,
already forgiven, already clean, already dead and alive again, already
in heaven reigning, already healed and whole, already overcomers,
already perfect, already innocent, already home, already taken in and
included, already reconciled, already sanctified and set apart/made
holy, already pure and blameless, already good, already having a good
nature, already having Christ in them, already having the Spirit in
them, already having God with them, already taken care of, already safe
and saved, already an heir of eternal life, already in the circle of the
Trinity, already in union with God, already permanently one with God,
already secure, already found, already in the fellowship of the Son with
the Father, already enjoyed and delighted in, already beautiful,
already wonderful, already precious, already redeemed, already strong,
already free from law, sin, condemnation, guilt, shame, punishment and
death, already in grace, already loaded with blessings, already in
resurrection life, already having HIS life, already in peace and harmony
with God, already in right relationship with God, already right with
God!
There is nothing left to do, gain, attain, hold onto, or become! He did
it ALL, He finished His work and we are all home free! I remember when
I was first being introduced to these ideas, first reading a couple of
Andre’s writings, and it was as if God kept whispering to my heart, “I
did it all…I took you ALL THE WAY THERE..into the throne room!” He did
it all, took us all the way home to heaven and plopped us down on Papa’s
lap, and that is where we all are today, whether we know it or not! He
shares the good news with us of what He’s already done, and of His
opinion about us (HIS faith in us!), and that faith of God echoes within
us and rises as our faith in Him! When you see how much someone has
done in love for you, to help and rescue you in the midst of your
trouble and mess, you naturally trust that person, because they have
proved their love for you. God proved His love for us through Jesus,
for while we were yet sinners, in a royal mess, He died for us, He
rescued us, He lifted us out of the mire and put our feet on a solid
rock! When we were trapped in our sins and confusion, He saved us!
When we were dead in our sinful mindset, He raised us up with Christ
into resurrection life, never-can-be-killed life, always-and-forever
life, eternal life, HIS very life!!! Wow! Faith is simply waking up to
that fact, seeing it, relaxing and having new confidence because of it.
Faith doesn’t make it happen – how can dead people have faith or make
things happen?? We were dead, HE made us alive, and it was obviously
without our ‘help’ or ‘our faith’ doing it or making something happen,
wasn’t it? Wow! It really IS all HIS work and it really IS finished!
Faith is just when we see what already happened, see reality. Faith is
like Dorothy waking up in her own bed in Kansas, realizing what she’d
been ‘going through’ in her nightmare was just that, a bad dream and not
the real reality at all. We wake up to God’s reality that has been
true for us since the foundation of the world! We wake up to the dream
He has had of us since before time began, a dream of living in union
with God in perfect intimacy and true innocence, of loving fellowship
and a forever dance with Him, two hearts intertwined forever in complete
oneness! While our dreams are fake nightmare illusions, God’s dreams
come to pass and are the really real, the only true reality! We are in
God’s reality and always have been, and He’s waking up the world to see
it!
So what use is faith? Faith simply lets us enjoy the union we’re in,
for we can look into His eyes without fear or shame, can be naked in His
presence, can feel strong in His stable love, can share our dreams and
feelings with Him without hesitation. Faith is like seeing where you
are for the first time, not vulnerable and alone but safe in a strong
fortress (His presence and love), so you don’t have to be afraid of any
enemy/danger outside anymore! Once we see we are safe in this shelter
of His loving arms, we don’t have to fear, don’t have to worry. And we
don’t have to make any striving or effort to get to that place (His
presence, union with Him), since we’re already there – so faith brings
an end to strivings and strainings, brings rest. Faith – seeing reality
– means we start enjoying reality, enjoying the relationship with God
inside us that has always been and always will be, the deep intimacy
with Him, the transparent sharing and oneness fellowship that we were
made for all along and has been there all along! Faith – seeing reality
– lets us stop straining to ‘become’ and instead finally relax about
ourselves and our status with God, for we already ARE all we were meant
to be, we are truly loved and accepted unconditionally, no matter what,
thus we can more easily accept ourselves and even like ourselves. Faith
lets us rest from our efforts to attain something and enjoy the party
that we are already at! Faith allows us to experience this wonderful
forever life with Him, the life of God flowing through our lives in
wonderful tangible manifestation and experience starting right now on
planet earth!
The life of the ages that was always in us, Christ Himself,
resurrection life, eternal life, wells up in us like a living fountain
of fresh water and pours through us like a waterfall of love and grace
and life, making the desert places green and thriving, refreshing both
us and those around us! We get to enjoy life, enjoy HIM, right here and
now, spirit to Spirit, perfect fellowship and communion, right here
inside our skin and amongst us all, the Spirit flowing amongst us all,
the river of life spreading till it fills the earth and the whole earth
is filled with the knowledge (intimate knowing, communion of hearts!) of
the Lord, like the waters covering the sea! Flow river, flow, fill
this land with the Father’s glory!
Eternity is NOW, is HERE, is upon ALL, is manifesting EVERYWHERE!
This reality is breaking forth and being seen by more and more people,
oh how wonderful…this good news can’t stay secret…it’s bursting at the
seams, popping out all over, exploding out from within us!! He is like a
fountain that can’t be plugged up or held back by any barrier or lies,
confusion, fear, or misunderstanding! He has won over all that, and HIS
victory, HIS reality will be known and enjoyed. For Love wins, Life
wins, Reality wins, the Finished Work wins, the Spirit wins, Jesus wins,
Papa wins, humanity wins!
