Walking with Jesus from Incarnation to Ascension - Day 25 - What is Faith?

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!
May the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. 2 Co. 13:14