Religion is what one practices. Faith is what a person becomes in accepting God (Jewish Faith) and or Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Christian faith) in their lives. With faith, someone has welcomed, declared, and given full permission for God and/or Jesus Christ to become number one ruler in and over his or her life. Religion does not do that. Religion is what one practices to try and meet a need – a need to feel complete – a need to feel spiritual – a need to feel. Brushing one’s teeth everyday is a ritual – a religious practice with the person having to do the same thing each time in order to get results.
With faith in God and/or Jesus Christ, once a person accepts God and/or Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, one is complete and God will meet all of your needs. Once a person confesses with his or her mouth that God is the only Living God and Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and believes in their heart that God raised Jesus Christ from the Dead, that person is reconciled back to God. That person is redeemed by the Living Sacrifice – Jesus Christ Himself – that is it! There is no turning back. One can back slide. One can turn away, but baby, no matter what you do, you are still God’s property. In fact – all souls return to God even if one decides to choose another religion.
Now you can disagree with me all you want. However, it is about God’s grace and mercy and Jesus Christ’s redemption – reconciling us back to God, the Living God. One cannot practice God. It does not matter if you do not want to pray; you are still God’s property. It does not matter if you are on drugs or have a bad addiction; you are still God’s property. It does not matter if you are rich or poor, you are still God’s property. Otherwise, it does not matter what you do; you are still God’s property. It is your choice how deep you want be in your relationship just as if you were married to another human being. Whatever you invest in your relationship with God is what you are going to get out of it – it is up to you, but you are still God’s property.
God requires one little thing – FAITH. Why do I say “little thing?” It’s because Jesus said, “if you have faith of a size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.” Otherwise, your faith requires God to do something on your behalf.
Why, you may ask?
Faith in God and/or Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is not like having faith that you are going to win the lottery. Faith is a covenant. You are in Covenant with God. Your Covenant requires God to keep His promise to you and for you. Your faith is your part – your covenant to God. Yep – all God requires you to do is trust Him. God’s got everything else covered for you.
What really irritates me is when Christians say that they believe in God but in the same breath will say, “One must face reality.” What is up with that? This says to me that these “Christians” are not Christians. To be a Christian means one must have faith. To have faith, one must believe. There is no other reality than that. Either you believe in God – trust God or you do not. Either you is or you isn’t. There is no between. In fact, God said in the Book of Revelations, “He will spit you out of His mouth if you are Luke warm.” God would prefer you to be either cold or hot – there is no between. For a person – a Christian – to say that he or she must be realistic means that he or she is still trying to do it alone and that he or she does not trust God. Otherwise, the “Christian” is not operating in faith and is not keeping the covenant that was established.
There are millions of Christians who attend worship services but have never confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior over their lives. Most just believe in a God, but they do not take their belief seriously. These people would only give God thanks when they got some money or were healed from a disease, or when their lives were spared from something. These Christians live their everyday lives, and God is not there. They think they are doing God a favor by going to church.
God gave you breath. You do not have anything to do with it. Your breath is a gift from God – your covenant with God. Each breath that you take, you cannot see it. You just know it is there – your breath determines if you are living or if you are dead. You have faith that you will keep breathing. You can’t get more realistic that than. This type of faith should carry over into every aspect of your life. Just as sure as you are that God will keep you breathing throughout the day, you should believe that He will change your circumstances for the better. If you know that God will bless you and God told you not to bust-a-move until He opens that door then DO NOT GO ANYWHERE. Just stand still and keep having faith. Yes, fear and doubt will come, either in your own mind or through the words of others, but you must hold on.
I know that it takes God a while to answer sometimes. Look how long it took for Abraham to see God’s promise; it does not mean it will not happen. God will do what He will do when it is the right time. We are not always ready to receive God’s will, but God will do it.
Trust me. I know because I’m waiting, too.
Anytime you begin to doubt God’s Word, and you fail to trust Him, repent. If looking at God’s promises in His Word is not enough to convince you, then take a look at your own life. I’m sure you’ll find that God has kept you through it all. You can even treat it like a job application. If you look at His resume, it is full of unfailing experiences, stellar credentials, and extraordinary education. What more do you need in a Living God? Remember, He will meet your needs. Just hold on.