The group of us guys set out for India and Nepal in January on a quazi-luke 10 trip. We didn't leave with nothing and our trip doesn't look identical to what Jesus' disciples did. However, I think the point of both our trip and theirs was to learn how to walk by faith and not by sight. In fact, that's kind of a major theme in the bible. I believe Adam and Eve walked by faith and not by sight until they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One of the major effects of the "fall" was that people started walking by sight instead of by faith. The bible is strewn with examples of people who God is drawing back into a right relationship based on faith through love.
When preparing for our trip, Miles and I attempted to set as few agendas as possible which probably looks a bit crazy to the average person. We had literally one thing "set in stone" coming in and even that nearly changed on the fly. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was sure God was going to do someting good. However, I did expect that we would be "doing" a lot and that walking by faith was going to include a lot of action steps where we were out on a limb…Don't get me wrong. We've had to take action steps and I've got a blog coming out tomorrow with another limb we're about to climb out on…but there is more to it than that.
One thing that I learned on the race was to figure out what my expectations were going to be and then to throw them away. Expectations often include concrete thoughts of what a certain situation will look like. Then subconsciously we look for those concrete signs to occur and when they don't, a frustration or disappointment often takes it's place. Meanwhile, something way better than we could have asked for or imagined may be occuring and we totally miss it because we're focused on our expectations. Therefore, it's much healthier to have great expectancies (not sure what's going to happen but know that He's going to do something good out of it because that's what He does) than great expectations.
SO…all of that to say that these past couple weeks, I've had to go back to the roots of what it actually means to walk by faith.
Abraham was considered the "father of all faith" in Hebrews and yet he really didn't start walking by faith until he was a hundred years old…He did have steps of faith before then but that's really when he really started walking in it. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son ISaac which would have been an action step of faith. Likewise he got circumsized which was an action step of faith. However, the new testament clearly states that "HE BELIEVED GOD AND THAT WAS ACCREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." The bible also says that the righteous walk by faith and that it was by GRACE we have been saved through FAITH and this not of ourselves. It was a gift of God so that no one could boast.
So, looking at all those passages of scripture I find it safe to say that the basis of walking by faith has to be rooted in BELIEF that God is who He says He is and we are who He says we are and He'll do what He says He'll do. The only action step at the foundation of it all is to accept His grace to believe it all.
The past two weeks I've had to let go of my expectations of action-oriented walking by faith to realize that I'm growing in faith. How do I know that my faith is growing? Well, I'm starting to believe at whole new depths that He loves me. I believe that Jesus literally has died for all of my sins AND not only has He forgiven me of them, He somehow remembers them no more. I believe that my behaviors and good deeds and all my righteousness on my own strength are like poop. I also believe that His grace covers me completely and has freed me from another level of living by performance, expectations, and my own strength. I'm learning to believe in His goodness and faithfulness in new ways. I'm learning to believe in how good the "good news" really is. I'm learning to believe that He has good planned for each of my days and that He'll take care of my needs…that there is no need to worry about tomorrow for it has enough worries for itself.
I could keep going but the point is this: I'm learning to believe in much deeper levels that He is who He says He is, that I am who He says I am and that He'll do what He says He'll do. I'm learning to trust in His grace and embrace it.
The result is that I'm being covered by His righteousness instead of my own and He's leading me into a glorious freedom from the crap that comes from unbelief. Walking by faith is a journey that even Jesus had to go through and I'm learning that the actions steps have more to do with deeper belief than anything else. Action steps will come but it has to be rooted in grace through faith in the expression of love.
