The other day I asked Audrey, “Why does faith seems to be so much work?” Honestly, it is something that I have struggled with over the years. It seems that so much of what we have heard about faith is so dependent on what we do, say, or think. I have listened to countless hours of teaching on how to grow in faith or how faith works only to become stressed out over what the writer of Hebrews calls the Sabbath rest.
I have been asked many times why there are more miracles happening in undeveloped places than are happening here. Is it that they have more faith or less faith? To try to measure faith in inches or pounds will only lead to more confusion. Those types of measurements are a catalyst for spiritual pride and that is deadly. It usually gets deflated over time leading to greater doubt and unbelief. The Bible teaches that every man has been given a measure of faith. Romans 12:3 says, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Faith is given to us by grace. God’s grace is unlimited so we would need to understand that God has given us a measure of faith that will always be enough. God does not give some people great faith and others less faith. He gives us all the faith we need. The difference is in whether we are using what we have.
I was given an amazing truck a couple years ago. It took me months to figure out what all the buttons were for and there are some that I still haven’t used. Are they there? Yes, but am I using all the potential of that truck? No, I have not needed to use them. Is your faith there? Yes! Are you using it to its full potential? Probably not. Why? Maybe you don’t understand what your faith can do. I had a switch in my truck that I didn’t know what it would do until one day I pushed it. The mirrors retracted! Wow! Now, I use it all time. Or maybe you have not needed that amount of faith. Does that mean it will not be there when you need it? No, it is there already. We have the faith to move mountains no matter their size. If we think we need to gain big faith before mountains will be moved, we will not move mountains.
What I am about to say may seem like an oxymoron. You use your faith by resting. I understand that is contrary to what we have been taught but it is what the Bible teaches. We rest in what Jesus did for us. In the story of the centurion found in Luke 7, we see the centurion sent Jewish leaders to Jesus. These Jewish leaders confronted Jesus based on works. They told Jesus what the centurion had done. The centurion didn’t need Jesus to come into his house. He simply rested in the authority of the words of Jesus. This caused Jesus to marvel. Then Jesus said that there was not this great of faith in all of Israel. Notice what the centurion did not do. He didn’t plead with Jesus. He didn’t go through a ritual to build his faith. He didn’t recite a thousand scriptures. He simply believed and trusted in the authority that Jesus had over sickness.
What about our shield of faith? Aren’t we supposed to be using it? Yes, we are, but we need to understand that the shield of a Roman soldier in Paul’s day created a place of rest, safety and protection. The Roman shield that Paul refers to in Ephesians 6 was about four feet tall. It was made of a hide that was stretched across a frame that caused the arrows of the enemy to bounce off from. Many times, that shield was pointed at the bottom so it could be placed into the ground and gain more stability. The shield was soaked in water before the battle so that it would extinguish the fiery darts that were shot at it. The soldier simply knelt behind the shield. Could you imagine what it would like if that soldier were running around behind that shield? He would likely get shot! The Roman soldier was disciplined to hide behind that shield until the arrows stopped coming.
The reason why more miracles are done in places like Asia and Africa is because they simply believe. They haven’t been taught all the faith formulas. Their faith is simple and strong. They trust that what God said is done. That is the rest of faith. It’s not difficult. Anyone can do it. We all have the faith. So, let’s uncomplicate faith and simply believe what Jesus has done for us.