Balancing Your Faith

Easter 2012 146 smallI’ve always heard that faith is the opposite of doubt. But lately I’ve been thinking about it differently. Perhaps it’s because I struggle with a lack of confidence sometimes. I find myself wondering if I am really equipped to do the thing God has told me to do. Kind of like Gideon asking God, “Who, me?” over and over. That is clearly doubt, isn’t it?

At the other end of this faith spectrum, if you will, is what I see as pride. If I move away from doubt and find myself confident in what I’m doing then I immediately begin to worry that I will become prideful and take the credit myself for what is really God’s doing. So really, from where I sit, doubt and pride are at the opposite ends of the road with faith landing squarely in the middle. Right where it belongs.

God calls us to a balanced life. We need to trust Him and take Him at His word. If we constantly wonder if God has really called us and equipped us to do His work then we waste time that we could be using to accomplish what He’s asked of us. But we dare not become over confident and forget where our true strength and ability comes from.

 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6 (ESV)

 Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

I think the whole picture is really much simpler that it looks. If we are aware of our doubts we confess them to God and move on toward faith and if we find ourselves overstepping our faith, we again confess our weakness, humble ourselves and come back to faith. Right in the middle. I believe the Lord knows that we have this continuous struggle. I think He has put us in this place on purpose so we don’t ever fall off either end but we are constantly readjusting to stay right in the middle. Right where God can give us hope for the future as we walk with Him using the gifts He has given us to proclaim His goodness.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)