Introduction (Faith)

For a long time now, I have been studying and praying about faith. I have read articles about faith, listened to countless sermons and teachings about faith, studied my Bible, spoken to pastors and other mature Christians, all while I have been dealing with situations in my life that God has used to teach me how to live by faith. I cannot know everything, but I do believe that what God has revealed to me through His Word has given me an excellent opportunity to bless others, so that is what I am doing.

    The things I have learned about faith have come through the leading of the Holy Spirit, through His Word, through others, through His prompting, through dreams and visions, and through what I have experienced. As with any gift of the Holy Spirit, the purpose is to use each gift to benefit others, to strengthen the Church, and glorify God. Having received wisdom from the Holy Spirit, I feel obligated to share with others the things that God has shared with me. The wisdom that I have received is based in Scripture, supported by logic, and proven by experience.

    I began writing about faith, with the intention of publishing a single essay. However, as I continued to write, study, and pray, I realized that there would be far too much for me to discuss in a single essay. In order to preserve the meaning of what I have written about faith (without boring people with a massive wall of text), I have decided to break my writing about faith into several parts. Each part of this series explains something different about faith.

    I pray that what I have written blesses others. I have been through a lot in my life, but God has never let an ounce of my suffering go to waste. I have never been strong, never been a speaker, never been a leader, never been one to endure hardships for very long, and never been one to seek God first. As I have walked with God, I have seen God change my heart, my mind, and my body. I am not the man that I was before, and that is because of God and God only. I have spent countless hours pondering what God has revealed to me, I have written many pages about faith, and I have prayed more than I have before. I have never put more thought, more tears, more prayer, and more time into anything than I have in understanding faith.

    I am not where God is leading me to, but I know that I will reach that point someday soon. I wrote this series, not just because God has given me the desire to do so, but because I am acting on the faith that God has given to me. By acting on that faith, I am able to bless others, encourage others, and bring glory to God.

    I am not looking back on experiences from years ago, I am writing about things that I have recently experienced, as well as things that I am still experiencing. I am not strong, I am not courageous, and I am not even close to being able to handle what God has called me to do. However, God has a calling for each of us, and with each calling comes the ability to handle it. The reason why my suffering encourages me is because I have seen how God has empowered me to keep going, to keep fighting, and to continually seek God and His Will in my life. Despite my flaws, despite my weaknesses, and despite my suffering, God has given me the ability to do what He has called me to do, no matter what happens, and no matter how difficult things get.

That is the power of faith.

Dear reader: I do not know what you are going through, but I do know that God sees you, He cares about you, and He loves you. I pray that this series helps you trust God, understand what it means to have faith, and how to see God work in response to your faith. Life is not easy, but we can take heart, knowing that Jesus Christ has overcome the world. God bless you.