One of my favorite quotes about faith says,
“Faith always has the element of assurance, certainty and confidence . . . and evidential value substantiating the thing we hope for . . . with faith, there is no strain or tension; rather, it has the element of assurance and confidence in it . . . if there is strain or tension . . . trying to persuade yourself to keep from doubting, you can be quite sure that it is not faith . . . faith is not the law of mathematical probability, . . . faith is not natural . . .faith is spiritual, the gift of God . . . you cannot command faith at will, faith is always something that is given-inwrought by God; . . . therefore, if you want to be a man of faith, it will always be the result of becoming a certain type of person” (M. Lloyd Jones, Ro 4:18-25).
What I love about this commentary on Romans 4:18-25 is the statement that “if you want to be a man of faith, it will always be the result of becoming a certain type of person.”
How true that is. Living by faith is so much more that your thoughts on a single matter.
A life of faith will change your nature. It will change how you look at circumstances, how you view challenges. It will alter how you interact with others, how you plan for the future and so much more.
A person of faith will always have a different outlook on their life. They know that in Matthew 19:26,
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”
They will be people of possibilities, not limited in their thoughts our expectations. This is because their hope doesn’t rest their abilities. A person of faith has trust in God’s abilities.
A person of faith lives without fear. I John 1:4-8 says,
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
A person of faith also lives in love. I John 4:7-8 says,
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
A person of faith lives in an active relationship with God. Listening to and looking for Him and His activity in their lives daily. Philippians 2:13 says,
“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
A person of faith is a good man and expects God to make their steps sure. Psalm37:23 says,
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
These are just a few of the expectations of a person of faith. Ask yourself, are you changing? Are you becoming a person of faith? Are your outlooks changing? Do you have different expectations now that you claim to be a person of faith? Or do you view things the way you always have?
Ask the Lord to help you today, continue to allow him to perfect faith in you. Expect him to not only change how you think but to mold and remake your entire character to become His person of Faith.
[For more quotes on faith check out http://readyfaith.com/2018/05/15/key-quotes-on-faith/]