Many of us view faith sort of like our Ford pickup’s license plates. Every year it is necessary to invest a little into our vehicle’s plates in order to keep that baby on the road. We pay the renewal fee, stick the fresh stickers over the old ones, wipe the work off our hands in satisfaction, and call it good.
But, when we approach faith in Jesus Christ as an annual renewal, we may share in a legally right relationship with the Living God, but not a morally and relationally living relationship with Him.
We may believe in a general sense that He died for us, but we lose the personal expectation that the work He did 2,000 years ago is powerfully usable and ready to be employed in our lives this very day. And, as a result, we live spiritually lackluster, defeated lives.
As opposed the to license plate mentality, I would argue that faith is more like the human digestive system. To stay strong, it demands food, and daily – multiple times. And if you do NOT daily labor to eat of the Truth of God’s Word, your faith fades and grows weak. Faith, to be real living faith must be exercised, it must be fostered, nurtured, and cared for. A victorious faith, is a faith that is tended to with great intentionality.
If you were an Olympic athlete, you would train hours each and every day and try hard to avoid losing your training rhythm and your fitness tone. You would whip your body into shape and discipline your life, your daily schedule, your diet, and your relational pursuits around a greater purpose. The same is true if you desire to become a real spiritual athlete. A victorious faith is one that is not found on accident. It’s cultivated with the same intensity that Jacob showed when he grabbed ahold of God in the night and refused to let go.
Let’s grab a hold of the Promiser! He will NOT fail us!