1 Peter 1:6-9 – “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls.”  NKJV

The life that we have been called to through the Blood of Jesus is based on Faith and that Faith is the most precious possession we have on planet earth.  It is more precious than gold and it is only when we are exercising faith that we are at our fullest potential as human beings.  That is why we are here on planet earth!  We are to demonstrate and manifest the fullness of God in our lives.

That faith is always ‘tested’ and ‘tried’.  It is not a sideline hobby but a life!  Faith, in reality, is ‘my response’ to the revelation of God.  It never initiates anything new it responds to God.  God is the initiator and when He comes with a revelation of Himself and we respond, trust and rest in that revelation we manifest the demonstrated character of God who cannot lie!  Man was created to walk in faith.  It is as natural to human life as breathing.  It is not a ‘work’ it is a ‘demonstration of life’.  Remember we are made in the ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ of God and God is faith so if we are created in Him image and likeness we have the deposit of faith He has placed in our hearts.  It is our responsibility to ‘respond’, ‘trust’ and ‘rest’ in His word and it is there we operate in faith!  We are to live ‘in His presence’ and that is the atmosphere of faith!

Faith is life and that was the goal or target toward which man was created.  We were created so that we could be filled with the fullness of God’s Glory or filled with the fullness of God!  God is love and as we are filled with Him we are filled with love and out of that flows God’s love to the world.  That is a life of faith!  That was the goal but a problem occurred along the way.  It happened in the Garden of Eden and the problem is called SIN.

We use the words ‘sin’ and ‘sinner’ and sadly they are old English words that few truly understand in our modern world.  Too often I have heard church people looking down their noses as others say, “Sinner!”  The word SIN means ‘to miss the mark’.  There is an obscure verse in Judges where is says the men of Benjamin were says that the men of Benjamin were left handed but they were ‘experts’ with the sling and they never ‘missed the mark.’  Therefore since they always hit the target they were not sinners or mark missers!

Unfortunately for many it is not they we have been trying desperately to ‘hit the mark’ and just keep missing.  It isn’t that the target has been set up and no matter how hard we try we ‘miss the mark’.  NO! NO!  The problem is that man set up an alternate target.  It isn’t just that he missed God’s mark but he set up a completely different target.  So we are missing the mark because we are shooting at the wrong target.  The devil inspired man to set up a different target thinking he could live independently of God in his own strength.  It is not that he does not believe God exists it is that he believes God is over there doing His thing and man over here doing his thing and occasionally they will get together and discuss things then off you go again on your own.  He is ‘up there’ and we are ‘down here’.  We might not admit it but too often we view Him as an ‘absentee landlord.’  Man believed THE LIE and exhibited faith in that lie rather than faith in God.

When Jesus went to the Cross He ripped down the veil and not only exposed our sin and opened the door to forgiveness but opened the door to access to God.  Now through the work of the Cross we have access to the presence of God and a life of faith!

I want to address this area a little more but for now I pause and say, “May God bless you and be with you as you go through this day!”