If I'm going to call myself a person of faith, I need to be willing to live a life that actually requires faith.

Faith never denies reality but leaves room for God to grant a new reality.

Faith deals with the invisible things of God. It refuses to be ruled by the physical senses. Faith is able to say, 'You can do what you like, because I know God is going to take care of me. He has promised to bless me wherever he leads me.' Remember that even when every demon in hell stands against us, the God of Abraham remains faithful to all his promises. Jesus Christ can do anything but fail his own people who trust him.

We see now why the great target of Satan is to break down our faith. He knows all too well that the righteous live by faith, so he aims at cutting our lifeline to God. Faith is like the hand that reaches up to receive what God has freely promised. If the devil can pull your hand back down to your side, then he has succeeded. All of God's intended supply will just stay where it is in heaven.

What has become of standing unashamed for the gospel of Christ? No one is smarter than God. When he says to do his work in his way, we can be assured that he will produce his results for his glory. We don't need to get "creative" on him. God knows exactly what we need to do and expects us to trust and obey him in childlike simplicity.

My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land, and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear.

I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father Tom had told me--that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.

Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier.

Faith is like electricity. You can't see it, but you can see the light.

Any time you establish new territory for yourself, you've got to feel good.

Because the truth is, we all die. And once we've stepped into eternity, all that will matter is if we remained faithful to the Lord through this short life on earth.

The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived.