“The faulty notions of faith.”

A thought by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 190). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

As James says, “Only when faith replaces doubt in the life of a believer can the joy of knowing God become a reality.” But what is faith? We have a lot of faulty notions of faith. So don't you think that is a good place to start to answer the question?

So what are some of the faith is nots? Here is one. James says: “Faith is not an ostrich, head-in-the-sand and denying the obvious or the inevitable. It’s not pretending that something is real when deep down you really don’t believe it. That’s fear, not faith.”

Another one, “Faith is not anti-intellectual, either. Faith is not a warm feeling that requires you to check your intellect at the door. That’s feeling, not faith.”

“Faith is not a stained-glass and dreamy sort of Little-House-on-the-Prairie escapism. I cannot stay in church again, hiding from reality, ignoring the world around me. That’s fluff, not faith.”

“Faith is not some motivational seminar, with some high-powered guru calling for breathing exercises or self-relaxation and self-confidence, telling you to picture a better future. That’s fad, not faith.”

“It’s not some stupid positive mental attitude, a you-have-to-keep-believing thing. It’s not ignoring the pain and embracing optimism regardless of the evidence in front of you. That’s foolishness, not faith.”

So faith is not fear, not feeling, not fluff, not fad and not foolishness.

James says, “Faith is active confidence in the God who has revealed Himself, not some presumptuous uncertainty about a someone, somewhere out in space. God has proven Himself real again and again, and if you’ve not experienced His reality, you can.”

Yes, you can.

So have you?

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