{"id":125,"date":"2023-09-02T06:27:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T12:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/?p=125"},"modified":"2023-09-08T11:33:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T17:33:00","slug":"uncovering-biblical-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/meditationsruminationsillumination\/2023\/09\/uncovering-biblical-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncovering Biblical Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u201c\u2026if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed you could say to this mounain, \u2018Move!\u2019 and it would go far away.\u201d<\/em> -Matthew 17:20*<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A tiny seed\u2019s worth of faith is very powerful
(author\u2019s photo\/personal camera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I love the wonderful world of Disney. And I know I\u2019m not alone in this sentiment. The made-for-tv shows and big-screen productions that come out of this dynamic entertainment company have positively impacted the lives of millions upon millions of people. The quality of the merchandise they send out is always top notch. They spread fun. They educate. They sponsor dreams. They inspire.<\/p>\n

However, there are a couple of underlying themes they advocate that raise my hackles, set my teeth on edge. One is the \u201cfollow your heart\u201d philosophy. As in: Just follow your heart. It will never steer you wrong.<\/p>\n

Uh\u2026 No. This is total nonsense.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a topic for a future commentary.<\/p>\n

The other underlying supposition Disney advocates is that believing alone brings magical results. As in: Simply believe and this or that will happen. Or everything will work out if you truly believe.<\/p>\n

Not so.<\/p>\n

With Eyes Wide Open<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The problem with the idea of \u2018just-believe-and-it-will-be-so\u2019 is its correlation with what many would say is blind faith.<\/p>\n

Blind faith is to possess a raw, zealous hope in or be firmly convinced of something contrary to logic or, in extreme cases\u2014despite clear evidence supporting the opposite<\/em>. An example might be seen in evolutionists who have never observed the process in action.<\/p>\n

With eyes anything but wide open, persons holding to this theory will insist that all life began in some primordial soup carrying simple-cell organisms down to their last breath. And <\/em>though evidence has demonstrated time and again that explosions immediately precede horrific messes, some insist that this beautiful, well-equipped, self-sustaining home we call Earth burst forth from the biggest, most chaotic \u201cbang\u201d ever\u2014an unfathomable release of power which, again, no one alive today has witnessed due to it occurring billions upon billions of years ago.<\/p>\n

Faith Explained<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In contrast, the holy scriptures define faith as \u201cthe assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities that are not seen.\u201d\u2013 Hebrews 11:1<\/a> <\/span>Translation: The sun will rise again after so many hours of night. We are assured of this because of past evidence. That being the demonstration of sunrise day after day for as long as men have been on this planet. Still, we must have faith or hope for the same to happen in the morning due to the fact that we can not seen tomorrow until it happens.<\/p>\n

True faith, in other words, is born from experience. From what has been witnessed. From fact.<\/p>\n

Faith Attained<\/strong><\/h3>\n*********
** The question is: Can a person build a solid faith based on what someone else has witnessed? Also, what if that someone else who witnessed this life-altering truth is now dead or is in some other way unreachable? But they took the time to write about the experience.<\/p>\n
** This is the situation with the Bible. All of the stories, the characters and events are related by writers who passed away centuries ago. So, then, one has to decide whether or to put faith in the author who inspired the writers. Yet, how to put faith in someone whom you can\u2019t physically see\u2014not, perhaps, without being incinerated on the spot anyway.<\/p>\n
** You have to resort to other proofs, other ways of \u201cseeing\u201d\u2014not an easy thing.<\/p>\n
** *********The amount of effort and time which must be sacrificed to \u201csee\u201d the Creator, the most Supreme being of all, takes intellectual, mental, and emotional endurance rivaling the kind needed to climb Mount Everest because so many things can crop up to disrupt the journey.<\/p>\n

Moving Everest takes just a little faith\u2013the sort founded in fact (commoms.wikimedia.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n*********
** If not stop you in your tracks. A sudden, soul-rattling fall, for instance. Still hundreds accomplish this objective and the blessed feeling of satisfaction and joy they attain is priceless, unforgettable.<\/p>\n
** However, that leaves billions<\/em> that don\u2019t climb Everest.\u00a0 In fact, billions won\u2019t even attempt such a challenge. Billions of others may dream<\/em> of doing so. Then, some major distraction enters the picture and they tell themselves \u201cnext year.\u201d\u00a0 Next year comes around and more distractions interfere. Or, worse, due to some tragic happenstance, they simply aren\u2019t even here anymore.<\/p>\n
** But, getting back to basing one\u2019s faith on what someone else testifies to\u2026 What if that someone isn\u2019t dead nor unreachable but, instead, is caught red-handed (as the saying goes) exhibiting unethical behaviors or deceptive practices in some unrelated societal context? Were this the case, continuing<\/em> to have faith in any spectacular experience that charlatan might swear to could amount to blindly believing.<\/p>\n
** *********Therein lies the rub. Too many people gain faith by vicarious means. Too many have, figuratively speaking, never actually witnessed a sunrise. Sadder yet, a few others witness faith-building events but fail to discern its significance. This is tantamount to going to watch the sunrise with a sleeping mask covering your eyes.<\/p>\n

Faith Maintained<\/strong><\/h3>\n***********
** Conversely, those who, like myself, have received concrete assurance(s) for believing what we do find it virtually impossible to dismiss their faith. Once it takes hold, real faith rarely releases that powerful grip. Almost nothing can uproot it. Even death or the threat of it can fail in overpowering this sort of faith.<\/p>\n
** ***********But that doesn\u2019t keep life from trying. Stuff happens that can rock faith to the core. Tribulations mount, one on top of the other. Temptations\u2014and not necessarily wicked ones\u2014do their darndest to distance us from faith. The worst is when doubts creep in. Doubts lead you to question reality and your sanity because how could a sane person have been convinced of something that unexpectedly seems so devoid of truth?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s traumatizing\u2014when your faith starts to unravel. And, yet, because of that same faith you\u2019re able to reach deep and fight. (1 Timothy 6:12)<\/a><\/span> Fight, not against<\/em> your doubts, but to examine and resolve <\/em>them. \u00a0Refocus, reflect upon the rising sun. Before you know it, you\u2019re whole again. Not only are you able to move forward with \u201can assured expectation of things hope for,\u201d but you do so with renewed power. (see James 1:3<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Rediscovering a faith which was nearly lost is definitely no easy feat. As nothing of worth <\/span>is easily attained. Yet, it is entirely possible to recover from having your faith so severely tested. How? Through holy spirit. After all, faith is a manifestation of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22<\/a>)<\/span>. No wonder it is a gift Jesus told us all to pray for. And \u201chow much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking Him!\u201d\u2014Luke 11:13<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

So then, <\/span>we should all beg Jehovah God for His holy spirit. Then we will all be blessed with faith backed up by evidence as concrete as the rising sun. Which beats simply \u201cbelieving,\u201d although wholeheartedly, any day.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

sunrise to sunrise<\/em><\/p>\n

waxing to waning moon\u2014how<\/em><\/p>\n

faith uproots mountains<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

*The Living Bible, Holman Illustrated Ed, 1973<\/h6>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"*************
** ************\u201c\u2026if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed you could say to this mounain, \u2018Move!\u2019 and it would go far away.\u201d -Matthew 17:20 \u00a0 I love the wonderful world of Disney. And I know I\u2019m not alone in this sentiment. The made-for-tv shows and big-screen productions that come out of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5294,"featured_media":131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,20,44],"tags":[47,53,59,56,50],"class_list":["post-125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-critical-thought","category-mindful-spirituality","category-reflection","tag-believe","tag-blind-faith","tag-disney","tag-endurance","tag-faith"],"yoast_head":"\nUncovering Biblical Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I love the wonderful world of Disney. 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