Impassioned Desire vs. Confident Trust
Faith means a lot of different things to different people. I’ve often heard questions like, “Do you have much faith?” or “Do you have enough faith?” On the surface, these sound like objective questions—but in practice, they’re often asked in vague and fuzzy ways.
Usually, people are talking about whether someone has enough faith to believe that something they hope for will happen:
“Do you have faith that you’ll get married?”
“Do you have faith that you’ll land that job?”
“Do you have faith that you’ll become successful?”
But biblical faith isn’t rooted in our personal desires or wishes for the future. Biblical faith is anchored in God—in who He is, in what He’s said, and in what He’s done.
Paul wrote that faith “comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith is not something we drum up emotionally—it springs from the message of Christ. It's a response to God's revealed truth.
In 2 Corinthians 1:20, we’re reminded that a...
Are You Receiving The Word As It Really Is?
We are bombarded with input all day every day. Our minds can feel saturated, bloated and unable to absorb much more. However, it is critical that we remember that not all words are equal in value. Different messages carry varying levels of importance, and we must stay alert to weigh them well. If we aren’t paying attention we may miss some key communications, or we may give too much time or effort to things that don’t deserve it.
The apostle Paul commended the believers in Thessalonica for rightly receiving the Word of God when it was shared with them. He said they received it “Not as human words, but as it actually is, the Word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)  And, he described that the message came not just “With words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5)
It’s important that we make intentional time to read and ingest the Bible. It is not like any other writing in all history – it is “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebukin...
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