Exercising our Faith
Exercising our Faith
Space does not permit a full discourse on the subject of
faith. What can be said in this small post is that without faith, everything
else in our walk with God is in vain. No amount of knowledge of doctrines or
teaching will matter, if our faith not be exercised. I do not believe we can
ever have too much faith, but I do believe our faith can be weakened by lack of
use. For some of us, it can take very little for doubt to enter our thoughts
(James 1: 6-8). This should be a clear indicator that we need to spend more
time in His word and less time in the world.
When we commune with God through our time of prayer, our
faith is of utmost importance. Charles Spurgeon called faith “the ladder on
which my soul must walk to ascend to heaven”. Our faith, when exercised through
prayer, can be a powerful weapon in the lives of those we petition for. We may
not see the results immediately, but we know He is faithful and just to receive
them (Matthew 21:22; Philippians 4:6; James 1:5-6; 5:15-16; 1 John 5:14).
The examples below are drawn from the experiences shared by
Dwight Moody, the Chicago evangelist whose ministry encompassed the years of
the Civil War. They both encapsulate the power of faith through prayer:
“I
remember at one of the meetings at Nashville, during the war, a young man came
to me, trembling from head to foot. “What is the trouble?” I asked. “There is a
letter I got from my sister, and she tells me every night as the sun goes down
she goes on her knees and prays for me.” This man was brave, had been in a
number of battles, could stand before the cannon’s mouth, but yet this letter
completely upset him. “I have been trembling ever since I received it.” Six
hundred miles away, the faith of this girl went to work, and its influence was
felt by the brother. He did not believe in prayer; he did not believe in
Christianity; he did not believe in his mother’s Bible. This mother was a
praying woman, and when she died, she left on earth a praying daughter. And
when God saw her faith and heard that prayer, He answered her. How many sons
and daughters could be saved if their mothers and fathers had but faith.
At
Murfreesboro another illustration of this occurred. A young man received a
letter from his mother, in which she said something like this: “My dear boy.
You do not know how I am burdened for your salvation. Every morning and evening
I go into my closet and pray for you, that you may be led to the cross of
Christ. You may die in battle, or in the hospital, and, oh, my son, I want you
to become a Christian. I do not know but that this will be my last letter to
you.” Well, this young lieutenant came to me and said, “I have just heard of my
mother’s death, and I have prayed for forgiveness of my sins.” This young man
was converted just through his mother’s faith. Although she was in glory, her
voice was heard here.”
Moody, D.
L. (1877). New Sermons, Addresses, and Prayers
(p. 36). Cincinnati, OH: Henry S. Goodspeed & Co.
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