believe – Growing in Faith

Faith…Compassion

“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 (AMP)

If you’ve lived on earth long enough then you have judged someone based on your own preconceived ideas of what that someone of a particular skin color, gender, clothing, and or how they talk, etc. I am very guilty of that myself.

Stereotypes, in my humble opinion, are the major cause of hatred, bigotry, and prejudice that plague our society. A black teen gets shot for being black and wearing a hoodie, a blond haired woman is assumed to be ditsy and unintelligent, and most recently, people of Asian decent are blamed, attacked and killed due to the Covdid19 Pandemic.

When I was in middle school I heard some really mean things said about Hattians. As a result I thought that all Hattians were poor and stupid. However, that all changed when I started interacting with Hattians and got to know them for myself. As of today some of my best relationships are with people of Hattians decent. They are some of the most real, loyal, and beautiful people I know.

What does Faith have to do with compassion? In order to have compassion you must give people you know nothing about the benefit of the doubt that you have against them. If you don’t like a certain group of people or person for whatever the reason, do something different. Do not put your myopic, erroneous and stereotypical views on them. Seek to know, to understand and to have compassion on them.

This is what Jesus did for you. Pay it forward. Show compassion. Hate evil. Love people.

“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.” – Matthew 7:12 (AMP)

Faith…Progressive

“Do not be afraid to step out on faith. Chose faith over fear. Be Progressive.”

According to the The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, the word Progressive is an adjective which means:

Moving forward; advancing.
Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments.
Open to or favoring new ideas, policies, or methods.

Moving forward requires faith. A lot of people get comfortable in life and stop advancing, growing, and progressing. When this happens stagnation sets in and then you do the opposite of progressing, digressing.

It is so easy to get comfortable. Especially in developed countries that all filled with luxuries and amenities. The people in these countries do not worry about food, shelter, clothing, or clean water. They have jobs, healthcare, entertainment and more comforts than you can think of. It’s easy for a person to be stuck as a middle class citizen especially the upper middle class. They aren’t struggling, yet they have to work a 9-5 in order to maintain that lifestyle.

Last year in 2020 I had the mindset like that. I was comfortable. I was not interested in learning anything new, I wasn’t advancing at work, and I wasn’t thinking about new ideas or possibilities. I got up, went to work and went home, then got up went to work and went home. My stagnation had turned to digression and I was lifeless. While in that state of mind I never lost faith that things would get better for me, and they did.

Toward the end of 2020 and since that time I have had a complete turn around and I started progressing once again. What started this change? For starters, I made my relationship with God my number one priority. How did I do that? I started spending quality time with Him early in the morning. The next thing I did was listen to my wife, as we had a conversation about my lack of progress. I took it to heart and made a choice to start progressing once again.

Progression can be challenging because you don’t know what will happen next, you are in suspense, and you can’t see the outcome. That is where faith comes in. Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) – Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

“Do not be afraid to step out on faith. Chose faith over fear. Be Progressive.”

Faith…Personal

“Faith is not a religion. Faith is relationships.”

I grew up in a faith based household and I was taught a monotheistic religion. I practiced that religion until I found something better, relationship. Relationship with the living God and relationships with people. There are over 4,000 religions in the world and they all claim to be correct. There are also subsets and different groups of those religions. I find that to be very confusing.

If I were searching for God, how can I find Him among 4000 religions? There isn’t enough time in ones life to do so. I had to simplify my spiritual life to relationships because following rules of religions is boring, predictable, and stagnant.

The faith that I grew up in was Christian…more specifically, Seventh-Day Adventist. I thought I was good as long as I followed all the rules. After going through a dark season in my life, I realized that relationships are superior to rules and when you foster healthy relationships, the rules are naturally followed.

I still believe in Jesus Christ and I still keep the 7th day holy. The difference is my motives for doing so. Under religion I did it because those were the rules. Now that I’m focused on relationships I naturally keep the rules because I love Jesus and I love people.

“Faith is not a religion. Faith is relationships.”

Faith…Perseverance

“Those who give up never succeed. Those who persevere always succeed.”

Perseverance is defined as: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Most people can accomplish a lot when they are in ideal circumstances. You had loving parents, you went to the best schools, you got the ideal job, you married the ideal spouse, etc.

What happens to those accomplishments when you had abusive parents, you went to sub-par schools, you work at fast food restaurants, and you’ve been divorced a few times? In your opinion, which is greater: achieving success with little difficulties or achieving success with multiple difficulties? I am of the persuasion that achieving success despite numerous difficulties is a step up than achieving the same accomplishment with little resistance.

For instance, you will never achieve an athletic body without exercising. You must work your muscles by adding weight (resistance) in order to grow them. The same thing is true for your mental and spiritual health.

How does faith apply to perseverance? While going through difficult situations, you must believe that somehow you will survive and achieve. You must have faith that you will win. You must have faith that you will grow. You must have faith that you will be better off persevering through challenges and difficulties than if you had no resistance.

“Those who give up never succeed. Those who persevere always succeed.”

Faith…Enduring Difficulties

I won’t give up! I won’t give in! I’ll keep my head up and I will win!

If you are like me, then you hate going through difficult situations; trauma, abuse, theft, mental anguish, and hopelessness. These are what I call the difficult aspect of an otherwise beautiful life.

No one is immune to it. No matter your culture, skin color, economic status, sexual orientation, or gender. It doesn’t even matter if you are a child or an adult. Life happens to us all.

How should we as human beings endure hurt, pain, and suffering? One way of doing so is to have faith. Faith that the difficulty is only temporary. Faith that the difficulty is in our lives for a specific reason. Faith that we will grow and come out better as a result of the difficult situation.

There is a scripture in the book of Psalms that says: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, second part) That means that there is always light at the end of the tunnel for those who have faith.

“I won’t give up! I won’t give in! I’ll keep my head up and I will win!”

Faith…True Success

“If you can think it…you can do it.”

There are 3 definitions for success: 1. the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. 2. the attainment of popularity or profit. 3. a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity. To summarize, success is when you accomplish what you set out to do.

It sounds simple. I have a goal, dream, or vision and I accomplish the goal, make reality the dream, and manifest the vision. If it is so simple, then why aren’t more people successful? Why don’t more people attain greatness and reach their full potential?

That’s where faith comes in. Most people have goals, dreams and visions, yet, they do not believe they are capable of completing them. They become a self-fulfilled prophecy and their own worst enemy by their negative thinking: “I’m too young.” “I’m too old.” “I don’t have enough money.” “I have a scarred past.”

One of the differences between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people say, “I can.”, while unsuccessful people make excuses. What if Thomas Edison gave up on the light bulb? What if Harriet Tubman gave up on the idea of freedom? What if Steve Jobs gave up on his products? What if Martin Luther King, Jr. gave up on his dream?

There is greatness within all of us, that includes you. In order to tap into that greatness we need to stay connected to the One who created us. He wants you to be successful. Believe in Him and He will help you believe in you and will give you the tools you need to be successful.

“If you can think it…you can do it.”