Episode 2765 - Lesson 8 - Tuesday May 19 - Faith is NOT a feeling

Faith Is Not a FeelingJesus said that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you’ll move mountains (Matt. 17:20). If you’ve ever seen a mustard seed, you know how tiny it is. Yet having faith this small can effect such huge change. Faith must, therefore, be very important and must also be powerful and strong enough to do something superhuman. However, just as a mustard seed can grow into a large tree (Matt. 13:31-32), our faith should grow and not remain static.Indeed, we need a measure of faith in order to have a relationship with God in the first place (see Rom. 12:3).What does Ephesians 2:8 tell us about the role of faith in being saved? Why can’t a person justly say, “I don’t have faith because God hasn’t given me any”?We must first understand that faith is not a material thing; it’s a human response prompted by the Holy Spirit. God is the gracious initiator, who, through the Holy Spirit, draws us to Himself when we allow Him to do so (Jer. 31:3). We’re saved by grace, through faith, which is a response to God’s grace given to us through Jesus’ death. We are saved because we believe in God as a result of His grace. This lies at the heart of having a relationship with Him.Next, we must remember that faith is not a feeling. “Many do not exercise that faith which it is their privilege and duty to exercise, often waiting for that feeling which faith alone can bring. Feeling is not faith…. Faith is ours to exercise, but joyful feeling and the blessing are God’s to give.”--Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 72.Some people might feel as though they don’t have faith because they don’t feel close to God or are not what they should be as a Christian. But faith is about believing and trusting God, not only in the good times but in darkness or in a storm, or even when you can’t fully understand what is going on in your life.Feelings should never dominate our religious experience or our relationship with God. It’s precisely when we think we’re distant from God that we need to exercise our faith and call on Him (as did the father in Mark 9:24).Look up the following Bible verses and claim them as an act of faith to strengthen your relationship with God today: Heb. 12:1-2; 2 Chron. 15:7; Rom. 3:23-26; Luke 7:50. Speak them out loud as part of your prayer to God.