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fully believe or trust in God.
Faith is no more than believing something is real because you believe it to
be real. If you believe in God, then you must fully trust him with every
aspect of life.
Here's what the Bible tells us.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard
through the word of Christ (Romans 10:13). And also:
Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust
also in me [Jesus speaking here] (John 14:1). Since faith in God comes
through the message of the Bible, one must believe in the truth of the Bible
to form a basis of faith. You must then be able to trust God with all things
because that same message tells us to trust in God.
Will
Will is the mental powers manifested as wishing,
choosing, desiring, or intending; the power of controlling one's actions and
emotions.
Our actions should never be guided by our feelings and
emotions because these two parts of our being can be misleading. Committing a
sin can make us feel good if we obtain something we want. On the other hand,
a loss of something that was obtainable because we do God's will instead of
ours can sometimes make us feel bad. In these two cases, following our
feelings would lead to the wrong actions. What we need to do is mesh God's
will and our will. God's will can be found in both the Bible and in being led
by the Holy Spirit. It's up to us to decide whether we follow the right
course of action, the course set by God's standards. This can only be done by
placing our trust fully in God and repeating after Jesus when he prayed to
God: Yet not what I will, but what you will
(Mark 14:36).
Guidance
Guidance is the act or process of guiding; advice;
direction.
The book of Proverbs is filled with great insight. As
for wisdom and guidance, Psalm 3:5-6 tells us: Trust in
the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. Once
we're sure we're being led by God, we should follow. We don't need to think
about it or get advice from our family and friends. The longer we think about
what we should do, the more likely we are to ignore God and follow our own
feelings and emotions. This isn't saying we should drop everything at even a
hint of guidance from God. Not all suggestions that come our way are from
God, so following the wrong guide can lead us away from God's intended
course.
So how do we know if it's God's guidance? Search the
Scripture concerning our course of action. Look for circumstances that
present the opportunity for action; God won't tell us to do anything without
making the way clear. Use our higher judgment, what God has taught us so far.
And, finally, listen carefully to the Holy Spirit. God uses these four ways
to communicate his will for our lives. God won't contradict himself, so if
any of these four ways contradicts any of the other ways, then it's not God
leading us. Trust God's Word, his ways, and his ability to open the door to
know what it is God wants you to do.
Doubts
Doubts are uncertainties of belief or opinion.
Probably the biggest problem a lot of Christians face
isn't sin, but doubt. The first two doubts are generally found in new
Christians - they doubt God is real and they doubt the truth of the Bible.
These aren't continuous doubts and occur only infrequently, but when these
thoughts occur they're usually quickly shoved aside. There are, however,
doubts that may come more frequently, in new as well as more mature
Christians. We may doubt there's a place called heaven, our sins really are
forgiven, or we can ever have a personal relationship with God. All we need
to do to erase these doubts is to turn to the Bible.
I the Lord, speak the truth; I
declare what is right (Isaiah 45:19). God has told us he speaks the
truth. God will |
