Faith It until You Make It

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

At the climax of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana has to pass three supreme tests to reach the Holy Grail and save his dying father. The first test is "the breath of God." As he walks down a corridor, Indiana must bow down at precisely the right moment to keep from having his head cut off by large revolving metal blades. The second test is "the word of God." Indiana must walk on just the right stones—the ones that spell God's name in Latin—to keep from falling through the floor to his death. But the third test, "the path of God," is the most difficult. Indiana comes to the edge of a large chasm—about a hundred feet across and a thousand feet down. If I were Indiana, I would call "time out" on this test.

On the other side of the chasm is the doorway to the Holy Grail. The instructions say, "Only in the leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth." Jones says to himself, "It's impossible. Nobody can jump this." Then he realizes that this test requires a leap of faith. His father says, "You must believe, boy. You must believe!" Even though every nerve and fiber of his being screams that he must not do it, Indiana walks to the edge of the cliff ... lifts his foot ... and then steps out into thin air, hoping that somehow he won't crash to the floor of the deep chasm. Instead of falling, he is upheld by an invisible force. This is a powerful picture of what faith is all about. Without faith it is impossible to please God, but when we take that first step of faith and then another and another, our confidence and trust will grow with each step.

The beginning of a new year, a new day, a new job, a new relationship, or a new project is an excellent time for a faith checkup. Our success will largely be defined by our ability to faith it until we make it. A life characterized by faith or a life paralyzed by fear—which will we choose? Will we choose as Indiana Jones did and venture out, or will we simply call for "time out"?

Faith Is as Essential to Achievement as Air Is to Breathing

Faith is the key that unlocks the door to God's blessings and favor. He challenges us to trust him before we actually see the results. We are reminded in the Scriptures that without faith it is impossible to please God. The Christian life is an ongoing learning experience based on our ability and willingness to trust God as our divine provider and promise keeper.

In 2 Corinthians 5:7 we read that we are to live by faith and not by sight. Without a doubt, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God wants to create great things through us and our faith. While only God can see the number of apples in a single seed, with the eyes of faith we can see immense possibilities. Faith gives us the peace to imagine, to believe that we can do it, and to know that God will provide the resources necessary to make the dream become reality.

When I read about the great men and women of faith in the Bible, I'm inspired and challenged by their ability to trust God for the seemingly impossible. For example, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8 NIV). My faith grows and is strengthened when I read these words. God said to Abraham, "Go, leave the security of the known and take my unseen hand into the unknown." How simple, yet how profound!

If we choose to walk by faith and not by sight, it will not be easy. The faint of heart cannot walk by faith, but the faint of heart are not often successful either. If we dare to do great things for God's glory, we will be tried and tested—count on it! But as our faith grows stronger, the greater will be our determination to prevail. David Foster writes, "Faith is the ability to trust in advance that which will only make sense in reverse." How much faith do I need? How much faith is required? How do I build my faith?

Faith It until You Make It

In my life I have found I can faith it until I make it by working to follow these biblical principles:

• First, I choose to move from a risk-free safe zone into the riskier faith zone.

• Second, I surrender my fears to God.

• Third, I learn that problems and obstacles are a part of God's plan for building my faith.

• Fourth, I trust God's promise.

• Finally, I persist until I break through to a new level of faith.

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Moving from a Risk-free Safe Zone into the Riskier Faith Zone

All of us have what could be called "a spiritual comfort zone." A comfort zone is safe, easy, predictable, and manageable. In our comfort zones we are able to live and perform basically under our own power. We can handle whatever comes our way by our own intellect and our own planning. Life is very predictable, maybe even monotonous. There are no real surprises. We risk nothing. We choose to play it safe. We are comfortable, safe, and secure without any threats to our rather mundane existence. When we think of the past, we remember our failed attempts to risk anything very big because we fell flat on our faces. For the most part, we leave God out of our lives or compartmentalize or quarantine them so as not to intrude or affect the areas of our lives that we think are important.

Only one way is available for us to escape the unproductive comfort zone: we must choose to live daily in the faith zone. This takes a risk—a leap of faith. Each of us must admit: "I cannot do this in my own strength any longer. I really need to begin to trust God." God wants each of us to live in the faith zone. He will orchestrate situations, circumstances, and events that will stretch us again and again. He wants us to move from the safety of the shallow water into the unknown of the deep water of faith. There, in the depth of faith, is where God lives.

That unknown might come as a crisis, a crossroads, or a challenge that makes us so miserable, so desperate, and so restless that business as usual is no longer acceptable. The disciples fished all night without any success. Then Jesus told them to put their nets out into the deep water. John 21:6 tells us that they caught such an enormous amount of fish, the boat almost sank. Had they not attempted to risk everything, they would have continued to catch absolutely nothing. Like the disciples, it is time for us to move out of the safe zone into the faith zone.

It is okay to say no, but be forewarned: we will miss God's best for our lives. We will never get to see what God really could have done in our lives. Remember, the faith zone is where miracles happen. When we deliberately make the decision to enter the faith zone, we will feel very uneasy, unsafe, out of control, and uncomfortable at times. But we will come to depend on the Lord...