Testing Your Faith

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17

If you have been shopping recently, you have probably seen the portable blood pressure units in the middle of the shopping malls. Just insert 50 cents, slip your arm into the sling, and presto – 170/99. Gulp! How interested would you be if there were a faith testing device? One that you could operate in the privacy of your own home. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on which side of the ledger your faith is on, there is a way to measure it, and it doesn’t cost a dime to operate. Here it is: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed.” Obedience has always been God’s way of measuring our faith.

You need just one more sale to qualify for the big bonus. Just one little white lie to the prospective buyer will clinch it. Your flesh says, “Tell the lie, make the sale, and get the bonus.” The Spirit of God says, “I will prosper the man who is obedient.” Your faith is on the line.

Your calendar reminds you of an April 15 commitment and guess who’s coming for dinner? You can almost feel the cold hands of the IRS dipping into your savings. But your flesh reminds you that some undeclared income and a few devious write-offs could stay the hand of Uncle Sam. The Spirit brings to your remembrance “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21) and once again your faith is tested.

Why does God always have His children in between a rock and a hard place? Because faith grows best in that kind of soil and performs best on that kind of stage. Remember “to obey is better than sacrifice” (I Samuel 15:22). That’s the way I see things.