DAY 21
02/02/2025
VERSES TO READ:
- Ephesians 2:8
- Hebrews 11:1
- Romans 10:17
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
- Have you fully accepted God’s gift of faith? If not, take some time in prayer right now to ask Him to enable you to grow in His gift of faith—meditate on His word using the passages above to fully grasp that faith.
- If so, what are some experiences in your past where God gifted you His faith when you know you wouldn’t have naturally been able to trust Him on your own?
PRAYER TO PRAY:
Heavenly Father, thank you for all the things that come our way, confuse us, things we never would’ve chosen for ourselves—that these are the tools you use to build our faith. Thank you for the transformative grace that enables us to live the brand-new life you call all of your children to live—the life for which we were created. Praise you that we don’t have to hide in guilt when weak faith knocks us down, because our hope in life isn’t our faithfulness, but yours. Thank you that we can run in weakness and once again seek your strength. Praise you for the knowledge that in zealous grace you will not leave your handiwork (us) until faith fully rules our hearts unchallenged. Thank you for always giving freely what we need to do what you have called us to do. Amen!
“Faith isn’t natural for us. Doubt is, fear is, and pride is, but faith in the words and works of another isn’t, and for that there’s grace.” -Paul David Tripp
Have you ever done something that feels unnatural to you? Learning a new skill or giving a speech? (All the introverts said “amen”). Growing up, I used to write in cursive. When I got to high school and joined the public school system, I was highly encouraged by my teachers to “write normal” because they “couldn’t read what I was writing.” (Everyone’s a critic). So, I started my journey to change the way I have written for years. The process was frustrating and felt abnormal. I had to retrain years of muscle memory and felt embarrassed because I felt like I was learning how to write for the first time. Over time, a new writing style developed. My writing grew, and my academic life improved. Similarly, by leaning into what can seem unnatural for us, like having faith to follow Jesus, God, through His grace, will help us grow that faith.
God hasn’t just forgiven you—praise Him that He has—but He has also called you to a brand-new way of living. He has called you to live by faith. Now, here’s the rub. Faith does not come naturally for us. You know what does? Wondering what God is doing, thinking your life is harder than that of others, envying someone else’s life, and wishing life were easier and that you had more control. It’s typical for you and me to try to figure out the future. Worry and fear are natural. Wanting to give up is natural. It’s natural to wonder if all your good habits make a difference in the end and be occasionally haunted by the question of whether this belief you have staked your life on is true. But having faith isn’t natural.
This means that faith isn’t something you can work up inside yourself. Faith comes to you as God’s gift of grace (Eph 2:8). Not only is your salvation a gift of God, but the faith to embrace it is His gift as well. But here is what you need to understand: God not only gives you the grace to believe for your salvation, but He also works to enable you to live by faith. If you are living by faith, you know that you have been visited by powerful transforming grace because that way of living just isn’t normal for you and me. If you are still working toward living by faith, just ask God for help. He will give it! If your way of living is no longer based on what your eyes can see and your mind can understand, but on God’s presence, promises, principles, and provisions, it is because God has crafted faith in you.
