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| Head Faith, Heart Faith |
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11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
My faith has grown since I have become a Christian, but still I struggle with it daily. So when I read this phrase in Oswald Chambers “My Utmost For His Highest” daily devotional journal, I had to write something about it. The phrase went like this…” To turn head faith into personal possession is a fight always”. Head faith, to my understanding, is having faith in your head, but not really possessing it in your heart. To have faith in your heart, to “possess” it, is something that we struggle with every day.
God will constantly bring us into situations that will test our faith, cause us to question it, only to help us learn more about what faith means, what is required to possess it, and to cause us to search our hearts and souls to the deepest depths to discover our true beliefs and whether or not we have the ability and desire to stay close to God no matter what happens. This is heart faith.
If faith means that I remain true to God no matter what He allows to happen in my life, then I can say I have been truly tested and will probably continually be tested throughout life. I question some of the things He allows to happen. My heart knows He has things under control, but my head sometimes wonders. Yet, the older I get, the more I see God at work in my life and the lives of others, and how He has come through time and time again, not always in ways I would have thought of. But ways that give me the courage to believe He will do so again, and always.
3:11 Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live"; Galatians 3:11 RSV
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Lora |
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November 02, 2007 at 2:14pm |
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I can definitely relate to you! I had a head faith for many years and felt like I was missing something. Then it finally got into the heart!
But it is a struggle at times, sometimes it's easy to get back into just head faith when everything goes smoothly and we start depending on ourselves again and not on God.
Thanks for this excellent blog!! |
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Deb |
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November 02, 2007 at 2:20pm |
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| Lora, I am glad that this blog spoke to you. You are right, it is easy to fall into just having the head faith and not the heart faith. God keeps us in line though, and brings us back to depending on Him alone! Thanks for your comments! |
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JessIAm |
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November 02, 2007 at 2:45pm |
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| Thanks Deb. I've been learning this over the last few years. It's one thing for my head to know God loves me. It's another for my heart to accept it. |
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Deb |
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November 02, 2007 at 2:48pm |
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| Jess, I think we are all guilty of lacking in heart faith. It is only through experience and time that we develop the heart faith. |
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Deb |
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November 02, 2007 at 2:49pm |
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| Lara, thank you. |
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JessIAm |
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November 02, 2007 at 2:54pm |
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Howdy Deb, Jess, I think we are all guilty of lacking in heart faith. Your comment got me thinking: Is this something we are really guilty of, or is it just our condition, and God is working on us? I agree that not taking God at His word is a sin. In my life, when I focussed on my sin, guiltiness and shame, I never developed in my faith. God had to teach me He doesn't see me as a good boy if I don't sin, or as a bad boy if I sin. He just sees me as His kid. It's like He esteems me as a person, and also esteems my behavior. If I identify with my behavior to the point I get my identity from it, I'm saying that Jesus sacrifice (which allowed me to become God's kid) wasn't really good enough to change who I am. I don't know if that makes any sense. |
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Deb |
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November 02, 2007 at 3:04pm |
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| Jess, I used the word guilty in the general sense, not specifically...I should have perhaps used a different phrase, like "I think we all lack in heart faith at some point in our lives". It is true that this is something that God works on in us, and that in turn helps us to develop our faith. |
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JayKTX |
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November 02, 2007 at 5:52pm |
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You've written the truth and encouraged me. Thank you! I'm stuck right now in a place where I know in my head the truth and I have for a long time but it isn't faith because it isn't bringing me assurance or heart conviction. So I'm still in that fight to get the truth from my head to my heart. It's a tough one but since God is in the midst of it with me, I know there will be a victory. A big one 'cause the greater the fight, the greater the victory! |
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| Deb, great post! I use to struggle with this a lot. As an engineer (married to a physicist) we had to figure everything out...and most things we could. Lots of head faith. However, God kept stretching me and took me places where my ability was inadequate. I no longer was able to figure things out, so I had two choices...panic (or get depressed) or build a trust in Him...took a while, but over the years, I slowly chose to trust Him more and more. Not totally there yet, but closer than I was yesterday! |
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| Thanks for the post... I was in the head knowledge for so many years then the Lord opened my eyes and by the Grace of God I was saved.. In the last few months I have come to understand a little more about the Heart and how God doesn't judge the person but he judges the person's heart. (Hope that makes sense, it did in my head. lol). Love ya, thanks again for a wonderful post. |
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Deb |
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November 03, 2007 at 11:15am |
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Jay, thank you for sharing a part of your struggle. I share in that battle. I KNOW that God is there, and I know He can do anything, but I just struggle with believing that He wants to...Like you said though, He is in the midst of it with us, so we will have the ultimate victory!
Shannon, great scripture!
DC, Being married to an engineer, I know what you mean when you say you have to figure everything out. It sure isn't easy to rely only on God completely, but that is where He wants us, so He will keep giving us things that we can't handle on our own.
Cheryl, yes what you said makes sense. God sees what is on the inside, in our hearts, and our true feelings. He knows whether or not we are sincere. Thanks for your comments! |
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JessIAm |
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November 03, 2007 at 12:45pm |
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Howdy Deb,
I guess my view of the word guilt is colored by my self inflicted pain =D I really shouldn't react to that word so. Shame is the real issue. Guilt is where I admit to the wrong of an action. Shame is where I assume the wrongness of a person.
One of the biggest lessons in head to heart faith for me was this: God loves me so much, if I throw shame on myself for my past failures and my character defects, I'm disrespecting someone God loves deeply.
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Deb |
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November 03, 2007 at 1:07pm |
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| Jess, someone once told me something similar to what you said here. If we continue to punish ourselves for the things we have done wrong, then that means that God is not as powerful as we think He is, and that His forgiveness is not good enough. If He is able to forgive us, and love us anyway, in spite of our sin, then we should be able to forgive ourselves, and accept His forgiveness, and go on with our lives, a changed person. It took me a long to time to learn this, but I think I finally have. |
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Deb, thank you for the very encouraging word. As you said, what determines whether we are walking in head faith or heart faith is when trials come.
Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace. Oswald Chambers in Run Today's Race.
Thanks again and I always enjoy what you write :-) |
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Denise |
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November 03, 2007 at 10:00pm |
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| Great post Deb. |
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| You said: "If faith means that I remain true to God no matter what He allows to happen in my life, then I can say I have been truly tested and will probably continually be tested throughout life. I question some of the things He allows to happen. My heart knows He has things under control, but my head sometimes wonders. Yet, the older I get, the more I see God at work in my life and the lives of others, and how He has come through time and time again, not always in ways I would have thought of. But ways that give me the courage to believe He will do so again, and always." I say: "I could not agree with you more! It's amazing and so comforting to see it happen time and time again!" |
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Deb |
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November 05, 2007 at 1:27pm |
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Pastor Tim, thank you for your kind words. One thing that stuck out to me in what you said...:I will stick to my belief that God is love". We all need some "stick-to-it-iveness" in faith. There will be times it will be tested, no doubt about it. But we just have to stick to it.
Denise, thank you!
Yahschild, it is amazing how much it happens, especially when you look for it. Thanks for your comments! |
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The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please Him. Faith is essential!!
Regarding your comment to me: Thanks! Yes, we can only do what we can do, and then allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. :)
Be blessed! |
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