Lifeway Research recently released the results of part of its Transformational Discipleship study. The attribute addressed in this portion of the study was that of “exercising faith.” The study measured the responses to a set of statements that were indicative of a person’s level of faith.
According to the survey results, the longer a person has trusted Christ as his Savior, the better his responses were to the statements used in the survey. For instance, one of the statements used in the study was that during difficult times, I “sometimes doubt that God loves me and will provide for my life.”
Of course, the benefit of studies and surveys is no better than the willingness of those responding to the questions to be truthful. But the result of Lifeway Research’s survey is consistent with what you would expect. That is, you would expect that Christians who have been in the faith a long time and who are growing in spiritual maturity are more capable of trusting God and praising Him during difficult times.God promises to be with us no matter what we are faced with. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers….shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Paul the apostle was inspired to write (Romans 8:38-39).
But although the Bible promises that God is with us no matter what we are faced with, such truths alone will not result in our ability to trust Him in difficult times. I am saying that this level of faith in God is not happenstance. It only exists in those who are progressive in the area of spiritual maturity. Sometimes, I hear a Christian say something like, “It does not take all of that.” The person's point is that we are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; accordingly, we don’t need to spend so much time in prayer and Bible study and serving the Lord. A person who says that is absolutely correct—as far as salvation goes.
But there is another side to the story. If we want or need to receive something from God, we must be able to trust Him. In fact, the Bible says we must “ask in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:6). But again, that kind of faith in God during difficult times does not just happen. Rather, it exists in those who are progressively growing in the area of spiritual maturity. Copyright © 2013 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
