The Progressive Faith in the Christian Life

Hello fellow believers in Christ, welcome to my blog site! You’re probably here because you’re interested in reading something inspirational or finding some encouragement on some Christian website that you randomly found on google. Or mabye you felt the Holy Spirit tug on your soul a little and wants you to dig deeper into the love of Christ, so you’re looking for answers. I want to do something a little bit different rather than make “just another Christian blog,” so allow me to explain why this blog was created.

Like some of you, I grew up in the Christian home. I went to church as well as a private school. I had mentors, good friends, and a lot of other people in my life who cared about me. I was even involved in a Men’s Bible Study for five years (I still am, by the way). I had read sooo many stories of Christians who experience God in divine or radical ways, and I think to myself, “Why is my life so quiet? Why do I not experience what they do? Why does this younger kid seem to have a more tangible connection with God than me? Is the Christian life today so… soft and subtle for some believers? I guess I grew up like Timothy quietly in the church.”

As life went on throughout high school and the previous four years after graduation, I unknowingly settled for less in my faith in Jesus. I felt that if I just patiently prayed for years and years, God would eventually give it to me at the right time. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the Bible, I had all the answers, I believe in the forgiveness of sins and that Jesus is the Son of God, and I knew I should trust in a sovereign God throughout my life by faith. Oh, and I believe that God can still perform miracles today if He chooses. In fact, I experienced a few that I will go over as time goes on. All in all, that seems to be the gist of it, right?

While that side of the fence is clearly green, I seemed to be stuck on the dead side and I grew increasingly frustrated. There’s this odd cycle that I experienced again and again. Night after night, year after year, I asked God for deliverance. I asked for help, wisdom, and empowerment. I asked Him to reveal Himself to me, speak to me, guide me and draw me closer to Him. I routinely practiced my popcorn prayers- start with confession, then a little thanksgiving followed by a list of wants. Very rarely would I notice something so obvious that it HAD to be the work of God, but all in all, nothing was really happening in my quiet Christian life. It felt as though God gave me all these promises and His joy, but it seemed I had to figure out certain aspects of my life on my own. Was He really as silent as people say He is in today’s world, or was I just that close-minded to who He is, and not just what He promised me?

Over the past few months, God has been teaching me more and more about faith through a study book I’ve been going through with my lovely significant other. We underestimate faith and what it really is, and we conclude faith to be a mere inner belief. We use the generic response when someone asks us what faith is: it’s a gift from God that enables us to believe. We live by faith, not by sight. Let me be very, very clear here: Faith isn’t just a deep-rooted belief, it’s a lifestyle. It is the rope that we must hold onto as God tugs us through life.

When I have the time, I will write blogs about the things I have learned in regards to faith and the Christian life. One of the greatest things we can do as Christians is simply share our testimonies and help each other grow. Iron sharpens Iron. So, to do things differently as previously mentioned, every blog I write will be more of a progressive walk with me and my life rather than just a lesson for you to think about. In some blogs, some information I share may be taken from the study book I’m going through, but it will be referenced. I hope that as time goes on, you begin to recognize spiritual awareness a little more. By no means am I perfect or set myself as an example, but if you are an individual who struggles to see a proactive God in his or her life, then checking out my blogs may be of some help to you – I hope. Let’s gain a fresh perspective, learning to recognize faith and the mysterious ways that God works. Let’s walk and talk together and, ultimately, believe in Jesus more faithfully.