Transforming Faith

"Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible.  There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible.  Faith begins where man's power ends."
                                                                                                                     George Muller




Each one of us carries within us a God-sized dream.  It may relate to our family, or business, or ministry.  Whatever it is, if it is from God, it extends beyond our natural ability and will require a deepening of our faith.  In fact, our God-sized dream will often involve a fight of faith that transforms us in the process.

When God places a dream in our hearts, there is almost always a time of testing and trials.  This occurs so that we know with certainty that it is God's dream and not our own.  Additionally, our character must match the dream God has given us.  Most of the time we don't easily recognize the weaknesses in ourselves that need to be strengthened. But God does, and He is faithful to complete the work He begins in us.

Shortly after God gave Joseph a dream about his life, he was dropped in a pit, sold as a slave, taken to Egypt, and bought by Potiphar.  And that was when his troubles really began!  Over time, however, Joseph was sustained by God's power and he remained faithful under fire.

He perservered despite being trapped, imprisoned, and forgotten.  He learned that God's power was greater than anything that could be done to him.  Objectivity and faithfulness emerged in the midst of pressure and hard times.  He recognized that God is not restricted by our circumstances and that God can even cause us to flourish even as bad things are happening to us.

When God is the owner of our dream, our destiny can never be thwarted by another person.  He is the author and the center around which all things move.  He will allow us to be broken at times, however, so that we will wholly become available to Him.  He will bring our dream to fruition as we surrender to Him, wait for His timing, and quit fighting the trajectory He has established for our lives.

Humility and meekness will allow us to receive God's grace and even to enjoy the difficult times and places of our journey.  We will discover our voice, and calling, and begin to visualize the path laid out before us. During the times when we feel "stuck", we realize that we are not yet ready for our dream to be actualized.

There are phases in our faith that we experience as we walk out our dream.  The five phases are: Encumbrance, Enduring, Expectant, Entrenched, and Enthusiastic.  All of these phases are fluid and have gently and lovingly been filtered through God's fingers so they may produce the harvest in our lives that God is seeking.

Phase one is some type of encumbrance.  It may be a problem we are encountering or possibly an obstacle to what we perceive God is calling us to do.  It is under the weight of this pressure that we either run from what God is calling us to do or we resolve to go deeper in our walk and seek God more completely.

Phase two is enduring faith.  This is where we begin to practice patience along with our faith.  The book of Hebrews tells us that the purpose in this is so that we will be "imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises" (Hebrews 6:12).

Phase three is expectant faith.  This is when we begin to take God at His Word with no visible evidence.  We stand on God's Word and expect that He is faithful and He is able to complete all that He has spoken concerning us.

Phase four is a faith that is entrenched.  This means that somehow God will confirm His Word and promise to us.  It may come through the Scriptures, a sermon, or a prophetic word or prayer.  Whenever we seek answers and guidance, God promises us that He will provide them.

Phase five is enthusiastic faith.  This is when we see God's promises fulfilled and we begin to walk out the dream that God has given to us.  We are jubilant and cannot wait to share with others what God has done!

There are so many benefits to living a life of faith that is all-encompassing.  John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, describes it this way: "True Christian faith fulfills man's desires to perceive the eternal.  It gives him a more extensive knowledge of all things invisible.  Living faith introduces him to what the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor the heart conceived in the clearest light, with the fullest certainty and evidence.  Knowing these benefits, who could not wish for such a faith?  With faith comes not only this awareness, but also the fulfillment of the promise of holiness and happiness."

Everything about this kind of faith focuses on Jesus.  We begin to grow in Christ and inevitably become closer to Him.  The result is maturity that is displayed in a Christ-centered life.

This is the faith that transforms us.  It is faith that has the depth to allow the Cross to accomplish its perfect work within us.  The outflow will be the fulfillment of our God-sized dream that will be a blessing to others! So... Dream Big!!!


   "Faith is to believe what we do not see.  The reward of this faith is to see what we believe."
                                         Augustine (354-430), bishop of Hippo