From all harm safe in His sheltering arm. I'm living by faith and feel no alarm

 

And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.--Luke 17:5

 

Sometime when I am alone and beginning to feel tired and lonely, I will begin to sing and one of the songs that means  a lot to me is "Living By Faith". Every verse of that song is a proclamation of a strong faith in God--And how wondrous is that chorus:

 

  "Living by faith in Jesus above, Trusting, confiding in his great love

   From all harm safe in His sheltering arm. I'm living by faith and feel no alarm."

 

The importance of faith in God can never be overstated (Heb. 11:6). I only pray that we understand the need  for our faith to grow stronger as we travel on this side of eternity. We are weak, frail human beings and without a strong faith in God we will falter. The word of God describes faith using four different words: Little (Matthew 14:31; Weak (Rom. 14:1; Great (Luke 7:9) and Strong (Rom. 4:20). As you think about your faith today,  ask yourself which of these words best describes your faith? Just what kind of faith do you have? I pray we all understand two things about our faith. First, our faith will grow stronger and greater only in proportion to our zeal and enthusiasm in feeding ourselves spiritually and then doing the will of God to the best of our ability. Secondly, never forget for a moment that faith based upon God's promises can accomplish wondrous things.

 

Today, does your faith cause you to have confidence in some of the great passages of God's word. Before you answer that, think about Matthew 6:33,"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness". If that is not a description of your faith, none of the other great passages will mean anything to you. Passages such as Col. 3:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17; Matt. 5:14-16; Matt. 6:19-21; 1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 1:12. In fact, study the entire 12th chapter of Romans, the entire chapter 4th chapter of Ephesians and once you do, ask yourself again, What kind of faith do I have? Is it little or great? Is it weak or strong? Hebrews 6:19 speaks of our having an anchor for our soul, one that is sure and steadfast and tells us that hope is that anchor. The strength of that anchor lies entirely in the kind of faith we have in God. Without a strong conviction and trust in God there will be no hope and if there is no hope there is no anchor and if there is no anchor then we will drift aimlessly through this life and one day die unprepared to meet God in judgment. Again, I ask, What kind of faith do you have in God?

 

Charles Hicks

White House, Tennessee