Discovering The True Character of Our Faith

How can we factually discern that our faith must discover its own character? Our faith, we believe, has found itself. Our faith, we believe, is what is. Our faith is, according to our denominational understanding and our interpretation of that understanding, in possession of an acceptable character. But to whom is that character acceptable when it says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10)?

The psalmist prays a profound prayer. The "me" to be renewed is not the individual themselves, but rather their "heart." This heart to be renewed and cleansed is not the psalmist's physical heart, but the heart of the psalmist's devotional character or conversation. This understanding comes from the verse, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6).

According to the scriptures, the heart of our conversation, or the spirit or character of our faith, is to be renewed or cleansed. This call for renewal is not for us personally, but for our devotional conversation. This is why it says, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15).

This represents a significant shift in traditional religious thought. We often believe that we, as individuals, are not pleasing to “God” and need some intercessor to become acceptable. However, the Bible plainly states that it is not we, as human beings, who are detestable to “God,” but it is our religious conversation that needs amendment.

It is not we, personally, that must be "holy," but rather our conversation, or how we inwardly and mentally carry our confidence in the living God. According to the Bible, our religious conversation is naturally erroneous because it is a product of the religious world. This theological and theoretical atmosphere is rejected by the one that once said, "I am not of the world" (John 17:16).

Here, "world" does not refer to the literal natural world. This verse from John is not about an individual's supernatural origin. Instead, "world" refers to the religious world, as understood from how it says: "I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing" (John 18:20).

When our religious confidence is born, it is conceived within the religious world according to a particular creed. This creed does not correctly represent the living God's devotional character. We understand this because the scriptures call for the resurrection of our conversation from it, as exemplified in Romans 12:2: "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

The Bible calls for our conversation to personally understand the character of its faith. The character of our devotional confidence cannot be found within the religious world. Finding our faith's character within the religious world would be akin to denying the principle, "Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:50). Since our faith is conceived in an atmosphere of spiritual and religious corruption, a necessary separation from that environment is demanded. This is why it says, "To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God" (Psalm 50:23).

So what does this mean? Does it mean that our conversation should remove its thoughts and feelings from its accustomed experience? Does it mean our faith should experience itself without a pastor, “expert,” or guru? Absolutely, and this has already been foretold: "I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them" (Isaiah 42:16).

We are "blind," not literally, but our conversation is misguided. However, there is a cure. Our conversation, by consenting to experience itself only with the scriptures, may abandon the rebuke: "Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17).

The Bible's primary concern is the condition of our conversation's thoughts and feelings. Its sole intention is the wellbeing of our faith's inward person. Will we allow the Bible's concern to become our own? Will we discover if this concern is true and sincere? Our faith and its conversation need to become aware of their condition. If the Bible expresses displeasure with our natural devotional character, we must exercise humility as we discover our confidence's reason for existing.

Embrace the journey of understanding your faith. Reflect on your devotional character and seek its renewal through the Bible. The true character of your faith lies not in traditional religious constructs but in a sincere, personal relationship with the words reflecting the mind of the living God.

The Power of Informed Hope

Worry and anxiety often stem from a deep-seated desire to control the uncontrollable. When we face variables that we inherently cannot manage, our minds spiral into a state of apprehension. This loss of control can lead us to act out of character, revealing our raw, untrained selves.

Our reactions to stress and frustration expose our true character. When we can't control a situation, our anxiety and unease surface. We may present a calm demeanor when things are going well, but challenging circumstances reveal our mental instability and uneducated character. This exposure is particularly stark when we desire a beneficial outcome but are unable to influence events as we wish.

Recognizing our true character in these moments is difficult. However, there are strategies to make this realization more bearable. The key lies in exercising faith and hope. Faith is often touted as the solution to anxiety, but understanding what faith truly means is crucial.

Faith is defined as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). In essence, faith is the result of hope. If we are anxious or worried, it's not because we lack faith, but because our hope is not well-founded.

To develop genuine faith, we must first cultivate informed hope. This process starts with knowledge. Paul emphasizes the importance of understanding in Ephesians 1:17-18, where he prays for wisdom and revelation to guide minds into knowing the hope of their calling. Knowledge enlightens our understanding and informs our hope.

An educated hope alleviates anxiety because it is based on a solid foundation of knowledge. Proverbs 11:9 and Isaiah 53:11 highlight the deliverance and justification that comes through knowledge. To have faith in anything, we need to understand what we are placing our hope in.

Our first step is to seek knowledge about what we hope for. This informed hope leads to a full and unwavering faith. When our hope is educated, it eliminates the root causes of worry and anxiety. An intelligent hope, purified by understanding, will not lead to unease.

Practical Steps to Develop Informed Hope:

1. Seek Knowledge: Understand what you are hoping for. Explore the reasons behind your hope.

2. Educate Your Hope: Ensure your hope is based on solid, factual knowledge rather than emotional willpower or misinformation.

3. Build Confidence: Let your informed hope guide you towards a stable and confident belief.

To overcome worry and anxiety, we must focus on building an informed hope. Faith, as the culmination of this hope, will naturally follow. By educating our hope, we create a foundation that is not easily shaken by life's uncontrollable variables. This approach not only alleviates anxiety but also leads to a healthier, more active life. So, before you tell yourself or someone else to "have faith," remember that you first need to seek knowledge and understand what you hope for. This informed hope will pave the way for a steadfast faith, free from worry and anxiety.

Live Well?

What does it mean to "live well"?

This phrase, "Learn how to live well," is written on the clothes I design, it is the main subject I write about, it is the main theme of my prayers, it fills up the content of my discourses, and when talking with me, you will hear me advise to learn to live well. But what does it actually mean? Where am I getting this phrase from?

I've learned this saying from within the Bible, where it says, "Learn to do well," Isaiah 1:17.

The number one instruction in the Bible is to learn how to do what is “well.” What, then, does it mean to do well? Because the inquiry is into the Bible's opinion of what is "well," we ought to silence our thoughts on what we believe is "well."

If I wanted to live well, I'm sure I could think of ways; whether they are injurious or not, because they come from the natural part of my being, who cares; of living well, but our inquiry, because we are honest enough to say with Paul, "That which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I," Romans 7:15, is in a philosophy greater than the philosophy naturally engraved into the human being. If I wanted to live well, I could never live well. I am not created with knowledge of well-living, which is why we ought, when desiring answers of government from the Bible, to silence our thoughts on what we believe is "well."

We actually do learn what is "well," and the living God does share with us what is "well" through the illustration of His chief apostle suspended between heaven and earth. "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances," Ephesians 2:15, His minister "hath redeemed us from the curse of the law," Galatians 3:13, teaching that the beginning of "wellness" is understanding that "the strength of sin is the law," 1 Corinthians 15:56.

To do "well" is to do exactly what this illustration is saying. If we would "do well,” we would refrain from what the living God has categorized as "sin" to honor the saying, "Put off concerning the former conversation the old man...and be renewed in the spirit of your mind," Ephesians 4:22,23.

Paul is citing the fact behind that illustration. What was crucified was an "old man" or an "old" devotional philosophy encouraging an "old" devotional manner. This "old" devotional philosophy is as Paul says, a religious conversation governed by "sin," which "sin" the living God terms, "The law." This "law" is the general code behind Moses' religious philosophy, which code teaches that justification and righteousness comes from doing what is handwritten by theologians. The crucifixion of that body means the annihilation of this religious philosophy, and when consenting to let the conversation die to this religious code of service, we are actually consenting to do what is, according to the Bible's philosophy, "well."

Why is "wellness" achieved when dying to the religious philosophy the living God has crucified, abolished, and abandoned? The answer is because personal and devotional health appears when the experience of the conversation’s conscience isn’t dictated by forces outside of that conscience’s will, even like as it says, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God," Romans 12:2.

What is actually happening when the devotional mind is actually being renewed? When the conversation is proving the living God’s words and its character is transforming into the devotional character of those words, what is actually happening? What is happening is, according to the living God, "wellness." Why is the renewing and transformation of the conversation's conscience considered to be the number one sign of "wellness"? The answer is found in the saying, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth," 1 Timothy 2:4.

Paul has, in one verse, explained the reality of "salvation," that it occurs when "knowledge" of the living God’s science is entered in to. If we are then correctly tracking the definition of "wellness," we are learning that the Bible's philosophy pronounces the conversation to be "healthy" when passing away from what it categorizes as "sin."

To the Bible, "sin" is defined as the philosophy of the religious law, which philosophy states that the person is perfect, intelligent, and divinely favored through executing what is handwritten or traditionally believed. Crucifying such a philosophy, the living God has removed this doctrine from His religious character, letting every willing mind know that "through knowledge shall the just be delivered," Proverbs 11:9. The regeneration of the conversation's conscience from that slain and abolished religious philosophy is the true definition of "salvation," which is why it is the living God's will that our faith's mind understands the knowledge or science of His mind's intention, because when enlightened, and when turning away from what is annihilated, the personal and devotional self will be "well."

So what does all this mean? How does any of this answer the question of "living well"?

To "live well" is to first begin to edify the devotional mind away from what is crucified. When "living well," our mind is actually drawing nearer to the living God's words without the support of popular theology and pre-conceived nations. When "living well," our faith's mind, as it proves the Bible's philosophy, is coming into contact with facts regenerating its understanding on the living God's religious character, and when this takes place, our devotional mind will begin to counsel our natural mind, giving to us the equilibrium we need to live in a state for developing peace.

So, what does it mean to "live well"? It means to become informed on what the living God has categorized as "sin," to refrain from it. Refraining from what is categorized as "sin," we embrace "wellness" by understanding the living God's logic behind categorizing the code behind Moses' religious philosophy as "sin." This understanding will lead to the beginning of learning how to live "well," becoming more inwardly whole through the knowledge we gain when learning of and proving the Bible's philosophy.

The goal of the Bible’s philosophy is for its words to reach our natural mind, to edify it. When refraining from what is spiritually inherited and self-cultivated, the exercising of our mind on the Bible’s words, and on our experience with those words, will give us good knowledge on how to live “well.” This is the entire point. We are to be rational beings living not according to our natural mind, but to the edified mind that is within. Honoring the devotional philosophy the living God calls “well” is the beginning of our inward wellness, which philosophy we need if we should ever think to reach our highest individual potential.