The Journey of Faith (1)

When it comes to this, I guess everyone knows that Abraham was considered a father of faith. He's always associated with his journey of faith, how he trusted God for the miracle son Isaac, and how by faith he was counted righteous.

Note: Abraham was accounted righteous not because he was perfect in following the instructions of the Lord. Nor was he flawless and without mistake in his journey of trusting God and figuring out the call of God in his life. Nor was it because of something that he did that he was accounted righteous. He was accounted righteous because he placed his faith on God.

Do you know why faith is a journey? Because a lot of times we don't see something coming to pass with our natural eyes and in our own understanding. A lot of things that God has spoken to us and promises that He has given seem unlikely to happen. Or because we try to help God to fulfil His promises. Or because we value the blessing that God has given previously more than believing in the Blesser who can bless us even greater. It's a journey of faith because it is learned over time, sometimes even painstakingly.

When the Lord first spoke to Abraham about his calling to become a father of nations, he did not have a child. The Lord told him to get out of his own country to a land that He will show him and He will make Abraham a great nation, blessing him to become a blessing to the earth. God actually wanted Abraham and his wife alone to fulfil this great promise, but Abraham brought a long his father and his nephew Lot.

Perhaps Abraham thought that his father was able to give him sound advices because of his age, and obviously Abraham respected his father and loved him. If put in today's context, we look up to our spiritual leaders, giving them the highest regard and respect because of their calling and the good advices they have given to us. We are affectionate with them because they have laid down their lives to love us and shepherd us as their flock. But many times, we take them as an easy way out to experience God, rather than experiencing God first hand.

I recognise that there is a stage in a Christian's walk of faith to rely on spiritual leaders to feed them with the Word and to teach them spiritual truths, and we continue to feed on the 'pasture' that our spiritual leaders feed us with, especially what our pastors preach on Sunday. However, it is our individual responsibility to see ourselves grow to a point that we know we cannot keep relying on them to feed us. Just like our mothers stop feeding us milk and move on to solid food, and then move on to having us find food for ourselves, spiritual leaders are there not to cradle us whole life, but to point us to Jesus. At some point of my journey of faith, I've come to realise that I can't be a baby relying on my spiritual leaders anymore. I can't treat them like a teddy bear to hug and hang on to when I'm going through a bad time. I can't treat them like a prayer vending machine. Because I've realised no matter how much I'd love to talk about my situation and try to get their analysis, advices and their sympathy, and finally a prayer, it's up to me to sort things out. It's up to me to make the right decisions and do the right things to resolve the situation. It's up to me to seek God for help, because ultimately He is the solution and the answer to all our challenges.

So I have made this decision: I will seek You, Lord. When I call, You will answer, because that is what Your word says. I will experience You first hand and not through a second revelation. There is a place for spiritual leaders to step in and to give us Godly advices, but if You mean me to become a spiritual leader myself one day, then I ought to grow up. I ought to give up looking to my spiritual leader for solutions and advices. If I really believe that God, You are my answer to every situation and the solution to every challenge, then why can't I believe that You will tell me what to do? I will look to You, the beginner and the finisher of my faith.

I'm not saying going to your spiritual leaders is wrong or bad; I'm just saying if the Lord meant us to grow and become disciples that will take nations, we've got to start feeding from the right source. If we truly believe that Jesus is the answer to the world, then we ought to experience Him first hand as the answer to our problems and challenges. If we truly believe all that we are singing about "everything I need is You", then we need to stop looking to human solutions and human wisdom, and start looking at Jesus and His heavenly wisdom. If we would ever receive a revelation, it has to come directly from Him.

Human methods and solutions will only meet earthly needs; spiritual needs requires spiritual solutions that is found only in the One who saves. Let's begin this journey of faith, of trusting our God is really, truly, undoubtedly, all we need.