August 10, 2008

What is the Meaning of Faith?

This post has been inspired by my friend who goes by the name 'Mammoth'. I replied to a comment Mammoth made last week this morning. Afterwards, I went outside to my yard to relax and I felt in my spirit that my reply was not complete. I kept hearing 'ALL you need is FAITH the size of a mustard seed' and 'FAITH is something that cannot be seen BUT nevertheless EXIST' and 'God's timing is ALWAYS perfect'.

I came back into the house and was going to start typing my message. But something caused me to do a search of 'The meaning of Faith' on the internet. I was led to this GREAT description written by Chris Zach Hidalgo on October 2, 1997. Chris breaks it down in such a way that anyone curious about this subject can take HOLD of its meaning. I have taken the following from his webpage titled, Definition of faith: A comprehensive meaning/denotation of what faith/faithfullness really means. Click on the link to read the entire message. I only typed half. Enjoy and be of good cheer for God is with you always!

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What is faith? An ancient history books states that faith is: "Being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see."

A line from 'Miracle on 34th Street' says: "Faith is believing in things that common sense tells you not to."

We all have "faith"

FAITH, I believe, is something we all have, but to varying degrees. Do you have faith to believe that there can be an all powerfull creator, or do you put your faith in science? Or do you believe in a combination of several things and/or ideas?

Do you have the faith to believe in yourself? Do you have the faith to believe in your significant other, a family member or a friend?

I believe we all do. The question is "how much faith do we allow to become reality in our life?"

Consider This

Faith stagnates unless you expose yourself. Faith is not a noun, it's a verb. Action is a critical part of faith. Faith is in action when you make yourself vulnerable -- practicing what you believe. Faith is similar to a guidance system that NASA uses regularly.

When the space shuttle is on the launch pad, the guidance system is not activated because it is not needed. BUT, when it breaks free from the launch pad, then the guidance system kicks in. Everyone involved has to believe the guidance system will successfully guide the shuttle to the end of the mission. They have faith in the guidance system.

We have to rely on faith when all else tells us we're crazy... when there's no evidence what-so-ever... and when everything points to something else.

When you practice faith, you can count on others thinking you are out of your mind. Many times you will be ridiculed for your faith (in religion, science, others, etc.).

An Understanding

Simply put, the definition of faith -- is nothing more than an understanding, a belief, a thought about something, someone, some situation that cannot be proven.

Inherently, faith allows for no tangible evidence to be made available -- that you know of -- which would back up or support your claim, idea, theory or thought. It is simply an overwhelming undestanding that, to you, is convincing.

Other words to consider: Trust, reliance, assurance, conviction, devotion, loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, dedication, observance.

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