Free-Falling into Faith
by Alexandra Copeland
A few years back, I went through a growth spirt in my spiritual development in Christ. I can confirm that it was one of the most challenging seasons that I’ve experienced in my Christian walk, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I honestly didn’t know whether I was coming or going, because the knowledge and spiritual practices that I had known prior were not bringing me the results I expected. I was in an uncomfortable holding pattern, and to some degree still am, but this has increased my faith exponentially! I had heard radical Christian mavericks speak about free-falling into faith, but like so many of us do, I dismissed this notion because it made me uneasy. My comfort zone was indeed cozy, and left to my own devices, I would not have ever chosen to ‘loose it’. That is not an easy thing to admit.
When it became apparent
that my life was moving on a trajectory that was not going
to allow for the comforts I had once counted on, panic set
in. Nervousness and anxiety were my buzz words, because they
defined my constant state of existence. Like the back of my
hand, I knew Philippians 4:6(NIV),
“Do not be anxious
about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
I soon found out that in the confines of calm waters, it
had been fairly easy to trust and practice this verse. I was
not a neophyte trying to get rooted in the Word, but indeed
had been on this Christian journey my entire adult life. My
repertoire of faith included overcoming a few storms, and my
catalog of believing was stacked with knowledge that most
consider the deep things of the Spirit.
God had spoiled me. I
don’t mean this in a bad way, but in the best way possible.
I had enjoyed season after season of growth and blessings.
I’d complete my prayer book at the beginning of the year;
list all the things I planned to accomplish for the Kingdom,
and then list those things I wanted to receive as blessings
for myself or family members. I believed to receive, because
I knew that God would deliver on His promises, and He did in
an exceedingly abundant way. I practiced an active faith,
one where my believing was backed with Godly and fruitful
action. It was a strategic and spiritual plan that worked
for me with mathematical precision. So, imagine my surprise
when I experienced an abrupt halt that blocked my flow. Oh,
I was mad about it!
After a few months of
walking around in shock, I began to realize that I was in
serious learning mode. Gone were the days of clinging to
those things that made me comfortable in my silo. Like many
of us, for years I had relied on my own expertise of
maneuvering through systems and finances, and God provided
mightily through this lifestyle. I mistakenly thought this
would continue. I also thought that I had been relying
solely on God as my sufficiency, and not these other things;
but the wall I hit proved me wrong. I overlooked the fact
that there were gaps of trust in my relationship with
Heavenly Father. I had to confront them so that I could move
to the next level of faith and spiritual growth. I learned
invaluable lessons indeed.
THE IMPORTANCE
OF FAITH
A relationship is a two-way street. It takes two parties that are committed to both give and receive something of quality from one another. Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have. Romans 8:29(NLT) tells us, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we were bought with a price. We’re God’s children! Our relationship with Him is one where He pours blessings and love into us, and we respond to His goodness by loving Him through faith and gratitude.
A relationship is a two-way street. It takes two parties that are committed to both give and receive something of quality from one another. Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have. Romans 8:29(NLT) tells us, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we were bought with a price. We’re God’s children! Our relationship with Him is one where He pours blessings and love into us, and we respond to His goodness by loving Him through faith and gratitude.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us
that it is impossible to please God without faith. Growing
in faith is how our relationship with God grows. Growth will
always require us to relinquish the less useful for the more
useful. Some of us have a hard time letting go of certain
sins, but faith will require that we do. Our relationship
with God deepens as we surrender and trust Him more than we
have in the past. He is our Source, and any time that we
forget or fail to see the totality of this truth, we will
feel as though life is getting away from us.
FOCUS ONLY ON
GOD
Increasingly Christians are growing in God’s grace, but also leaving the door open to sin. The consequences of this are harsh, and if they haven’t already, will soon catch up to us. Sin will cause us to be blocked and blind to the areas in our relationship with Heavenly Father that need to be strengthened.
Increasingly Christians are growing in God’s grace, but also leaving the door open to sin. The consequences of this are harsh, and if they haven’t already, will soon catch up to us. Sin will cause us to be blocked and blind to the areas in our relationship with Heavenly Father that need to be strengthened.
An abundant life
requires us to hear and perceive God’s directives through
the Spirit that indwells us. When we’re blocked, it is
because we’re focused on matters that create a lot of noise
in the channel.
To get unblocked, there must be a willingness on our part to surrender the thing we’ve held to so tightly. To do this, we must identify what that thing is. It will require prayer and spending quality time with Heavenly Father. This means that we will need to drown out other noises of the world and tune in only to Him through quiet meditation and prayer. My own personal practice is to go to a room or place where I can be alone. I begin this time with God with a prayer of forgiveness. As I enter the meditation part of this spiritual practice, I take deep and sequenced breaths, and I stay my mind on the name of Jesus Christ, repeating it in mind. I do this in rhythmic sync with exhaling my breath.
To get unblocked, there must be a willingness on our part to surrender the thing we’ve held to so tightly. To do this, we must identify what that thing is. It will require prayer and spending quality time with Heavenly Father. This means that we will need to drown out other noises of the world and tune in only to Him through quiet meditation and prayer. My own personal practice is to go to a room or place where I can be alone. I begin this time with God with a prayer of forgiveness. As I enter the meditation part of this spiritual practice, I take deep and sequenced breaths, and I stay my mind on the name of Jesus Christ, repeating it in mind. I do this in rhythmic sync with exhaling my breath.
This clearing allows the Holy
Spirit to bring to my consciousness whatever I need to
receive.
It is a wonderful time
with Heavenly Father. In every instance that we commit
ourselves to focus on Him, we will never, ever leave His
presence without having received something we need
desperately. When we understand how precious this time and
communion with God is, it will become easier to release the
sin that disrupts our lives.
THE DAMAGE OF
ARROGANCE
Arrogance is evil and incredibly damaging to our relationship with God. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that sooner or later, it will cause destruction in our lives. Arrogance and pride are very subtle attitudes that can slip by us without our realizing that we’ve entertained them. We can get caught up in religious titles and intellectual distinctions, and our level of humility pays the price. This is really dangerous territory, and it will reap havoc on our lives.
Arrogance is evil and incredibly damaging to our relationship with God. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that sooner or later, it will cause destruction in our lives. Arrogance and pride are very subtle attitudes that can slip by us without our realizing that we’ve entertained them. We can get caught up in religious titles and intellectual distinctions, and our level of humility pays the price. This is really dangerous territory, and it will reap havoc on our lives.
Arrogance will keep us
from recognizing God’s directives, and it will also keep us
stunted spiritually. Sometimes He will tell us to do things
that might not appear to be the most rational or logical,
but they are absolutely necessary to bring about wholeness
and deliverance to a situation. It is imperative that we
kick arrogance to the curb. This is the way to become
exceedingly flexible and teachable. It demonstrates our
readiness to hear the voice of God, and our willingness to
be obedient to it.
I reached a season in my walk with Christ where increased spiritual acumen was required to be poised and positioned for the future. A few years ago, I thought I had arrived. Spiritually, I considered myself to be a dynamo for Jesus, and it didn’t dawn on me that I had been deceived by an arrogant mind-and-heart-set. There was no way that I could have ever imagined that I would be where I am today in my relationship with Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. I have learned so much more, and although the road behind me was rough and tumultuous at times, I’m blessed beyond measure by the knowledge that God was with me every step, and He has fortified me to surrender and fall freely into His care.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The
Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001,
2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
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