When our faith fails us

“No matter what we are going through, there is no other option but faith”
“There is a manual for faith. It is such an exact science that it will not tolerate anarchy!”
Dr. Raoul Wafo

I often say that faith is both very simple and very complex...

You will probably ask me why. Over time, I have realized that, depending on the situation, we can show unwavering faith that has proven its results, and in another situation, we feel completely helpless, as if we are powerless in the face of this situation and that our faith has left us. We may even go so far as to feel that we are becoming “religious” in the presence of God and begin to follow the various teachings that we follow out of routine. It is a feeling similar to being behind the wheel of a car that no longer starts properly, even though it has great potential. In this analogy, the car is us and the engine is our faith.

The subject of faith, as Dr. Raoul Wafo said in his message on Sunday, August 10, is the most important subject within the Church, but unfortunately the most poorly taught. I am even tempted to say that it is the most important subject in life because, whatever name we give it, faith is present in all spheres of life, all areas, all compartments, regardless of our deep convictions and the name we give it in our daily lives.

I – Redefining the concept of faith:

If you are familiar with my writings, a few weeks ago we defined faith according to Hebrews 11:1 KJV as follows:

[1] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The doctor began by trying to simplify this definition to make the concept of faith simpler and more concrete in our minds.

First, he defined faith as total trust in God that is demonstrated. In other words, the demonstration/materialization/fulfillment becomes the demonstration of your faith. Therefore, we cannot believe without seeing.

Second, he defined faith as a belief based on the Word of God.

This second definition highlights a subtle but crucial aspect of the concept of faith, the concept of “Word.”

When we talk about the Word of God, we tend to immediately think of the Bible, of writings, forgetting that the Word of God is not always written.

To this end, we distinguish two axes:

-        The logos, which is the Word of God written in its entirety as we find it in the Bible

-    The rhema, which is the Word of God addressed directly to you, that is, something that God has said to you, revealed to you personally through one of His various channels of communication (dreams, visions, strong inner convictions, etc.).

The Doctor often says, “Faith begins where God's will is known,” meaning that you cannot have faith outside of God's plans for you. In reality, faith is therefore a tool that God makes available to us for the manifestation of the purposes He has planned in advance for us in our lives. God's graces are available to you, but they are as if suspended above your head, and it is faith that will make them visible and tangible in your life.

Having faith for a personal desire, to satisfy our greed with the aim of being better perceived, for example, is not considered faith, and we would risk waiting indefinitely for a wish that is not available according to divine rules.

It therefore follows from this definition of faith that the key, the starting point of everything, is to go to God to seek His will for us personally.

Needless to say, seeking physical or emotional healing, inner restoration, or a resolution to a situation that has deeply affected us no longer requires consulting God's will for us, as this is clearly stated in black and white in His word.

II – Faith & its parameters:

Yesterday's adventure on the boat of faith led us to explore the concept of faith from three angles that characterize it and that we need to integrate in order to better address situations.

1. The one who makes the promise: God

Here we have seen 7 characteristics of God that should serve as an anchor for us and help us understand that God is God and not our brother, our comrade, or our friend, who can fail because they are human.

Knowing God through revelation therefore appears to be essential, because without it, it is impossible to remain stable in the face of challenges.

    God is The One who needs no one else to be who He is

    God is a good God

    God is a faithful God

    God is an omnipotent God

  God is an infaillible God. God never fails; faithfulness is His nature.

    God is an omniscient God

    God is an omnipresent God

2 . The promise itself: What is it? What has God said to you about yourself?

3. The one who receives the promise, that is, you

III – So now what?

In light of the points discussed in II-, the doctor gave us what could be described as a roadmap.

• First, develop an intimate relationship with God through prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and other means, because God allows Himself to be found not by those who seek Him, but by those who seek Him with ALL their heart. Seeking God and gaining a better revelation of His person must therefore be the result of a personal and sincere quest.
• Second, once this relationship is established, God will begin to reveal His plans for you and what He expects of you. Don't worry if this seems unclear to you, because God is a God of process and stages. Walking with Him is like climbing a staircase, where you climb one step at a time without knowing where the staircase will end or where it will lead you. Obedience at each stage determines your access to the next stage. So don't be afraid; just be courageous in taking action even in doubt and fear, because it is your willingness that He will reward.
• Third, examine our attitude. Has God asked me to do something and am I delaying it out of fear or doubt? Am I at peace with those around me? Do I hold grudges in my heart? Do I speak ill of others or am I hypocritical? Am I training myself in the area where God expects me to be, etc.? The list is endless, but the idea here is to do a kind of self-assessment from time to time to readjust ourselves.

It can also happen that things are delayed, not because we lack faith, but simply because of the difficulty of the process we have to go through, and in such situations, only courage will help us get through the stages.

They can also be delayed because God wants our eyes to be focused solely on Him and no one else, so that He can be glorified in our lives at the end of the process.

After listening to this message, I realized one thing: without a deep and real intimacy with God, it is impossible to accomplish anything lasting, because it is this intimacy that will help us not only to know what He expects of us, but also to know Him through revelation so that we can endure in times of trial, because of course... none of us can escape the challenges of life!

My brother, my sister, hold on, let's hold on. Our faith will be tested at every moment of our lives, but with Jesus in our boat... victory is certain!

The full message from Dr Raoul Wafo here:

Blessings!

SBE

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