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There
are no simple manuals and quick steps to be studied for one to learn
and grow in faith besides the Bible for the believer in Christ. Like
Paul emphasized in Romans, ‘faith comes by hearing the word of God’.
And as we become more acquainted with the accounts of men and women who
lived out a life of faith, we gain insight into their mindset and the
convictions that formed their decisions. Interestingly, they just lived
their lives without realizing that they were ‘exercising’ their faith
in God. The fruits of their actions are an evidence of their level of
faith and we can learn lessons from their lives.
I
had a great challenge in my early 20s in coming to believe the veracity
of biblical accounts. Though I attended a campus Christian fellowship,
I hardly read my bible or the numeorus books in the fellowship's
library which were under my custody at some point. I felt the Bible and
Christian books had no answers to the questions that bugged my
inquisitive mind. And when I settled down to scan through them, they
literally made little or no sense to me. So I quit trying to understand
the Bible and just followed through the motion of going to church and
attending fellowship.
But
things changed when I had a life-changing encounter that made me
believe in the existence of God. Like a snake that de-sloughs to enter
into a new phase of life, it was as though my mind received a new sense
of perception. Each time I opened the Bible to read a portion or two,
the words seem to leap out of the pages and hit my consciousness. My
excitement knew no bounds and since I wanted to read and know more
about God in the Bible, I felt it was better to get a Study Bible. I
began to visit bookshops to buy Christian books and borrowed books from
Christian libraries in
Kano. I spotted a ‘Student Study Bible’ in one of the bookshops that I dreamt about owning a copy, but I had no money to buy it.
My uncle had just visited
Kano that same period and gave me my
allowance for the month ahead. But I did a very ‘stupid’ thing then; I
used the allowances to buy the expensive bible leaving me with little
or no cash to sustain me till I was due to get another allowance. I was
so happy that the fear of what to eat tomorrow din't bother me. I read
the Bible voraciously and colour-marked as many verses that made a
strong impression on my heart. I was ready to stay hungry for the
remaining part of the month having acquired the Bible that meant so
much to me. However, an interesting thing happened a week later, my
uncle visited
Kano again and sent for me. Without
bothering to ask what I did with the pocket money he had given me a
week earlier, and without my asking for any money, he gave me enough
money, far more than I had expected or imagined! Questions lingered in
my mind; did God touch his heart or what? Was it rational enough for
him to give me extra money without my having to account for the
previous one?
I
have had several other experiences when I was certain that God spoke to
my heart and I acted in faith by obeying the instruction. Some of the
instructions were contrary to my desires, wishes or aspirations that my
mind questioned their rationality. Sometimes, I prayed and struggled
for days about the decisions till am convinced enough to step ahead in
obedience. In a lot of the cases, I got a nudge to go ahead after
reading a portion of the scriptures that emboldened my heart to take
the leap of faith. With the looming uncertainties ahead, my wobbling
legs took the first steps and I didn’t drown like I had thought. The
outcomes and results of such steps of obedience have been amazing to
say the least. Though it could be tough learning to live by faith, the
true Christian has no other choice or options left if he/she must do
exploits and impact people around him/her. Whatever it will take you,
take those little steps of faith, and watch God do amazing things in
your life!
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Posted by Robot| 09.09.2008 23:45