Fortitude
Faith gives us the fortitude to stay strong when we are under struggles, persecution, or hardships.
Matthew 5:11-12; “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (NIV)
When has your faith sustain you during times of trouble?
This question is somewhat hard to answers, because my faith has been so important so many times when I’ve experienced struggles, persecution or hardships. When times have been tough, it has been my faith in God that has seen me through.
Attitude
Faith gives us a new attitude, so we can be new in our minds and more like God.
Ephesians 4:22-24; You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (NIV)
What does it mean “to be made new in the attitude of your minds,” and why do so many people have so much trouble in changing their attitude towards God?
I think one of the hardest things for people is change. People don’t want to change who they are or believe that maybe they are wrong. In the book “Fish” it talks about choosing your attitude. In everything we do we have a choice in what kind of attitude we are going to have. The same is true when turning our lives over to God. We must choose an attitude that surrenders to God’s Will and not our own.
Integrity
Your integrity is a sign of your faith. The way we live will shows the faith we have.
Proverbs 11:3; The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (NIV)
How has your integrity been a witness for others?
I’ve talked about this before how when I was in high school as a sophomore a fellow football player told me that the whole Christian thing was dumb and it would be the death of me. I didn’t start preaching to him how he was wrong, but just continued to live my life for Christ. After the finally football game of our senior year before we walked off the field, that same player grabbed my hand and asked me to pray.
Trust
Faith is a trust between us and God. God has made us a promise to guide our lives if we trust in Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)
How can we show our trust in God in our everyday lives?
I think when someone is cruel to us, we can show them love. I think when times are tough, we can pray to God. I think when things are going well, we can praise God. I think we can look for ways to serve and not ways to complain.
Humility
To have faith we must be humble. We must understand that there is One that is greater than ourselves.
James 4:10; Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)
When has God humbled you to bring you closer to Him?
I remember in college when I started to get a little full of my-self and was not behaving like the person I should be. A girl that I kind of liked called me out on this with a personal letter. She told me that she really liked me when she first met me, but after getting to know me she didn’t like who I really was. It really hit me and made me rethink of how I was behaving. I wasn’t being the person that I should be and not someone that was living like a Christian. That letter likely saved my marriage. While that girl and I never developed any further relationship, if I had continued down my path Jenny might not have ever falling in love with me.
Now I would love to hear your responses to some of the question above.
