Do you ever wonder what is going on with your life? Does it ever seem like you are not in control, and someone else is pulling the strings? If so, you are not alone. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are in the hands of a loving God, and He is leading you in what is best for you. In the Bible, that is called living by faith. Learning to embrace that lifestyle is part of our spiritual growth.
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Crucified with Christ
Living by faith takes three things. Understanding that you have been crucified with Christ, your life is not your own, and living by the Spirit. When we start to follow Jesus, we forsake the old life by crucifying it with Christ on the cross. That may sound harsh, but in following Jesus, we realize that our old life was broken without Him, and we need His Gospel to rescue us. Letting the old life be crucified is easier when we understand that.
Your Life isn’t Your Own
The next step is just as important. To live by faith, we have to accept that our life isn’t our own. Where people trip up is looking for Jesus to bail them out of their mess and then go on with their old life. God sees right through that and will only be patient so long before He begins to rectify it. The life we live in Christ will be so much better than anything we can design, but giving up the thought of control is one of the critical facets of faith.
Living by Faith
Finally, to live by faith, you have to be lead by the Spirit. Faith is not making your plans and then asking God to bless them. It is asking God what His plans are and then getting in line with those. It’s taking a step of faith when He asks us, too, and learning to follow when He leads. Faith is being okay with not knowing what is coming next but having the confidence that God is in control. That sounds scary, but when you remember that Christ loves you so much, He gave up His life for you, then it all melts away.