The Trial Of Your Faith

Did you know that you can agree with what the Bible says in your head, but then doubt what it says in your heart? For example, we all agree that Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment of our sins and give us complete forgiveness. But, how often have you realized you don't actually believe that? When you blow it and sin, have you ever realized that you doubt His forgiveness - even while claiming to believe in it?

How can you be sure that the faith that you claim is genuine? How do you know that it's not simply mental agreement?

This is a critical difference! We've already established that only faith receives God's promises and gives Him substance to work with. Without faith, you can never receive the promises contained in the Word of God, even though they're freely given. So how can you be sure that you're really in faith?

Faith in Your Heart

First, you have to understand that you don't believe with your head. Your mind analyzes, thinks, imagines, and reasons...but it's your heart that believes. 

When it comes to the faith for salvation, the Bible says in Romans 10:10, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness..." This is backed up in Acts 8:37, where Philip says "If you believe with all heart, you may [be baptized]." 

Faith comes from the heart. When you read the Bible, those words go through your eyes and ears and enter your heart. It's there - in your heart - that faith resides; and it's there that you believe what you hear. So faith comes from the heart.

Your heart is also where you doubt. We see this in Mark 11:23, "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."

Where does a man doubt? In his heart! This is why Jesus rebuked the disciples "hardness of heart" in Mark 16:14, "because they did not believe" in His resurrection. Speaking to two other disciples in Luke 24:25, Jesus called them "slow of heart to believe". Why? Because instead of believing with their hearts, these men doubted what they heard.

It's worth noting that, before the cross, these men all agreed that Jesus was the Messiah. In fact, if you were to ask them, they would tell you that they even believed it. But when the trial came, the doubt that was in them was revealed. Almost instantly, their "faith" fell apart...because it wasn't actually faith, it was mental agreement.

Faith and doubt both reside in the heart - and they do not coexist! They take up the same space in your life and they function the same way. Because of this, you will either operate in faith or you will operate in doubt, but you cannot do both.

In Your Heart - Out Your Mouth

So how do you really know if there's faith in your heart...or doubt? You can find the answer to that in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak."

It's simple; whatever is in your heart is going to come out your mouth.

This is why Jesus told us in Luke 6:45, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

According to Jesus, you will inevitably speak from your heart. Now, there will be times when you can filter it through your head; but eventually, when the pressure is on you will blurt out whatever is in your heart. This is called a "trial of your faith" according to James 1:3. These pressure situations come for one reason, to test your faith!

This is exactly what happened to the disciples in Luke 8, when they found themselves in the midst of a storm. As they were sailing across the lake, the storm blew in and threatened to sink their boat. They tried and strained to make it through, but eventually they lost hope. It was at that moment that what was really inside them was revealed. Look at what they said in verse 24, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"

This is what they truly believed...this was what was really inside them: Fear. Although the storm revealed that fear, it did not create it. The fear was in there before the storm started, and it was still there after Jesus calmed it. Look at the very next verse, after the storm was over: "But He said to them, 'Where is your faith?' And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, 'Who can this be?'

That fear didn't come from the storm - the storm was simply what they were afraid of at the time. After it was over, their fear changed and went another direction. This fear remained in them, even when it seemed like there was nothing to be afraid of. It manifested all over again when Jesus was crucified. After His death, we see them huddled together "for fear of the Jews."

When there's fear in you, it will be revealed by testing. Of course, this is exactly how it works with faith too. Your heart is tested by pressure, and revealed by your words. You can try to avoid it. You can try to keep it from happening. You can try to "watch your words". But inevitably, whatever is in your heart will come out your mouth!

Be it faith or be it fear, you will speak from whatever you've put in your heart.

Don't Like What You're Hearing? Do Something About It!

All of us have those times when we were pushed to the breaking point. We've all had to confront situations where we were revealed as we truly were. Let me ask you; did you like what you heard from your mouth? Did you respond to that test in faith, or something else?

If you're like me, you've had words come out that were not from faith. It could've been fear. It could've been anger. It could've been bitterness or unforgiveness. The chances are, whatever it was you heard, you weren't proud of it. And what's even worse - unless it was faith that was revealed, there's no way you could receive God's promise! 

But don't get upset about this - there is good news! That's what the trial was there for! It came to reveal what was in you. If you didn't respond correctly, then it's clear that you need more faith. We've already covered that, there is a way to increase your faith. Read the word! Get your nose in the book until your heart becomes fully assured in faith. 

So let's summarize what we've learned up to this point:
Faith is trusting in what God said in His Word.
Faith can be increased by reading and hearing the Word.

The promises in God's Word can only be received by faith.

Faith (or the lack of it) is revealed by what comes out of your mouth during a trial.

If, during a trial, you find that you've fallen short of faith, then don't give up!
Dig into the Word deeper and grow stronger in your faith - so you'll be ready to face the next trial!