Seasons Of The LordSample

Belief and Behavior

“Have faith in God.” —Mark 11:22

It is often argued that it does not matter what one believes as long as one believes something. But such a premise is false since belief influences behavior. Because what we believe shapes our character and determines our eternal destiny, having the right object of faith is essential. A gangster believes that he should live by plundering others of their possessions, and such a faith makes him a menace to society.

Jesus gave us the perfect object of faith, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). Have faith in—what follows in either enriches or impoverishes life. If it is in the omnipotent God, then ours can be the faith laughing at impossibilities. Abraham, under hopeless circumstances, hopefully believed. (See Romans 4:18). Strong in faith, the patriarch glorified God and was enabled to do heroic deeds. Our forefathers used to say, “Act faith,” which was what Abraham did as he believed God. General William Booth’s slogan to his soldiers in the Salvation Army was, “Keep up with your repeated acts of faith.” Another old Methodist preacher gave us practical wisdom when he wrote, “If the devil puts up a stone wall in front of us, we are to believe right through it.”

By faith we are saved. By repeated acts of faith, we come to act faith, and when strong in faith, we can make our way through barriers. Whether we think of faith as the bridge across the chasm between the soul and God, as the opening of a beggar’s hand to receive the gold of heaven, or as active energy in devotion, such faith is ever the gift and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22.) May He make us strong in faith. "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26)