Effective Faith is Pure/Purified Faith!

Let’s look at Abraham, often referred to as the father of our faith, and is listed as one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.
Romans 4:3 says “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” Righteousness means right standing or right relationship with God. When we are believing God we are in right relationship with Him, and His Grace and spiritual forces can flow And Abraham was indeed called the friend of God.
Yet, look at some of the things Abraham did that were contrary to that believing and faith in God! Including and especially agreeing with Sarah to have a child by Hagar!
So how do we understand and account for this discrepancy and contradiction in Abraham? Alongside that belief and faith in God, was years of natural human beliefs, fears and understandings from growing up in a fallen world. Alongside his belief and faith were many doubts and also unbelief. James, in Chapter 1 of his Epistle, states that “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Another words, Abraham’s faith was not effective because impure or not purified of his doubts and unbelief. He could not receive the promise of God until these were confronted, dealt with, eliminated. That process took many years and the Help and Patience of God to resolve.
We see similar kinds of delays in Moses, others, and in our own lives. We tend to look for God to act through our natural, human expectations and understandings. But His ways and thoughts are far above our ways and thoughts. Jesus repeatedly said, “according to your faith (your believing) be it unto you.” Faith is the substance of things hoped for (earnestly expected), the evidence of things not seen. That is a spiritual law that operates both in the positive and in the negative.
We can know, by our results or our delays, that we are struggling with doubts and unbelief. Like Abraham, our faith may be strong and ultimately sufficient, but ineffective because not pure or purified. Awareness of that can help us focus on where the problems actually are, and work with the Holy Spirit to confront and eliminate them. The Truth of God is superior to any lie, or doubt or unbelief, but that Truth must be substituted to eliminate them. And that takes right focus and spiritual effort under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He will lead us into all Truth, if we will listen, apply, and work with Him.
Let’s get rid of our double-mindedness, Satan’s lies, fears, and all the doubts and unbelief he wants to keep in place in our lives to defeat us.
God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, if we will apply His Truth and appropriate it.
Btw. Some of the principles in the previous posts may help that effort.
Carole Robinson
A God Listener
01/09/2016