12 Essential Elements to Living Your Faith

I saw her walk into the room and something seemed different. Even from a distance, I could tell she wasn’t the same as when I’d met her a year before. Something was different. Intrigued, I kept glancing over to see if I could figure out the difference. The year seemed to have taken a toll on her physically and she was having trouble getting around, but that wasn’t the change that caught my eye. No, something else was different…

I looked closer and saw she seemed more confident, surer of herself, more expectant. She knew more people in the room, even choosing a seat in the middle of the room, rather than sitting in the back. I wondered what had happened with her over the past year to bring about such a change.

Living By Faith Changes You Inside and Out

A year ago, she had come to the women’s conference at the urging a neighbor. She’d turned down numerous invitations to visit a church with her neighbor, but had agreed to go to the conference. She’d never gone to church, hadn’t grown up around people who believed in God, and wasn’t sure what this faith thing was all about. She didn’t know anyone in the room except her neighbor and stayed close by her side all weekend. I could see she was uncomfortable, yet interested.

I was one of the speakers that weekend and she’d come over to talk at the end of the conference. She wanted to tell me her story. She wanted to know more and was full of questions. Talking to her that afternoon was one of the joys of my weekend. God had clearly touched her heart that weekend and the door to her soul had cracked open.

Now, a year later, I looked expectantly for her and wanted to hear what God had done in her life.

A Visible Difference – A Visible Faith

The week after the conference the year before, she finally agreed to visit a church with her neighbor for the first time and soon began attending regularly. Not too long after that, she gave her life to Christ and was baptized. She’d come to the conference this year with other friends she’d made at church.

So, that was the difference I noticed. She had Jesus in her life. She’d been baptized in His living water and filled with the Holy Spirit.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)

Living Your Faith so That Jesus Shines Through

What if we could all wear our faith so visibly that people around us took notice and could see that something was different?

What if living your faith drew others in and encouraged them to seek God too?

What if you could have such a visible faith that it changed your heart, attitude, and actions to give you more peace, strength, patience, compassion, and forgiveness?

What if this visible faith could help you face the trials of life with greater hope?

What if the world could see Jesus in you so visibly that the power of the Holy Spirit you received at your baptism was evident to everyone around you?

What if…?

How to Have a Living Faith That Impacts the World

Faith is more than merely believing in God, more than going to church on Sundays, more than wearing a Bible verse on your t-shirt.

Faith begins with opening your heart to Jesus and believing in God. It is cultivated through your church and faith community. But, faith ultimately is a transformation of your heart, allowing God to be the potter and remold you, releasing control to follow God’s way.

Faith that shines through and impacts the world comes from a life fully submitted to God.

As you step into your faith, you first need to prepare your heart and allow God to begin his work of transformation, allowing God to purify your heart and soul.

Then, comes the hard work of inner change, learning to listen for God, confessing your sins and repenting of your old ways, and becoming grounded in God’s Word.

Finally, as your faith solidifies on the inside, you begin to live your faith on the outside. You begin discerning God’s call in your life and stepping into where he’s leading. You serve others, share your faith, and live by the Holy Spirit.

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” ~ (Acts 4:13 NIV)