Exercise Faith and Walk Off the Map

2 Corinthians 5:7

“We live by faith, not by sight.”

Everyone needs a little faith. Without it there would be no bold adventures, no budding romances, no novel inventions and no surprise successes. Life is made exciting by following the occasional “hunch”. Knowing when to engage intuition is a crucial life skill.

Followers of Jesus take this further. As a Christian I declare that God is with me and that his Spirit leads me. So I claim to have more than vague hunches. I believe in a connection with my Creator that unfolds day by day like a long conversation between friends. This relationship governs my life. It is a walk of faith and much of it is off the map.

Living by Sight

The problem with “by-sight” living is that it uses the wrong instrument to guide life. The most important “data” can not be “seen”. It’s like using a map of the London Tube to plan a trip to Mars. A good starting place if you need to get out of London first, but too little information thereafter. Sight is not enough to live by.

I can’t see the future. I don’t know other people’s true motives. The full impact of my next action is really a mystery. While I try to do what is right I can’t possibly process all the variables. Sight is limited!

A friend of mine is visually impaired. In low light situations he may lean on my arm for part of the way. It is like loaning him my “perception” for a few steps. Everyone is in my friend's shoes, metaphorically. Our sight is not enough. We need to lean on someone.

Living by Faith

It takes courage to live beyond sight. It takes guts to let faith led you off the map. But the opportunities are great and the trip is exciting. Faith expands life.

Extra Dimensions. There is so much more to life than what we observe. There is more in length (eternity) and more in depth (spirituality). Living by faith, means factoring these extra dimensions into my thoughts and actions. I can’t see a “new earth” beyond the grave but I can act out my expectation. I can’t see the Spirit of God in the room, but I can live by the conviction that he is present (2 Cor. 5:1-10, Gal. 5:16-26).

Greater Hope. “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). I hope for the end of human trafficking and the eradication of extreme poverty in my life time. Closer to home, I hope for joy in my friend’s lives and improved well-being in the City where I live. I have some very personal hopes and dreams as well. Faith stirs my confidence in all these dreams. It gives me assurance to live by them and not by what I actually see.

Divine Friendship. In Eden, Adam walked with God each day. They talked together. That is the pattern for living and every man and woman of God has done the same thing up to today. Living by faith is walking humbly with God, following close behind Jesus and staying in step with the Spirit (Micah 6:8, Mk. 1:17, Gal 5:25).

Added boldness. People of faith don't need to stay on the map. They can venture into uncharted regions, do unheard of things and remake history. Because they experience extra dimensions of life, possess greater hope and have a deep friendship with the Triune God; they can afford to live big, brave, barrier-busting lives. Even if they don't think they can.

Don’t confuse faith and foolishness. Don’t think that “sight” is unimportant. If you can get the facts do so. If you can measure it, survey it, calculate and question it, then get the data. BUT, when all the data is in, don’t stop there. Exercise faith and walk off the map.

Questions

• What are you facing in your life that "sight" can’t help you with?
• When did you last walk off the map? How do you live by faith?
• Leave a comment

My favourite “sermon” on faith by Indiana Jones:

If video does not load copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqpevshcdww