Faith increases through genuine relationship with God. Faith is not grown in the lion’s den, but rather practiced in the lion’s den. Faith increases in the small daily choices of Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, Bible study, teachableness, and a surrendered heart. Yet we sometimes are okay with little relationship with God during times of comfort and wonder why we struggle in crisis.
Establishing a new track record takes time! One of the biggest mistakes people make in rebuilding trust is either assuming they never can rebuild trust or expressing frustration at how long it takes. When we complain about the process, we end up minimizing the hurt we caused those with whom we are needing to rebuild trust.
The context of Acts 9:17 is actually seen in Acts 8:1, 3 and Acts 9:13-16. The path Ananias was asked to choose was to approach a known persecutor of his friends and church leaders. This could be like going into a dark alley of a bad neighborhood! Yet, when God answers Ananias one question, Ananias goes. The absence of additional questions is the presence of faith in God.
The list of changes could continue to be rehearsed for days to come and the impact of these changes will be felt for generations to come. The fact is change is inevitable. However, the change with the greatest impact is not enabled via technology. The change above any possible change is only found in Jesus!
It is essential to live life knowing that my loving God knows how to get my attention. The truth is, Jesus is not so uninteresting that He loses our attention. It is actually that we chose to give our attention away to another. Let’s look at how able the Lord is at getting the attention of a type “A,” aggressive, and bold man like Saul.
