Acknowledging situations or things by calling them like they are requires no faith and Paul called that sin (Rom. 14:23) because it is of fear.  Calling things that are not as though they were requires faith because it is of love.  Anybody can look at a bad report and agree with it. It takes faith to look at the same situation and call it what God calls it.

People fear faith.  They prefer to wrap themselves tightly in verifiable facts calling it security.  They deny the existence of that which cannot be tested, proven, or measured.  Those in fear shout the loudest about the foolishness of faith in a world of science.

There is a physical reality, a perceptual reality and a spiritual reality.  One is based on the facts, the other on opinion and the last on the truth.  The truth is always greater than the facts or opinions.

Anytime we are faced with a fact or an opinion that is not TRUE we must act in faith.  Not by denying the facts or opposing opinion but by declaring the truth.  In other words we must have more faith in the truth than we have in facts or opinions.

We are so conditioned to act in fear based on circumstances that we find it fearful to act in faith based on truth.

Romans 8:15 says that, “For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

Being sons of God we operate on a higher plane than physical reality.  We soar in the high places of spiritual reality.  “We have the same spirit of faith (that God has), according as it is written, I believe and therefore have I spoken; we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4:13).

Living by faith means believing and speaking the truth no matter the facts or opinions.  In order to believe and speak the truth we must first hear the truth (Rom. 10:17).  That is why in Mark 4:24 that Jesus warned us about what we hear.  Listening to doubt and unbelief will cause you to speak doubt and unbelief; which will “again put you back into the bondage of fear.”

Being a Christian carries with it a great responsibility of believing and speaking the truth all the time.  Believing the truth and speaking the truth is called love and it drives out all fear, doubt and unbelief (1 Jn. 4:18).

We go to church, read the Bible and pray to fill ourselves with the love of God so that we can always believe and speak the truth.

The next time you are faced with a situation that requires the declaration of truth and the spirit of fear comes on you like a chill on a cold night what are you going to do?  Operate in the spirit of fear or the spirit of faith?  Speaking the truth in love will grow you into all things even Christ (Eph. 4:15).

I say that you are of the spirit of faith and that no doubt or unbelief can be found in you thereby denying the devil all access to your life.

Rocky J. Malloy