Who is the Author of Your Faith?

When was the last time you drove by a beautiful building and marveled, not at the architecture, but at the foundation?

I remember years ago when Focus on the Family added a new building to our campus right outside my office window.

I got to watch the construction process unfold from the first shovelful of dirt until the final brick was mortared into place nearly a year later. It was fascinating to see crane operators swing steel beams through the air and skilled craftsmen, day by day, transform the structure’s “bare bones” into a beautiful addition to our ministry complex.

But the biggest surprise for me came when I realized that the first four months of the project had been dedicated entirely to the foundation. Think of that. A full third of the construction process focused on cement and rebar no one will ever see.

What a testimony to its importance! Without the foundation, the structure it supports would crack under its own weight and eventually crumble altogether.

If you think about it, our faith really isn’t much different. Our belief system about how God does or doesn’t interact with our lives is built on a foundation that will either sustain our faith when the storms of adversity come or wash out from underneath us.

Maybe you were raised to believe that if you do A, B, and C, God will always do D, E and F. But then a life circumstance arises where that formula doesn’t seem to work, and your faith is shattered.

Or maybe you learned that if you have enough faith, God will always say yes. But then a life circumstance arises where God doesn’t say yes, and your faith is shattered.

Or maybe you’ve always believed that God doesn’t let bad things happen to good people. But then a life circumstance arises and …

Well, you get the picture.

Over the past couple of broadcasts my friend, Pastor Andy Stanley, has explained why too many people have “circumstantial faith,” meaning the foundation of their faith is rooted in their ability to find God in life’s circumstances. What we need is a faith based on a foundation with the depth and strength to sustain us through life.

Drawing from Hebrews 4:14-16, Andy explains why the foundation of our faith is not a subjective experience, or a prayer we hope to be answered.

The foundation is a person, Jesus Christ our Lord, a real person who walked this earth, who was seen, who was touched, who was loved, who spoke, who performed miracles, who died on a cross, who was raised from the dead and was seen by over 500 people, and who intercedes on our behalf to God.

When I heard Andy Stanley give this message, I was riveted, and I knew we had to share it with you. This is one of those messages that every Christian needs to hear, in order to ensure that your faith will be strong enough to weather the storms that come to all of us.

It’s an especially valuable message for teens and young adults as they seek to strengthen their emerging faith. But there’s something meaningful here for all of us.

Join us, won’t you? “Who Is the Author of Your Faith?” can be heard on your local radio station, anytime online, or download our free phone app.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, church, faith December 2, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura