experiences of faith
“These have come so that your faith—which is more precious than gold, which even though refined by fire is destroyed—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:7
One of the greatest tragedies of the Christian life is that if we fail to enter into a relationship with God born of the Holy Spirit, we are left with no relationship, but a religion. Many people today live with intellectual belief in God, but without a relationship that is based on two-way communication. This is the biggest tragedy of all. It’s like having a brand new car but having no gas to run it. It can’t take you anywhere. It only looks beautiful, but one cannot enjoy its ride or feel the smell of newness inside it.
Peter tells us that unless our faith is proven true, we will never be able to praise, glorify, and honor Jesus, for He will not be manifested in our lives unless there is such a test. Peter describes this in the first verse: “In this you rejoice greatly, although now for a little while you may have had to endure all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6). Trials are designed to bring us to a level of faith and experience with God that we would never know otherwise. These “faith experiences” with God allow us to know firsthand God’s faithfulness, God’s love, and God’s personal disposition. If you can’t recall many instances when God has met you in person, chances are your faith is not born of the Holy Spirit in a living relationship with God. It is easy to fall victim to a relationship with God that never experiences His real presence; Rather it is based only on knowledge. It is a sad place.
If you have been here in your Christian experience, ask God to make Himself real to you today. Ask him to show his personal nature and love. He wants to do this. Those whom he has called know his voice. He will show Himself to those who belong to Him. “He that loveth me, my Father will love him, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him” (John 14:21b).
