to have a pliable faith

so true, right? not just "materials", but speakers, churches, friends, practices, etc. this quote is from Beth Moore's "Mercy Triumphs" study on James, and she goes on to warn how we can get to the point where we've created our own theology, instead of learning what God has already determined and set forth in His Word and following that.

it got me thinking: when we practice this kind of second-hand, "selective" Christianity, we run the very real danger of creating God in our own image, too. 

i used to be this person. i believed in a God who i thought was the God of the Bible. i held to a belief system that i thought was based on Biblical principles, and i lived a life that reflected all of this. as a result, i also practiced strongholds that were a consequence of this mess i didn't even realize i had made.

after years of picking & choosing and dealing with the consequences, i've learned that the Truth of the Word of God is the only standard. it trumps everything. and sometimes it's confusing and it seems contradictory and i wonder whether i can ever have it all figured out or boiled down to a few simple concepts.

and do you know what? i never will, and i can't.

lately i've been realizing and accepting the fact that it's okay [and actually necessary] to be constantly changing and learning and growing. and that, with growth come growing pains.

there will be awkward seasons where i'm shifting and sifting through things that don't seem to make sense, and there will be times where i feel like i have a good grasp, just to be hit upside the head with something new and revolutionary that shakes me right up again. 

that's how it works. and in those times, i believe God is reminding me that He is so much bigger than i want Him to be. He is not what my mind has created Him to be.

He is Who He is. and i am given the great privilege and mind-blowing invitation of spending a lifetime in discovering and knowing Him, His Word, His Son, His Grace, what it means to live by faith, what it means to love Him and to love others.

i've said before that i don't want a stagnant faith. i want it to be pliable and vibrant and living and evolving and most of all fruitful. i'm convinced the best way to do that is to stay in the Word and i can tell a dramatic difference in my day and my heart and my attitude if i don't start it off in God's presence and His Word. it truly does set the tone. so after the baby wakes up for her 5:30 feeding and [usually] goes back to sleep, i've been heading downstairs to my Bible, instead of back to bed. it doesn't always happen this way, but honestly, that extra hour of sleep is not nearly as refreshing and life-giving and restful as an hour with Him.

if you're not already doing it regularly, i encourage you to get in the Word and see what God says about things. tear down your man-made god, and allow the God of the Bible to transform you into His likeness, and be ready for some radical shifts to take place in your thinking. it's inevitable and wonderful and necessary. i'm in. how 'bout you?