Leaving doubts and learning to chase

This post comes from one of our board members Cliff Erickson

Ironically, faith is a difficult concept for me. As a teen and a young believer the idea of faith was easy. It was easy to understand that God was there, that He heard my prayers, that He desired to see ALL sinners surrender, and that He desired to heal all ailments. Somewhere through time, experience, and circumstance, I have lost that concrete black-and-white mentality. Unfortunately, I have allowed many of God’s lessons to harden and callous my heart; rather than receiving the lesson as Good News. Instead of taking on the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit, I am impatiently skeptical of the Lion In The Snowy Pit.

Thank God for water on the desert ground! He sees His children and understands each need. He really has met me where I was at with In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. I enjoy Mark Batterson’s insight and perspective. I understand is practical illustrations and applications. And it has really opened my eyes to some of the lethargic complacency that I have settled into.

I love the idea that we are to be proactive in our Christian walk. So often our tendency is to want the easy path or to ask God to remove the challenge. Where would Benaiah’s, Joseph’s, David’s, Paul’s, or Christ’s incredible illustrations of victory be if God would have removed the burden?

The author presents two ideas in chapter 2 that contest my view of faith. Mr. Batterson first states, “How you think about God will determine who you will become” (page 28). The height, depth, and breadth of my ability to conquer, overcome, and prosper are directly proportional to my faith in God. That really makes me want to make Him bigger in my life. In the practical sense, it’s like an investment that is 100% guaranteed. Invest in 10 shares today, and they will increase in value 100 fold by tomorrow. Not only will they appreciate in value, but they will hold that value for an eternity – no recession or depression will touch this stock!

Secondly, Mark rebuttals my “what if” doubt by saying that “lion chasers aren’t afraid of doing something that seems ridiculous to others – because they know anything is possible with God.” God will only limit Himself to the box I place Him in. If I can get myself to extend that box, or erase it all together, God will start to move mountains. The Bible is full of examples of individuals willing to risk it all to advance His cause. I’ve often thought that Elijah was really stepping out on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). I wonder if he ever thought “man God, what if this doesn’t work – I’m really going to make myself/you look bad here.” Something tells me that he didn’t, not even for one second.

What an incredible God we serve! He is patient through our unbelief and triumphant in our belief. My challenge is placing all of my possessions, my family, my dreams, and my struggles into His hands. Then I can stand back and enjoy the show.

Cliff Erickson