4 Levels of Faith

I'm a faith person. I am motivated by faith, inspired by faith and (at the risk of sounding pompous..) I live by faith. My faith is based on God's track record of keeping his promises and my confidence in His abilty to continue to do so.

I'm convinced that faith has 4 levels.

The first level is ... I CAN do it. The bible tells me that I can do 'all things' through Christ. The first step to accomplishing anything is to believe that you can do it. If I don't believe I can do something, then I certainly never will and the end result is that nothing ever changes. Believing isn't always easy, because you have to see past obstacles and beyond challenges and lock on to the goal. At the same time you must block out the cacophony of voices telling you why it can't be done, shouldn't be done or won't be done. Faith isn't fed by a choir, but by confidence in a promise.

The second level of faith is 'I WILL do it.' Something in the core of who we are shifts at this point. When we make a serious commitment to 'doing it', radical changes start to take place in our thinking, priorities and focus. We begin to pull back on areas that no longer fit with our new set of priorities. We begin to 'lighten our load' in anticipation of engaging a new task, goal, project or dream. 'I will do it' is a costly step. It's where we count the cost and determine whether we are willing to pay it. Most great opportunities wither on the vine and die at this point and it's simply because we lack the will to follow through and make our dream a reality.

The third level is 'I AM doing it.' When the seed of Leading Influence Ministries was sown in my heart in 2005, the reality was a long way off. But after a year of living in Victoria, visiting with MLA's, attending the Legislature, launching PrayBC and building a strong ministry foundation, I can say there's nothing quite like seeing the dream come to pass. It's incredibly humbling but it's also very exciting to see what God does and HOW he does it.

The fourth level is 'I DID it.' One day, you get to look back and say 'Hey, we did it...' This level is all about timing and perserverance. Keep your eyes on the prize, but at the same time watch for the wave of opportunity that will propel you forward. If you stick with it, you'll make it.

Whatever dream God has put in your heart, YOU CAN make it happen. If you already have the faith that you can, then strengthen your faith and move to I will. If you believe you will, then start taking consistent action andmove to the level of faith where you know that you know that I am.
Faith is a choice. In the first three levels of faith you move from one level to the next when you choose to.The fourth level is a matter of timing and perseverance.

Feed your faith, starve your fears!

** parts borrowed from Keith Cameron Smith.