Often I hear people use the words “faith” and “belief” interchangeably. Faith has nothing to do with one’s beliefs. Faith is the “evidence of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is undeniable evidence. If you believe in something, your belief has absolutely no power to affect the accuracy or substance of the object of your belief. But faith is not believing. Faith is knowing. And faith has the power to change the very nature and fabric of reality, to redefine everything, because faith cannot be false. There is only one thing that the Bible says God cannot do: it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). And why is that? While the elements of God’s nature could certainly be discussed in an answer to this question, the simple fact is that God cannot lie because the moment He speaks, all of heaven and earth realigns itself to conform to what God has declared. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes from hearing a Word from God. So the moment we hear God speak, we do not simply believe His Word to be true, we KNOW that all of creation has realigned itself to obey God’s Word. And when God personally communicates a Word to us, we are given the privilege of declaring God’s Word, and watching as the heavens above and the earth beneath makes haste to fulfill the Word of the Lord.

I generally would consider myself a half-decent individual. On occasion, I view myself a bit too leniently. But then again, many of the amazing things I do, the moments of character, are my own exclusive knowledge. I can also view myself rather horribly at times. After all, only I know the full extent of my depravity. But God’s view of me never changes. It’s fixed on a static image. He doesn’t view me in my current condition. When He looks at me, he sees the perfection of Christ, the glory of His Son. And consequently, He sees the best possible version of me, the sanctified me, the Bride in me. And deep cries out to deep in the depths of my being until His view becomes identical with my reality. Cause if God just looked at me and said, “perfect” and the story ended, then Christianity is the most elaborate trick to every be played on mankind. If I never actually become perfect, it’s all a lie. But as I behold Him in His glory, as if looking in a mirror, I am changed into His likeness. And as He speaks to me, not as I am by sight, by as I am by faith, I am further empowered in that transformation.

I want to give as I have been given. I want to view those around me by faith, not by sight. I want my interactions with others to empower them to become the best versions of themselves… to be the Bride.