Faith & Insight: Have faith, faith works

Have you ever not felt like a Christian? I’m talking about after you’ve been saved. You wake up and just feel empty and disconnected. I have. I don’t think it’s uncommon. We have this great relationship with our savior and everything is moving along like you think it should, but then one day it’s different.

There’s no real blame to throw around on this. In most cases it probably has nothing to do with personal sin. It’s more than likely, just like any relationship, things have gotten a little dry. We’re not paying as much attention to Jesus, we start taking things for granted, and our feelings get disengaged.

John Wesley, the 18th century evangelist and leader of the Methodist movement, felt this way. He shared this with his friend Peter Bohler, a missionary in the Americas. He told Peter he was going to give up preaching until he could have faith like Peter had. Peter told him “preach faith until you have it, and then because you have it you will preach faith.”

I know the few times I have experienced a dry spell it made no difference to who I was. I kept my faith. Whether I “feel” God in my life or not, I follow him. I walk the walk God has given me. I pray, I encourage people to follow Christ and teach biblical truths. Why? Because I made a decision to follow Jesus. He has been with me every time I’ve needed him. He has always come through for me. I could never turn back.

If you ever feel a little distant from God just keep your faith strong. He hasn’t gone anywhere. You may have drifted a little, but stay faithful and you’ll feel his presence again.

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Psalm 51:12-14

Captain Mark Cyr is pastor of The Salvation Army, 661 Colorado St., in Carson City. For information go to carsoncity.salvationarmy.org