Day 38 - Giving faith a name.

I really don't know what I had in mind when I started 40 days of Faith. It was simply an idea that came and I knew I had to do it. It has certainly been a challenge, but a rewarding one - I can especially see that as I'm nearing the end.

My world has changed a lot in the past 38 days. A lot. I'm excited to be able to talk about it soon.

But more important, in the past 38 days I've learned this lesson of faith.

You need to speak it. You can't just think it, or "have" it in certain things. You need to speak it. Speak it, write it, blog it, sing it, video it, whatever you do - put it into words.

Bob, over at "In The Clearing" was ranting quite nicely about his aversion to the saying "Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words."

He said: "When Acts 8:40 says, "But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea," do you think Philip was just loving people and sharing his life, etc. Or was he SAYING SOMETHING?"

My faith too often goes unspoken. It's as though it is something simply contained in my being. And that's not what faith is singularly. It's so much more. It's a substance, all in itself. It's evidence, all by itself. It's faith.

I think I've let myself get distracted by Religion, quite often. But the other day I found myself back at the heart of it. The gospel message. And at the heart of the gospel message is a word you don't find used too often.
A name even.

And that name is Jesus.

I talk about God an extraordinary amount. But Jesus, my redeemer seems to be on the sidelines while I encounter God. I look forward, with faith, to encountering Jesus on a new level in the coming months. I want Jesus, and the way Christ lived His life to become a central focus of my life, my words, my blog - in that order. I want to use His name more. Because the world talks about God. And God seems to be whatever you want Him to be according to them. So it's not an offensive word.

But Jesus, that is a name that the demons fear. That is a name that causes wars, and fights, and costs people their jobs. It's a name that gets people kicked out of school programs, banners with Christs name torn down, and t-shirts with his name blurred out on tv.

Someone, very long ago, wrote that there was "something about that name" and yet I've been lax in using it. One of the most powerful tools in my arsenal and yet I rarely pull it out.

But no more.

So today, I want to give my faith a name. It's Jesus.