How to Walk by Faith.

I was re-reading part of an encyclical by Pope Francis about the environment and our roles as Christians in response the the environmental injustices, and how they are attached to many other injustices not related to our environment directly. One thing the Pope says is that we are to be careful how we live out our faith, and how our actions must not compromise the faith and the convictions we hold in our hearts. This to me is a great temptation in my life right now, as I look at my life and how it could be an actual reality that I am trying to avoid. I am a tradition person, but I live in a world that is anti-traditional. My world is chaotic at times and I struggle to match my beliefs to my actions because there are people and circumstances that lead me to believe that if I compromise my faith, I will be happy and accepted! But this is far from the truth, far from the truth Pope Francis was communicating in his encyclical. Why is it important not to compromise your beliefs?

Our beliefs are who we are, when someone comes along and demands you walk in an evil way, or a way that takes you away from your path, that person will fall into their own trap, (Proverbs 28:10). The question you must ask yourself, is "What constitutes an evil path?" I would say that any path that leads you away from the path to heaven. There are many spiritual paths, so how do you know you are on the right path? That is what faith is for, we have to believe in ourselves and in God and in Jesus, we have to walk by faith. Walking by faith means we live by spiritual convictions and beliefs, when we get to heaven we will see the reality of our convictions, but the bible teaches that we will die with those convictions, so we must believe right to the very end.

To have a happy death surrounded by those who love you is what every believer desires! To leave this world in faith is so important that some Christian denominations actually pray for a happy death! Walking by faith brings healing to our lives, and actually allows us to experience a piece of heaven, before we get there! Of course we won't be fully in heaven until the resurrection, but even until that time, God's love and His presence should be a constant companion, in this life and the next! This is Mike.

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