In our series on Faith, last week, we examined an all too common question “So you believe – now what?” This week, we are digging a little deeper to discover how to live with God on a daily basis and where to find energy when you meet that moment when feel you have tried until you almost died!  Chances are you have been there. If not, consider yourself lucky and learn how to never end up in that place!

Where to begin

“What is the path of faith? If a person can sense something from the invisible world more strongly than from the visible world, that person will never be exhausted. The external world seeks for the visible and revolves around it; but the path of faith pursues what is invisible. Therefore when you are so caught up in the external world that you lose sight of your spiritual goal and purpose, you will feel drained of energy in your life of faith.”  – Sun Myung Moon

If you are feeling a little drained, you may want to ask yourself what is your expectation? Are you relying on something external to empower you?  That cup of coffee or the next big paycheck? As Dr. Phil would say – how’s that working for you?

For Rev. Moon a life of faith was an important and energetic quest. Out of all the people I have known, I would have to say he is the person who has invested the most effort and sincerity in his relationship with God. He said:

 “A life of faith must be fervent.  Its fervor must exceed a hungry person’s craving for food or the desperate heart of a lost child looking for his or her mother.  This is because a life of faith pursues the goal of faith, which is not visible to the eyes.  Is God’s Will visible?  God’s Will remains invisible until it is realized through human beings.  

In the world around us, people plan, design, budget for and then execute a project; but God’s Will is neither visible nor tangible.  It is difficult to seek for the invisible world and substantiate its objectives in reality.” 

I thought about the great people in history and why we consider them great; people like Jesus, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa or Nelson Mandela. We recognize them because through their lives we could pinpoint something about the Will of God. We saw God’s Will for equality; we saw God’s Will for the value of every life; the ideals resonated in our soul and we knew this was indeed the Will of God.

It’s our daily lives that matter

This is our task too – to make real the Will of God in our lives. It’s exciting. This is what it means to be a co-creator together with God. Even though we think of God as being all powerful, in reality He can do nothing without humanity – even His Will (aka hopes and dreams) cannot become substantial without us. This is a radical divergence from faith traditions that see people as simply followers of a Divine Will.

Understanding God as a family God, means that existence for God cannot be fulfilled and is purposeless without us. Even if one member of a family is missing there is this huge hole. Similarly life absent of God is without its fullest meaning and greatest purpose.  We need God but God also needs us – we complete each other.

Promise in action 

Rev. and Mrs. Moon are not stuck in theology and confining theological concepts, constrained by old ways of thinking. They want to liberate God! That’s a radical concept. How do you liberate God? Is it even possible?

There are some pretty practical action steps to liberating God. When we think of liberators we think of people capable of dramatic action and don’t imagine ourselves to be such a person. Sometimes when I see a movie like Schindler’s List or Valor I ask myself could I have done that? Probably, the most honest answer is “I don’t know.” However, liberating God may be more doable than we think. For example:

• When you feel neglected, instead of remaining stuck in your emotions, remember that God has been neglected too. How many people deny His existence or worse still simply forget about Him? Let God know you care.
• When you feel judged and persecuted for something you stand for let God know you have tasted the pain that He has felt for millennium. Rise above the injustice inflicted on you. Receive and offer forgiveness for judgements made.
• When you feel depressed think of how much sadness our Heavenly Parent has shouldered. Find joy and share that joy with God. God too needs hope.
• When you feel hated by others instead of getting lost in that story remember God has been hated, even though He is blameless. Promise to love.

A counterintuitive strategy

It’s funny but we expend so much energy trying to avoid suffering. We naturally run in the opposite direction. Rev. Moon had a counterintuitive strategy – he embraced it. It involved walking in-step with suffering because it allows you to know God. It’s not that you want to suffer but when you do, you can see it as an opportunity to come face-to-face with the real God; not the God of gift cards and platitudes but the God that lives and breathes in the Universe.

To live with God means to connect with him in all moments – that what is what we mean at Faith Fusion by “faith that works.”

When you feel crushed by life and you need that second wind or when you feel slain by your ego or the demons within remember ANYTHING is possible because of your relationship with God. This is what drives you. It’s that invisible, internal motivation that trumps external circumstances and even the plans of others.

A Tale of Two Davids

It reminds me of the story of King David. Who was simply David before he became a King. He was a humble shepherd. He had won an incredible victory in defeating Goliath by virtue of his faith in God and sling skills honed protecting sheep from lions.  In 1st Samuel he is described as “a man after God’s own heart.” What is incredible to me about this story is the way he was chosen to be King. The prophet Samuel, fed up with King Saul’s corruption, goes in search of a new King. He visits the house of Jesse and asks to see his sons. When the seven sons are paraded in front of him, Samuel feels the future King isn’t among them so he asks Jesse “do you have any other sons.” It’s that Cinderella moment. “Yes, there is a youngest, most unqualified son, out back in the fields, but what would you want with him?” Nonetheless, he was brought in and Samuel unexpectedly proclaimed him to be the future King.

This little story is significant to me because it shows that you can’t hold people back from what they are called to do. The father, Jesse, and perhaps his older brothers too, tried to block David from being considered by Samuel. They didn’t think of him as a candidate. They didn’t really understand what was inside of him. They saw him as their not-too-impressive little brother. But God had plans for him and David had a vision for his people. You can see David’s personality in the confrontation with Goliath. David was affronted that an uncircumcised Philistine should insult the army of the living God. He had pride in his people. He wasn’t about to be put down by the likes of Goliath.  God had a plan and David had a calling. That is what is meant by “faith that works”. It’s not just God, it’s not just you; it’s not just your circumstances. It’s about finding that synchronicity where God’s will unfolds in your life.

Now some would say we don’t know whether the Biblical story of David is historically accurate but to me the Bible is wisdom literature. That means it provides profound insight into how God works in the world and how “faith that works” happens in everyday life. A better question would be, could that story happen today in your life or the lives of your friends? Is it relevant? I would say it is.

I heard from another David this week; the David who came to New Hampshire a few weeks ago and shared the Take Your Life On seminar with us. Many of you attended and had profound experiences, learning how to allow God and your original nature to drive your actions rather than having your personal goals circumvented by ego and all the negative voices in your head. It was an incredible experience and I remember thinking at the time, God must surely want David to speak all over the world and to thousands not just to our small gathering in New Hampshire. I felt I was in the presence of something bigger. Just like the Biblical David, two things collided in the same person – God’s Will, meaning God’s desire to accomplish something for His sons and daughters and David’s ambition and skill to help people – “faith that works.” God had a vision for David’s talent and wants to share it on a much larger level and nothing is going to get in the way of that happening. I could feel it and suddenly this life coach from Ohio was catapulted onto the global stage and is presenting to people from all over the world at an International seminar this week in Korea. God has a funny way of opening doors once we are clear about what it is that we want to offer.

At this seminar he wants to pass on this ability to really take your life on. Participants will have the opportunity to clarify where their passions and talents and God’s dreams intersect. That is the point where miraculous things happen. Ultimately the Will of God will not be revealed in books but through our lives. It is at the intersection between God and us that we discover “faith that works.” This week take your life on and think about what you want to do to express your passions and God’s heart in the world – it’s bound to be amazing.