What does it mean to have Audacious Faith?

First, let’s define audacious …

The word Audacious comes from the from Latin audax, audac- ‘bold’ (from audere ‘dare’) and, according to Google; audacious is an adjective that has both a positive meaning

• Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. With similar words: being: bold, daring, fearless, brave, unafraid, unflinching & courageous

and a negative connotation

• Showing an impudent lack of respect. With similar words being: presumptuous, forward, irreverent, discourteous, disrespectful, insubordinate & rude.

Pastor Bryan Carter of Concord Church preached a sermon series entitled “Forward“, about how we move forward in life, using the Book of Joshua. On Sunday we found ourselves in Joshua 10:1-15, There are many titles for this passage of scripture, in the NIV it is labeled as “The Sun Stands Still” and a quick google search will show “The Longest Day” and “Bold Faith”. Pastor Carter presented us with a sermon titled. “A God You Can Depend On” . His sermon points were:

• The Position (vs 1-5 )
• The Plea (vs 6-7 )
• The Promise (vs 8),
• The Plan (vs 9-11)
• The Prayer (vs 12- 15)

The last point of Pastor Carter’s message, The Prayer, struck a chord with me on Sunday and brought me to me tears today.

¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹³ So the sun stood still,
    and the moon stopped,
    till the nation avenged itself on^[b] its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
¹⁵ Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10:12-15 niv

We see from this scripture the audacity of Joshua’s faith. Joshua asked God to stop time so he could win this battle. Not only was he forward and presumptuous with his prayer (and dare I say, a little rude.) He was equally bold and courageous to even utter the words to ask of God.

If we do a cursory look over Joshua’s walk with God at this point in his life. ummm, yeah I get it .. the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22), water from a rock, manna from heaven, the parting of the Jordan, the battle of Jericho… Joshua had no reason, not to believe, that God wouldn’t show up and show out. God had already told him the battle was his. I would like to submit to you that this is what happens in the life of experienced, mature, & well seasoned christians. We (as in me, myself and I) are quick to believe God for the big things in our life. The things we know only He can do. The Clark Sisters told us to Expect Your Miracle and we will sing every high note in expectation of what God is going to do. But what about the small things or simply put, everything else.

This is what drove me to tears today.

God has quite literally been asking me to talk to Him. I have been ghosting the Lord like He is a random guy I matched with on eHarmony.com. (Do you know how hard it is to ghost an omnipresent being?) I have done everything but talk to Him. I talked to my family, my friends, I have sang about it, texted about, watch instagrams about it, and joked about it, but I still hadn’t talked to God about it.

The Lord said to me today, “What do I need to do, to get you to talk to me about it?”

Um… First of all, let me say, that this was not a conversation I was willing to have with the Lord. So, before the He could say, “I got something for that …” I turned to Him with my Imperfect Faith.

I am extremely and abundantly blessed. God has already done so much for me, how can I ask for more? I have shelter, food and I am clothed in my right mind. I have a career, transportation, family and friends. I am well loved. How can I ask for the desires of my heart when they seem so trivial in the big scheme of things. What if these are just ebony desires and not God desires? What if the things I long for are not what He would have for me?

Imperfect Faith is not audacious enough to declare “Thy Will Be Done.”

Imperfect Faith does not let go & let God. Imperfect Faith does not lay it all at his feet, the alter or anywhere else. Imperfect Faith is scared of the cost. Imperfect Faith questions the very relational nature of who God is.

I have an Imperfect Faith that believes God is a miracle worker, that God answers and responds to prayers and that God is in the blessing business. My Imperfect Faith also (erroneously) believes that God does not have time for the small, everyday things.

So follow (come with, watch) as God relentlessly pursues me and changes my Imperfect Faith to an Audacious Faith that believes God not only for the big things, but for ALL things.

~ebony