We all feel, from time to time, like we are riding on an emotional roller coaster that just doesn’t seem to end. We have ups and downs, highs and lows, and we just can’t seem to maintain a steady position. In order to get off of the emotional roller coaster of life and find our sure footing, we must learn to live from faith to faith.
Romans 1:17 tells us that in the gospel of Christ, “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The just shall live by faith.” For many believers who find themselves on this emotional roller coaster, the problem is that they are living from faith, to doubt, to worry, to unbelief, and then maybe back to faith. God’s Word tells us that the righteous live by faith, and this righteousness both springs from faith and leads to faith.
All born again believers have faith, otherwise we wouldn’t believe in our salvation. Romans 12:3 says that God has “dealt to each one a measure of faith.” We all have faith; faith is not our issue. The issue is that many of us are not living by this faith and instead are living by how we feel or what we see. God’s Word tells us that we have love, joy, and peace, and living from faith to faith would be living in love, joy, and peace no matter our circumstances. But too often we find ourselves upset, angry, or depressed, and when we allow our emotions to dominate, we are living in our flesh and not by our faith. Entertaining our emotions and negative thoughts allows doubt to creep in and negate our faith. If we don’t remove the doubt by seeking the truth of God’s Word, then that doubt will take root and eventually produce unbelief. In the Book of James we are told that we have to come to God in faith, without doubting, because when we doubt we are like “a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). It is doubt that keeps us on the emotional roller coaster and it is living from faith to faith that will get us off.
At the root of all doubt and unbelief is the misconception that God is withholding good from us. God is our good, good Father, and when we gain a revelation of His overwhelming love for us, our doubt will be replaced by faith. Why? Faith is activated through love (Galatians 5:6). As believers we have to make it our goal to know God and not just know about Him. We must draw near to God through His Word, we must seek His will through the guiding of the Holy Spirit, and we must surrender ourselves to Him. When we do this we are living by faith, and this will keep us living from faith to faith.
The Truth in Action: Have you been struggling to believe God’s Word over what your emotions have been telling you? Have you felt full of hope one day, but then the next day feel downcast, sad, or without hope? If so, then you are on an emotional roller coaster and it’s time to get off, so pull that emergency break in faith and believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do exactly what He has promised. Stay in faith by knowing God and by believing His truth above what the circumstances look like.
Meditate on Scripture:
- Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 – for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Further Study: Read Isaiah 52 and 53 to gain a better understanding of God’s love for mankind. These verses describe the coming of the Messiah and the punishment that He endured, out of love and obedience, on our behalf. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s love for you through these verses.