As I alluded to in last week's edition of Life Beyond The Lyrics, I have been completing a study about the life of Elisha. The study was titled "Ridiculous Faith," and as I was concluding the study, all I could think of was what is required to have a faith like that—a ridiculous faith.

The study really has brought to mind the words of the early 2000s rock band, Jonah33, in their song, "Faith Like That": "I have heard about the days of old / about the men who followed You / And how they saw the Supernatural / and became the chosen few."

In Romans 12:3 (ISV), Paul says, "For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you." 

The beautiful part of this this particular translation is that it does not say a measure, but rather, the measure of faith. So when I wonder how I might have a ridiculous faith like Elisha, I can take comfort in the word of God to know I have already been given the measure of faith. The question then becomes, how do I, Mark C. Ryan—husband, father, writer for NRT, regular Joe—release that faith?

As I struggled with this dichotomy of faith I found myself singing, "I want a Faith like that / To see the dead rise / or to see You pass by / Oh I, I want a Faith like that / whatever the cost / I'll suffer the loss, oh I / I want a Faith like that." 

How do I get to the point where I walk away from the safety and security of my job and burn my plow and slaughter my oxen to live a life devoted to following God (1 Kings 19:21)?

How do I get to the point where hearing God and acting on that still small voice is my immediate reaction—the point where ignoring the screams of doubt and fear that grow ever louder becomes possible? Too often do I look at a challenging situation through my own eyes and put limitations on myself and more disappointingly, God. I am not talking about having a blind faith that turns belief in God into a magic trick. Rather, true faith to take God at His word and just press through.

The song continues, "I read the story one more time / of those who gave to You Their lives / 
with no fear or compromise." And what I realized is that the way that I have faith like Elisha is to just act. If I feel God telling me to go and buy some soup and hand it out to homeless people, then I need to go and get soup and do it. If I feel God telling me to be extra generous in my offering even though my logical brain can't justify it in the budget spreadsheet, then put the extra money in. I don't know what will happen when I act on those things, I do know I won't regret it