The just shall live by (their) faith

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY (THEIR) FAITH.

Habakkuk 2:4. Romans 1:17. Galatians 3:11.  Hebrews 10:38.

If a saying is repeated often times in the Bible it’s a pointer to its weightiness and level of importance. 

The just shall live by (their) faith. It’s a layered saying, too intense to decompress with mere words. It’s both a source of hope and a cause of concern. 

Because who can adequately quantify how much a Christian has lost in their life because they decided to live by someone else’s faith and not theirs? Because they discarded what had been personally revealed to them by God for what had been publicly broadcasted. Due to peer pressure. Because they didn’t want to seem like the odd one, the “Jesus freak”, the spiricoco. Too many sad stories abound of those that should have pulled back when others pushed forward (or pushed forward when others pulled back), because they forgot they were supposed to be living by their faith.

Live by your faith. Don’t engage in spiritual exercises that your conviction has not given you clearance to do because other brethren are partaking in it. In the same vein, don’t shirk from spiritual responsibilities you are convicted to do just because others don’t have the boldness to proceed with. 

Also make sure you are nurturing that faith - bolster it with frequent reminders of who God is and who you are in Christ. Water it with the Word, which has several points of note on the above. Exercise it regularly in biblically-aligned prayer. Whatever you do, make sure you are sending your spiritual roots down, strengthening them deeply. Don’t get obsessed with looking out for the shoots - the tangible blessings or observable outcomes to prayers. Just make sure you are building spiritual strength: investing in prayer, worship, and study and meditation of the Word.