A response to "More! Give me more!" by Susie (www.alifenotwasted.blogspot.com)

I just read a blog entry that Susie wrote on faith. This is a subject that God has REALLY been teaching me for the past year now. It's like everything that is going on in my life and every lesson that I am learning is about faith, and what it is.
Last year, at a church camp (that Neil McClendon and Billy and Cindy Foote were leading) God began to reveal to me that I didn't really know what having faith in Him was. One night at camp, God moved me to go and talk to Neil and tell him what was going on in my life. Neil suggested that I do something "radical," it was to not read my Bible for a month and actually LIVE OUT what the Bible teaches, and not just 'sit and soak'. When he said that I was like "that's craz.......huh....that's so weird that you say that because I'll be in Brazil on a mission trip 2 weeks from now, so I wouldn't be able to read my Bible the whole time I'm there." So, I prayed about it, and that night, I stopped reading the Bible for a month. It was the greatest learning experience I think that I've ever had. During that time, I learned to rely on God, and not on my intelligence, I also learned that I do not have a relationship with the Bible, but with it's author. While I was in Brazil on the mission trip (we worked through local churches and interpreters going on home visits everyday to explain who Christ is and the plan of salvation, or to explain some things they may not understand about the Bible, and other things of this nature) I remember a specific house visit where I was like quoting scriture to her that I didn't even know I knew!!!! I truly believe it was God talking through me and showing me that I have the WORD inside of me! (John 1) Because Christ is the WORD, and the Bible is just the written account of the WORD. God was also showing me that I have faith in Him, and not in my ablilty to find a scripture at the drop of a hat...He is powerful enough to speak through us for HIS own glory.
So, since that time, it has been a little over a year and God is still putting a desire in me to understand more about faith, and exercise that faith so that it may grow. For sure, that scripture is true (james 1:2-4) because it is through trials that we gain endurance for the harder times to come.
So, Susie, thanks for the words of encouragement and wisdom. We all should continue to seek after Christ for our source of life. I love ya!!!!