As you learn to live by faith, you will need to identify and avoid a number of hazards. This chapter describes only a few of these potential problem areas.

    You will discover very early that living by faith does not necessarily result in quick answers to prayer. It is God's prerogative to decide when He will grant your requests. You must never gauge your growth in faith by measuring the time interval between your requests and God's answers.

    You must learn to distinguish between faith and unwise expectations. God may lead you to pray intently for something which appears to be humanly impossible. Throughout both Scripture and history there are examples of this kind of prayer. For example, even though there had been severe drought for three years, according to 1 Kings 18, Elijah prayed specifically for rain and God miraculously sent torrential rain on the same day.

    At the same time, you must exercise both caution and wisdom as you live by faith. Without compromising your willingness to take risks in faith, you must learn to pray for those things which please God and accomplish His purpose.

    Always remember that learning to trust God is the purpose of your life of faith. The primary purpose is not so that you can work miracles or use displays of amazing supernatural power as a means of revealing God to others.

    You must exercise special caution as you learn to live by faith. All religious people—including the most well-intentioned Christians—share the propensity for self-deception. Because you want your faith to produce results, you will be inclined to look for any sign indicating that God answered your prayer. You will need to be careful that you do not let your mind arrange details so that mere random events are distorted to appear as answers to your faith.

    We must be careful to allow God to act in our lives without falling into the trap of self-deception. Nothing is gained by wanting so much for faith to work that we unconsciously fabricate an outcome that we then claim as God's response.

    I find it equally offensive to see others being manipulated by the vocal intonation of the one praying, with touching and contrived behavior, or by control of the environment with music or lighting so that what follows appears to be a miraculous manifestation. We must constantly be aware that we neither attempt to manipulate others—or allow ourselves to be manipulated—in our desire to live by faith.

    One of the great joys of learning to live by faith is the awareness of a viable and growing faith. However, this awareness of personal growth never allows for arrogance or pride.

    As you learn to live by faith, you must be careful that you do not presume to "know everything about faith."

    Nonetheless, it is appropriate to be discerning of others' expressions of faith and cautiously evaluate them for biblical accuracy. Your discernment may keep both you and others from error. At the same time, you must generously make allowance for God's leading in their lives even though it differs from how He has led you in the past.

    You must avoid complacency in faith. There may have been difficult early lessons that you now feel competent to handle. Your tendency will be to stay in the comfort zone of the lessons already learned. In order to continue growing in faith, you must be willing to let God lead you into new areas of uncertainty. He will not always meet your future needs in the same ways He met past needs. He will continue to force you to trust Him rather than relying on the skills you have acquired from the past.

    If you are married when you begin to contemplate pursuing faith, you will need to carefully consider your spouse. Be forewarned, aside from personal holiness, coordinating your attempts to live by faith with your spouse may be your greatest obstacle.

    In an ideal world, both husband and wife would simultaneously realize the need for faith growth and would move through each step together. In all likelihood, it will not be that simple as one of the two of you will tentatively begin pursuing faith first. Contrary to all that you desire, it may eventually become a solo journey, even though both of you are believers. (Stereotypes are inadequate. A pastor's wife may pursue faith while her husband does not.)

    If you have the advantage of being in a church where faith growth is encouraged, you have a better possibility of confronting the need together. If it results from your own study, however, prayerfully consider how you might also involve your spouse so that the gap between you does not grow too large.

    Do not underestimate the importance of this concern. Your growth in faith will touch every area discussed in the previous three chapters: finances, reliance on medical treatment, retirement, ministry (which impacts both finances and leisure time) and many ancillary issues such as family values, raising your children and media entertainment. If not handled carefully, these can all become divisive.

1. As much as possible, encourage your spouse to join you in pursuing faith. However, it must result from his or her decision before the Lord, not from your manipulation. Under no circumstances may you belittle your spouse for not choosing to pursue faith.

2. After doing all that you can to include your spouse, your decision to pursue faith must have priority. Carefully read passages such as Luke 14:26-33 and Ephesians 5:25-33. (Note Christ's purpose in loving the church in Ephesians 5. It was not romantic love. He loved in order to produce a church which is "holy and blameless.")

3. You must be circumspect when you are pursuing faith alone. Of necessity, you will need to plan finances and other areas of ministry differently than you might if you were living by faith together. For example, you may be extremely frugal in your own personal expenses in order to support ministry, while at the same time silently allowing your spouse to spend more lavishly.

    You must always remember that you will continue your life of faith in the same way you started. Your faith is a result of God's gracious provision in your life. Just as you were completely dependent on God to give you faith as you began your life of faith, so you will continue to be dependent on God to provide ongoing faith in the future.