Josh Husmann, pastor at Mercy Road Church in Indianapolis, recently made the point that, “Your faith is most contagious when it is fully alive.” Dormant faith rarely spreads. If we aren’t living in such a way that our faith drives everything we do, we will struggle to be effective witnesses for Jesus.
When we are fully engaged in our faith, our lives take on an irresistible glow, a fire that is visible to all those with whom we come into contact. We all want a faith that is fully alive, but the struggles of our own doubts and insecurities leave our faith simmering just below the surface. It’s time to let it explode. It’s time we unleashed our faith into the world.
How does one come to possess a faith that is fully alive? We need a focus that is on Christ alone. It is impossible to focus on two things at once. Your mind will constantly be shifting from one to the other. Focus has only one object, and if we want our faith to be fully alive, that object must be Jesus. That means making some changes in our lives. It might mean turning off the television or the stereo, logging off of social media, or perhaps even turning off your phone. Isn’t it embarrassing how trivial the things are that we consider being such a great sacrifice? I often wonder how those living in poverty and being physically persecuted for their faith see us. I’m certain it must make them weep.
Focusing on Jesus and fanning the flames of your faith means that your spare time will be spent serving Him and learning more about His character and mission. Ultimately a faith that is fully alive is utterly and completely obsessed with Jesus. Everything we do can be traced back to Him. Our every thought is constantly seeking God, His wisdom, and His love. Think of the activity, person, or task that you most enjoy in life; what is the thing you do in which you lose all sense of time? When our faith is fully alive, that will be Jesus. He will be the one with whom we wish to spend every waking minute. It will be for His purpose that we do everything we do.
When our faith is fully alive, we are best equipped to carry out His great commission for us: to tell the entire world about Him. A faith that is fully alive might be ridiculed, but it cannot be ignored. It is contagious in the best possible sense. Nothing will stand in your way. Nothing will be too difficult for you. When your faith is fully alive, you are consumed by the God who created you, and He will enable you to do everything He designed you to do. In every idle moment, spend it talking to and contemplating Him. Read; study; discover all there is to know about the One who saved your soul. Our mission is to spread the good news of Jesus like a virus; and we are never so contagious as when our faith is fully alive.