SEVEN KEYS TO A WORKING FAITH

The door to a faith that works for you can be opened by following seven logical steps. The only thing required is desire and the willingness to use each of the keys in the order given. Failure to use one of the keys will block the door of faith from fully opening.

THE FIRST KEY:

Each of us has a place of helplessness, a cause of guilt, failure, pain, call it what you will, that thing in our lives that we have never been able to conquer whether hidden or obvious. Take the courage to put your finger on that sore spot and face your helplessness over it, and you will have in your hand the first key.

THE SECOND KEY:

How strong is your desire? The second key is the surrender of your will to God and the intention to, as best you can, seek His will for your life. Surrender is different from compliance which yields only the surface but clings to the right to do things one's own way.

When the will is surrendered to God, the second key is turned, and your whole nature will in time be transformed by Him. The surrender of the will alone allows the remaining keys to be turned.

THE THIRD KEY:

If you have used the first two keys, you are now ready to pick up the third key. To take it in hand, do a simple but sometimes painful exercise. Frequently the major block to a faith that works lies in some hidden or unconfessed sin. Ask God's help, after all, He knows all about you, then begin to list the sins that come to mind on a sheet of paper.

It is often done by starting where you are and working backward through your life, or by thinking back as far as you can and working up to the present time. Things that have already been confessed and forgiven do not need to be brought forth again. The object is to identify sins that have left stains on your conscience and deprive you of a firm experience of forgiveness.

When you have the list as complete as you can make it, you have the third key in hand. To turn it, confess it to God, sin by sin. Pick up your Bible and read Isaiah 53 and thank God that He has forgiven you because Jesus died for you. If you have trouble feeling forgiven, make your confession to God in the presence of a priest, pastor, or more mature Christian who can reassure you of God's forgiveness so that you can turn this key firmly in the lock. The following prayer will help summarize what you have done. Do pray it and make it your own.

Lord, Jesus, I confess to you that I am a sinner, and I ask you, because of your death on the cross, to forgive me, to come into my heart and make me your own. Amen.

THE FOURTH KEY:

This is the knowledge that you have not been able to change yourself, even though the third key uncovered a number of reasons for change. Those reasons cluster around certain common defects of character like fearfulness, shame, low self-value or pessimism that are often the causes of sinful behavior.

Acknowledge your defects of character to God, ask Him to help you begin to change, and you have turned the fourth key.

THE FIFTH KEY:

This key is a delicate one that must not be forced.Here is where the advice of a more mature Christian may be helpful. In the course of your life there are no doubt some people whom you have needlessly hurt or offended. Become willing to make restitution.

Don't force the key in the lock, however, sometimes amends needlessly made can cause more distress than the original fault, and sometimes the making of an amend can open a wonderful door of reconciliation. The real question is: Are you willing?

THE SIXTH KEY:

This key swings the door wide open. By following the five preceding keys to a working faith, you have been very simply and logically working through the classic steps of repentance and restitution. This key is a conscious and deliberate step into life in the Spirit. The lock, however, is a double lock that must be turned twice for the door to fully open.

The first turn is the establishment of a regular devotional life of daily prayer and Bible study. The second turn is the fullness of the Spirit. The release of the Spirit, His graces and gifts in your life swings the door wide open. The promises of Matthew 3:11 and Luke 11:13 are for you. The prayer that follows will help you personalize your acceptance of the fullness of the Spirit.

Lord Jesus, I ask you to baptize me with your Holy Spirit and make me completely your own. Release fully in me the fruit and gifts of your Spirit. I ask in your name. Amen.

THE SEVENTH KEY:

The door now lies open before you. To be sure that it remains open, one thing is necessary and that is the willingness to serve your Lord and others by sharing what He has done for you, and by exercising the gifts that He has given you.

As you turn this key you will discover that the more you give, the more will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing blessings of the love of God, the peace that passes understanding, and the joy of Jesus fully manifested in your life.

Now, if you have the courage and the desire, take the seven keys one by one. Unlock the door to a working faith and enter into the joy of your Lord.

&Copy1985 by Rob Smith

Reprinted from Christian Life, Feb. 1986, Vol. 47, Number 10, p.29. (The Rev. Dr. Rob Smith Obl. OSB, Seven Keys to a Working Faith.)

This article places the 12 Steps of Recovery back in their biblical and theological framework as an expression of recovery in biblical terms.

Click here to see archived articles and letters written by Father Rob Smith.