Hebrews 10:23, NKJV<\/cite><\/aside>\nWe call God faithful. We call Him trustworthy.<\/p>\n
But what do those words mean if we believe we can have no expectation of how He will respond?<\/p>\n
Imagine an employer who sometimes pays you and sometimes doesn’t. Sometimes he pays the agreed amount, sometimes something different. Sometimes he honors his commitments, and sometimes he doesn’t.<\/p>\n
Would you describe that employer as faithful?<\/p>\n
Would you trust his word?<\/p>\n
Faithfulness means something. Trustworthiness means something. They speak of consistency, reliability, and a character we can depend upon.<\/p>\n
Why would we empty those words of their meaning when speaking about God?<\/p>\n
I’m not suggesting that we control God or that we understand everything He does. But I am suggesting that His faithfulness gives us a reason to expect Him to be true to His word.<\/p>\n
Faith isn’t simply believing God exists.<\/p>\n
It’s coming to know Him well enough that His promises begin to shape our expectations.<\/p>\n
WHEN TRUTH LEADS AND FEELINGS FOLLOW<\/h2>\n
Another discovery has changed the way I live.<\/p>\n
For years, I allowed my feelings to determine what I believed was possible. If I felt afraid, I expected trouble. If I felt uncertain, I guarded my expectations.<\/p>\n
But feelings were never intended to be the engine driving the train.<\/p>\n
Truth belongs at the front.<\/p>\n
Our thoughts, emotions, feelings, and even the responses of our bodies can learn to follow what we know to be true.<\/p>\n
That doesn’t mean denying our emotions or pretending fear doesn’t exist. It means refusing to let fear have the final word.<\/p>\n
I’ve discovered that sometimes we’re so determined to protect ourselves from disappointment that we refuse to let ourselves become genuinely expectant.<\/p>\n
We don’t want to get our hopes up.<\/p>\n
But what if that very protection is keeping us from experiencing the faith we’re longing to live in?<\/p>\n
What if faith becomes visible in what we actually expect?<\/p>\n
I’ve begun giving myself permission to hope. To become excited about God’s promises. To expect His goodness rather than continually preparing for disappointment.<\/p>\n
And I’ve begun seeing answers to prayer in ways that have challenged my former understanding of faith.<\/p>\n
Even when an answer doesn’t come immediately, I’ve discovered that expectation is a much better place to live than anxiety.<\/p>\n
FINDING TRUTH IN UNEXPECTED PLACES<\/h2>\n
Part of this journey began somewhere I didn’t expect.<\/p>\n
I encountered teachings from people such as Napoleon Hill and Neville Goddard, whose understanding of faith, expectation, and the workings of life differed significantly from the Christianity I knew.<\/p>\n
I didn’t agree with everything they taught. In some important ways, I disagreed with their understanding of the source of these principles.<\/p>\n
But they raised questions I couldn’t ignore.<\/p>\n
They caused me to reconsider things I had heard in church for years without fully examining.<\/p>\n
And they sent me back to Scripture with fresh questions.<\/p>\n
I began thinking about the laws God established in creation.<\/p>\n
Gravity operates whether someone believes in God or not. Seeds reproduce according to their kind whether the farmer acknowledges the Creator or not. The natural world displays patterns, order, and consistency.<\/p>\n
We can observe those laws, understand them, and participate in their workings without ever acknowledging the One who established them.<\/p>\n
I began wondering whether spiritual principles might operate in much the same way.<\/p>\n
Could someone observe a genuine spiritual principle while misunderstanding its source?<\/p>\n
Could someone describe something true while attributing it to themselves, the universe, or some impersonal force?<\/p>\n
I believe they can.<\/p>\n
But recognizing a principle is not the same as knowing its Creator.<\/p>\n
And to me, that’s the tragedy of discovering the beauty and order of creation without ever coming to know the One who made it.<\/p>\n
Jesus said, \u201cI am the way, the truth, and the life.\u201d John 14:6, NKJV<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIf Jesus is the truth, then genuine truth cannot ultimately be separated from Him, even when someone discovers a fragment of it without recognizing its source.<\/p>\n
Truth doesn’t become false because the wrong person speaks it, any more than a lie becomes true because the right person says it.<\/p>\n
Our responsibility is to discern what is true, reject what isn’t, and follow truth back to its source.<\/p>\n
And the truth is, that source is Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
WHY FAITH CO. EXISTS<\/h2>\n
Faith Co. grew out of these questions, discoveries, conversations, and an increasing desire to live differently.<\/p>\n
Not simply to believe different things, but to experience the transformation that comes when what we believe begins to shape what we expect.<\/p>\n
This isn’t a place where I claim to have every answer.<\/p>\n
It’s a place to examine assumptions, ask difficult questions, explore Scripture, recognize truth wherever it appears, and continually bring what we discover back to Jesus.<\/p>\n
We’ll explore faith, expectation, identity, prayer, the words we speak, the seeds we sow, and the fruit that grows from what we’ve come to believe.<\/p>\n
Some of those conversations may challenge familiar religious language. Others may challenge assumptions we’ve carried for years without realizing it.<\/p>\n
But the goal isn’t controversy.<\/p>\n
It’s freedom.<\/p>\n
Freedom from fear. Freedom from the constant expectation of disappointment. Freedom to trust that God really is who He says He is.<\/p>\n
And perhaps most importantly, freedom to move beyond merely talking about faith and begin living from it.<\/p>\n
HOW FAITH CO. WORKS<\/h2>\n
Faith Co. is a place for exploration, conversation, and discovery. Not every thought begins as a finished article, and not every question comes with an immediate answer.<\/p>\n
That’s intentional.<\/p>\n
Working Notes are where much of that exploration takes place. They’re developing thoughts, questions, observations, and conversations that haven’t necessarily reached a final conclusion. Some may eventually become published articles. Others may remain open for further discussion.<\/p>\n
These explorations have grown out of years of personal notes, Scripture study, questions, observations, and conversations that have shaped and continue to inform the ideas shared here.<\/p>\n
More recently, AI has become a useful tool in that ongoing process, and some of the Working Notes include conversations with AI.<\/p>\n
I want to be transparent about that.<\/p>\n
I’ve found AI helpful for identifying connections, organizing thoughts, and bringing structure to ideas that have developed over time.<\/p>\n
But there’s an important distinction.<\/p>\n
AI is not my source of truth.<\/p>\n
I don’t look to AI to determine what is true or what I should believe. I use it as a synthesizer \u2014 a tool that helps me examine ideas, recognize patterns, consider different perspectives, and express thoughts more clearly.<\/p>\n
Sometimes that process reveals connections I hadn’t previously considered. Sometimes it exposes questions that deserve further examination. And sometimes it helps turn a long, wandering conversation into something coherent enough to share.<\/p>\n