Re: PRESENCE totally exempts the need of believing
it seems to me, that when god talks about faith, he talks about men and women who either served god at all costs, or screwed up big time, but always cried out to their father. faith isn't talking about 'do you believe in jesus' because "even the demons believe and quake in ferar," but rather, are you assured of the power of god, the blessings of god, the peace of god enough to not let anything you do or anything that happens sway you from opening your heart to him? it speaks of david. this man who took his wimpy little sling to help defend his people --if i remember, against his father's wishes-- when they could not make any new swords. this man who murdered a man so he could steal his wife he'd already slept with. this man depended on the love of god and never stopped conversing with him no matter where he was in life. this is faith. that you know your god so well and are so confident in his promise of maintaining you and forgiving you, that you cry out to him in the depths of your sinfulness--because really, existing is being in the depths of sinfulness.