Keeping Your Faith Awake

Have you ever made a decision to step out on faith only to doubt yourself shortly after? I know I have. But as I shared with a friend a few days ago, while I've had several moments when I've questioned my recent transition a moment has followed shortly thereafter that confirms my faith and reassures my heart. My faith reawakens.

So here's a message from Reverend Kelli Jareaux of The Inner Visions Full Life Fellowship to help you keep your faith awake.

Be Blessed,

Pamela Lyn

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Inspirational Reading:

"Faith has tremendous power, and it works either way. Our negative or positive faith helps shape our future. The vision you keep, the words you speak pave the way for your experiences. The mind is a prolific author. What you believe – along with the action you take – composes your life. At this moment our lives reflect where we have been in consciousness and what we have done with our time." Wisdom for the Soul, Larry Chang, p. 299, quoting Susan L. Taylor, Lessons in Living.


"Waking Sleeping Faith"

Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus went to pray in Gethsemane. With him he took three disciples, Peter, and John and James, the two sons of Zebedee. Peter represents faith, John love, and James judgment. Jesus counted on these three to support him in his moment of critical need. Yet, all three fell asleep. Repeatedly, Jesus returned, woke them, and besieged them to stay awake. Repeatedly, they fell asleep. (Mathew 26:36-46)

Faith, love and judgment slept, but Jesus remained awake and praying! Jesus represents the directive power within man. The power we possess to direct ourselves to align with God's will. It is a power beyond faith, a power that can reawaken sleeping faith.

Recently I spoke with a brilliant young lady who I met through the newsletter. She told me about certain circumstances in her life that had turned sour. She was gravely disappointed. The most significant source of her disappointment was that she believed she was mistaken about God's will for her life. She doubted whether the steps she had taken and the sacrifices she had made were directed by God. She questioned whether the divine guidance on which she had relied had been a mental delusion.

I totally understood and empathized with her situation.

When our faith is asleep we may doubt ourselves, doubt our relationship with God, question our destiny, question and even doubt God. This is the normal result of sleeping faith. Worse, sleeping faith may be accompanied by sleeping love, (I no longer love what I am doing) and sleeping judgment (I no longer judge this to be the right thing to do).

Doubt, on the other hand, is likely awake and active.

So? What are we to do?

These are the, "nevertheless" moments, when we must know that we will do God's will nevertheless. Perhaps without loving it, perhaps without faith in it, perhaps without judging it appropriate, Father, "nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt."

These are the Nike moments, when we must, "Just do it!"

God's will does not always seem easy, it doesn't always feel synchronous, it doesn't always feel good, or right, or justified, or reasonable, or sensible, or logical. Sometimes it may seem downright crazy and make us question whether what we are doing is divinely guided or guided by the derangement of our own mind or ego.

In those moments, we are to follow Jesus' example! We are to pray, stay awake in Spirit, and use the directive power of our being to do as God directs. When we obey God, our repeated obedience will be the needed wake up call for our sleeping faith. And, in time, faith, love and judgment will arise and stand with us as we go to meet our divine destiny.


"Inner Visions is a network of conscious individuals, who are dedicated to serving God and awakening the consciousness of humanity with LOVE, EXCELLENCE and ELEGANCE. It is a shared philosophy of teaching and practical application of spiritual principles and universal truths as a foundation for living."

Rev. Iyanla Vanzant-Bandele, Founding Minister