Movement in Faith
Have you ever listened to the same podcast episode more than 5 times? Don’t tell me I’m the only one. There’s an episode from C3NYC Podcast called “A Beautiful Story” about a firecracker brunette named Mia Fieldes from Hillsong Church Australia. It’s told by Mia herself, but a story as good as this one could only be authored by God.
Mia’s songwriting springs out of a deep well of knowing Jesus and desiring to make Him known. Sincerity gushes through her charming Aussie accent as Mia explains how she was the fat kid who played the tuba, and even then, she knew she’d write songs for God that would travel the world. By the time Mia was in her early 30s, the Lord redeemed every area of her life except one: romantic relationships. This area was met with continual disappointment. So, she begins her story with, “this isn’t a story about how to get a husband in 3 easy steps. It’s a story about how to move in faith.”
And they were neither 3 nor easy steps. Moving in faith looked like co-laboring with God over a span of many years and tangibly holding onto hope for His best for her. She stayed rooted in authentic community and allowed people to speak into her life prophetically. Through cultivating a deep relationship with Him, she was able to discern God’s voice and let Him declare His specific promises over her life. Her way of partnering with those promises is compelling.
When upset, depressed or discouraged, Mia employed the tactic she calls: moving in the opposite spirit. She would declare victory over her current situation and her life. Thanking God for what He’s doing in the present and what He’s going to do. She’d go out and actively do something to solidify that faith like a Jericho walk. Or she shared whimsically that once she bought men’s cologne saying to herself “it’s for someone!” She says thanks and praise shift things in the spiritual realm. This looks like tangibly moving in faith to me.
Is it manipulative faith or radical faith? God’s love for us is far more radical and crazy than it is rational. Mia demonstrates that our faith response can’t always be “reasonable” either. What is faith that cannot go beyond reason? She’d thank God in advance before the promise ever came to pass. Using our voices to praise Him also silences the enemy. The enemy cannot inhabit praise and thanksgiving - only negativity, complaining and destructive talk. There’s certainly a time to feel all of our feelings (anger, disappointment, fear, excitement) to the depths and tell the Lord what we really want. There’s also a time to move in the opposite spirit and declare thanksgiving and truths whether we “feel” them or not.
If you’re still reading, I encourage you to let Mia continue the conversation.
Questions to ponder:
Is there a place within you that seems stagnant or without movement? Is there an area of disappointment in your life?
What part of your heart or life feels disconnected or impossible before God’s mighty power?
What might moving in the opposite spirit look like for you?
Soundtrack:
Peace Be Still by The Belonging Co + Lauren Daigle. Particularly the bridge of the song.