By the *this* I am presuming that you are referring to the exercising of faith, correct?
I think your initial statement would lead through this. I wouldn't want to limit the question to it, unless it were in order to keep the discussion to something manageable in this medium.
It could also involve how you do (or can) know you have truly (or sufficiently) "honored God by taking Him at His word."
Belief and faith are more qualitative, difficult to quantify, and are, for us, subjectively known and measured to whatever extent they can be measured..
I think your full response is on track with my question.
I'm just getting started on my day and have a couple minutes in which I will address this one statement at least.
Sorry that it's in the form of a question. How is taking God at His word, not honoring to Him? Taking Him at His word means that I believe what He says. If I don't believe what He says in His word, I consider that equivalent to setting myself up as judge to Him and calling Him a liar.
I believe that Scripture is the inspired word of God to us, that God speaks to us by it and through it. That leaves me in no position to disagree or argue with Him about what it says, especially if it's plainly and clearly spelled out.
More later. Mr. mm is going on with doing stuff without me.....
It could also involve how you do (or can) know you have truly (or sufficiently) "honored God by taking Him at His word."
Jesus said that if we have faith as the grain of a mustard seed, we could move mountains. It seems then, that the criteria is any amount of faith, that that is sufficient, because it's not how big our faith is but how big the God we put our faith in is.
Back to the being rescued at sea illustration. I'm not a big fan of heights. The thought of being lifted from the sea by a rope into a hovering helicopter is not one I would relish as I would worry about how strong the rope is, but my part in that is still just to rest and trust even if there is apprehension on my part, to have faith in the rescuers.
At the time that I became a Christian, I had been away from the Catholic church for a few years. When the crisis in my life pushed me towards God, I started talking to Him again, just in a conversational way, not anything I had been taught by Catholicism but I did sense that He was listening.
The turning point came when one day I told God, " If you can straighten out this mess of a life f mine, you can have it. I'll do whatever you want. I'll even become a missionary and go to Africa if you want, because I'd rather be happy doing what you want than keep on going the way I am." (and that's word for word. Even after all these years, that moment was burned into my memory) Not much changed in my circumstances, but something certainly changed inside and I felt a little bit better.
A few months later, a co-worker who had been sharing the Gospel with me was talking about the end times and that the way to avoid going through the Tribulation was to ask Christ into your heart as an act of your will.
My reaction was, *That's it!! That's what I want.* (Not even so much avoiding the Tribulation but the asking Jesus into my heart) So standing there I prayed silently in that moment saying, "I don't understand what asking you into my heart as an act of my will means, but I will You in". God answered that prayer because that's when a LOT changed inside, immediately.
I felt like a new person inside, clean. I felt the conviction that I needed to start reading the Bible and going to church. So I went out and bought my first Bible and started attending church. I *knew* I needed to start giving financially, not doing it because someone told me I needed to, so I did that.
I lost interest in going to bars, which BTW, I don't see either that or moderate drinking as sin, but I just wasn't interested in the bar scene any more.
If I sinned, it had a far different impact on me in the form of conviction that I needed to repent and ask forgiveness and keep short accounts with God, instead of blowing it off.
What it boils down to is that there was a dramatic and significant internal change in me that worked out in my life and the resultant works attested outwardly to others, and even to me, of the fact that I had exercised saving faith. I knew it from what I experienced internally but others could see it from the external changes.
And it was not an emotional response. I thank God that none of the significant spiritual experiences I've had have been during or the result of a church service. That way it CAN'T be attributed to some emotional experience because of being whipped up in an emotional frenzy as seems to happen in some groups.
It's not perfect faith. but it doesn't need to be God knows we can neer be perfect and there is one thing I'm absolutely convinced of and that is that He meets us where we are. If we have that desire, He responses and honors it.
Sure, I've had moments of doubt. Satan plants that in one's mind to prevent someone from being an effective, Spirit filled witness for God. However, I don't believe that God condemns us for that. Jesus was gracious and merciful with Thomas. He was the same for Peter who even denied Him.
I also believe that my continuing to trust Him and believe Him in the midst of less than ideal circumstances attests to the exercise of saving faith. I have struggled with this food disorder, of which you can find more information on a RF prayer thread. Not much has changed in the year since it was posted. I still feel like I'm living on borrowed time, but God has worked in my life in ways that I never expected. And that is sufficient for me.
I hope that answers adequately. If not, let me know.