The Circle of Faith
John 20:21-22
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
The pattern described in John 20:21-22 and the graphic above repeats itself throughout Scripture and, we believe, provides us with a pattern for growing our faith as we serve God.
First, God gives us the free gift of faith, which allows us to be at peace with Him. Jesus was concerned that, without this peace, the disciples would not hear or believe what He was about to tell them. This peace also allows us to be open to what God is trying to tell us, trusting that He has only our best interests in mind. Then, we can listen and learn what work He has for us to do, just like the disciples.
God then reveals to us His calling, or work, that is specifically ours to do. It is His work, according to His will, in His time. If we are like every other human that heard God's calling, our first reaction will be to run and hide from it, making excuses for our inability to do it. It is only if we submit and surrender to God's calling for us that He reveals His equipping for us. He will then provide all the strengths, gifts, and resources we need to accomplish His work - even if we never possessed them before!
It is then up to us to simply do what He asks of us, using His resources to accomplish the work. As we watch Him work in and through us, our faith is grown. We are then ready for His next calling - and the cycle begins all over again!
One word of caution, however. When we try to define our calling based on our perception of His resources for us, we are telling Him what we will do, thus keeping God out of the circle. Our faith then shrinks, keeping us from watching Him work in and through us as we rely on ourselves instead of the Father. The Circle of Faith should proceed in only one direction - from Faith to Calling to Equipping.
It is only then that God receives all the glory!