It has been found in a scientific study done about faith and character, that there is nothing that transforms a person’s character and conducts more than the understanding of grace and faith in Jesus Christ and having learned during childhood that God is kind, merciful, and forgiving. We have all received faith as a gift from God and we use that faculty to believe God. The goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls. Hope is the start of, and a big component of faith. When we believe, God is pleased because our faith is a commodity which is being exchanged for the fulfilment of promises and blessings in our lives. It was found in the abovementioned study that everyone goes through duration of stress which is made up of life events, chronic strains, and daily hassles and uplifts. In all of this, active faith is needed. During these times, who and what people turn to, determines whether their faith is active or not. Of the people who were studied, there were pertinent characteristics typical of those who had an active faith: they tend to be happier, deal better with life’s difficulties and are healthier and more prosperous. They have far less struggles with a low self-esteem. These people have an inward locus of control. (Locus of control is the control a person has over his/her life) When a person’s control is internal and based on faith, they can say during stressful times “look what I can do”, “I can determine my future”, “although I failed, I will try again”. People like this have a higher thought level, being extremely positive, optimistic, hopeful and peaceful, believing that all things are possible to God. When your control is external, your attitude during duration of stress will be to try to run and hide, saying “why me” or “why bother” – a victim or martyr mentality. Although we often vacillate between the two, one can change and become a victor in Christ through an active faith, believing God. We need to guard our faith with the help of the Holy Spirit because in the process of actively believing, transformation takes place inside of us, moving us to a place of a continuous strong internal positivity.
