INTRODUCTION:
My father was a Pastor and when I was a young boy I remember him preaching and I remember him saying: ‘How much faith does it take to live your Christian life?’ I was always challenged by this challenge. Have you ever thought about it? Look what the Bible says: Hebrews 11:6 ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.’ Faith is our God-given ability to believe, trust and have confidence in God. Romans 12:3 ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.’ For us as believers, faith is ‘God’s divine persuasion’ in our lives. We do not doubt; we believe, because we are persuaded. We know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit and we are convinced. Romans 8:16 ‘The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God!’ Let me share with you some thoughts on this all-important aspect of faith. 1. FAITH IS A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY AND NOT A DESTINATION Our Christian lives are a walk of faith; I like to call it a ‘voyage of discovery!’ God is the only unchangeable aspect of life. Every other aspect is subject to change at any moment. I have met people who think that they have figured it all out, only to have to face something that is outside their paradigm. It is not a destination. It is not something that one day you have figured out like a formula or a recipe. On one day, prayers may be answered and the next day they may seem to go unanswered. At times it may be that every promise is fulfilled and at other times the promises we have received may appear not to be fulfilled. But in all this, God is the constant and that is why our faith in Him is so important. It can be compared to a ship on the open sea. That ship cannot predict what will come its way. It may be that the ship has an experienced captain, but even he has not got it all figured out. The sea could throw a curve ball at him and leave him astounded. In the same way, we do not know what life will bring our way. But no matter what may come, God is with us and He is the constant in our lives. Never think you have arrived, rather just enjoy the journey and you will discover His faithfulness all along the way. 2. DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORLD AND SELF My brother is a pilot and loves to fly aircraft. One day he asked my uncle to go with him for a ‘flip’. My uncle responded and said he would fly anywhere with my brother as long as he could keep one foot on the ground. Of course that would be impossible, but that is often how we want to live our faith lives. We want to fly in this regard, but then at the same time we want to stay connected to the safe, the known and the things we know make us feel secure. We need to disengage or disconnect from these things. We have to have the courage to take that ‘one foot off the ground’! We are tied to so many things. But if you want to fly, you can’t be tied to the ground. We need to become detached from those things that have a hold on us. We need to be cut loose from all that would stop us. This includes things that the world may offer and also things within each one of us. Perhaps there is something that is holding you back? Like a ship that is tethered to the harbor can never reach its purpose or fulfill that which it was designed to do, so in the aspect of faith, if we stay tethered to what ties us down, we will never fly as we were designed and purposed to. And if we do not disconnect, then often we will go through shakings that bring us to the place of release. 3. WHAT IS FAITH WITHOUT SHAKING? I recently was on holiday in a small cottage close to the sea. For days the weather was fantastic and we enjoyed walks on the beach and time outdoors. But on the one night as we watched the weather forecast, the weatherman advised that a severe cold front would be passing and we could expect gale force winds. I wondered if he had got his forecast correct. The next day at about 11am the weather suddenly turned and the wind blew gales. It was actually quite scary. As I sat behind the sliding door of our unit and watched how it bowed in the wind, I wondered if our little house would survive the onslaught. The wind blew furiously for six solid hours and then it abated. Now I knew that that little cottage could stand the onslaught. My faith in that little house had been shaken, but now I knew it could stand the storms. Often, in a similar way, our faith will be tested and shaken. We need to realize that we are in a constant battle between good and evil. The Bible tells us about the struggles we will face. Ephesians 6:12 ‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ 4. CONSTANTLY BELIEVE IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD One of the keys I have discovered in my walk of faith that has helped me is to constantly believe in the goodness of God. The truth is that God is good all the time and all the time God is good. He knows your every need and He causes all things to work together for our good. I have two young daughters. They are the joy and delight of my life. I endeavor to provide for them in every way I can. If however my daughter was to suddenly start worrying about where she would get her next meal from, or how she will afford the clothes she may need, or where the money would come from for her school fees, it would distress me. Good parents will sacrifice to make sure their children are fed, clothed and educated. I know some parents who will hold down two jobs just to make sure their kids are provided for. And yet, as children of God, I wonder if it does not distress God when we doubt His goodness in our lives and make our own plans in order to survive? Celebrate God’s goodness, believe God’s goodness and expect God’s goodness in your life. Just as a parent will sacrifice for their children, so God has and will sacrifice for us. John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son!’ If we could be convinced of God’s goodness towards us, it would change our lives. We would stand secure through all that life could throw at us. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD! 5. FIND YOUR SATISFACTION IN GOD ALONE We look to so many things in order to find our satisfaction. Let me give you a few: we look to our spouses, our parents, our children, our health, our careers, our resources, our education, our influence and our image. When what we need is to find our satisfaction in God. God is enough for you. It is not God and…….. something else. Let God be your answer to every situation you may be facing. When my daughters were small babies I would often get home from work and try and give my wife a break by holding the baby so that she could have a few minutes to rest. The baby would enjoy being with me, but after a few minutes she would discover that she was not with Mom. She would become restless and start moaning and eventually cry. I would give her back to her Mom and it would be as if she KNEW she was where she was meant to be and would relax and come to peace. You and I need to come to that place of peace in the arms of God. We must not look to other things to find this peace; we must find it in God alone. Perhaps today, you are searching in all the wrong places? Come back into the arms of your Heavenly Father. HE is all you need. Let everything else be a blessing, but let Him be all you need! There is an old song with the following words: He’s all I need, He’s all I need, Jesus is all I need. He satisfies, my needs provide, Jesus is all I need. 6. STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVITY AND DOUBT Negativity is the rot that can undermine your faith. It is so easy to become negative. It almost seems as if we humans have a natural propensity towards doubt and negativity. Have you ever met someone who has a tone of negativity? They may not say anything bad, but you just know that they put a negative spin in everything! We live in a society that is dominated by negativity. Negativity and doubt will cause your life to be like something tossed about in a restless ocean. Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece. 7. BELIEVE GOD NO MATTER WHAT AND ENJOY THE LIFE OF FAITH Don’t rely on your feelings, they can be deceptive. Believe God, believe His word, believe in His goodness and believe God no matter what things may look like or what you may be feeling. Choose to believe. When doubt, discouragement or despair confronts you, don’t just give in! Attack with God’s word and the persuasion of your heart. Quote scripture; speak out the name of Jesus and believe. Doubt your doubts, question your discouragement and challenge your despair. Let unbelief give way to faith. It is time to give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair. It is time to cleanse your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness and BELIEVE! You too can enjoy a life of faith. You too can trust God and believe for the best, through every aspect of life. You too can enjoy this voyage of discovery. Hebrews 11:6 ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.’ NOTE: HE is the rewarder of those who have faith. HE is not the destroyer, HE is the rewarder! By: Andrew W Roebert Comments are closed.
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Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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