Being Faithful
We are studying the book of Habakkukut at church and it is uncanny how this little book, which is seldom studied, parrallels to our world and the uncertainties and rebellion that exists today. Our world is in crisis; from the policies, the government, the lawlessness, the evil demonstrations, the theft, the unequal statures of conviction and arrests, the distrust, the blatant override of our constitution, etc. Ok sorry for the politicazation...but I am pretty sure many of you agree. And this is my point... we too, in our personal lives have faces crisis too. It may be related to finances, relationships, health, job loss, loss of special people in your lives, or even maybe the caregiving capacity that seems to be overwhelming... whatever it is we have all felt the crush of a crisis.
So what do we do when we come face to face with a crisis. The answer is simply... we stop and remember how faithful God has been and will always be... in any situation. Nothing surprises God, he is not taken back by situations, he is God... the maker and creator of all living things
and his promises will not be watered down or compromised or forgotten. So being faithful is a gift that he has passed down to all of us who believe in the name of his son Jesus.
Faith is not a lightly, flightly figure of speech. It is a true, deliberate,
conscious state of heart and mind that we choose. Faith gives us assurance that we are never alone in our quest for wisdom, peace, and actions that would merit the actions that we are are to engage in as we faithfully call on our mighty God for help and guidance.
Faith is not only knowing the truth but believing it. God is our Rock. He is sovereign, righteous, everlasting, and has his eyes on every single situation that emerges in our lives. He is faithful ... as he has called us to be faithful. And when we live by faith, true devoted faith, that is when God shines his greatest light into our hearts.
Looking back, on a crisis that you have made it through or perhaps you are in the very middle of one now, and you have exercised your faith and planted your feet on God's promises, and his faithfulness, haven't you found that that is a time when you have been closest to God. You have seen his hand at work, and felt his presence. That is the blessing that comes from being faithful.
FAITH, a five letter word of power that God has blessed us with to get through many of lifes’ setbacks that the world throws at us, But is not necessarily a word that keeps the setbacks from coming our way.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Faith delivered them from the fire but did not prevent them from getting thrown into it.
Hebrews 11:33-34
Faith does not keep us from going though the adversities that are before us but gives us the strength, courage and discipline and trust to go through them with God using those times to grow us from within ourselves.
When we go through trials, tucking faith into our every conscious thought, God gives us not only a glimpse of the many attributes of his character, love, mercy, wisdom, truth, stamina, forgiving, filled with grace etc., but also reminds us that God is present. He is our helper, one whom we can depend on and one who has promised to give us the tools we need to persevere and grow from whatever is before us. Faith is being willing to take a risk to get out of our comfort zone and put our trust, no matter how small or how great it is, to test. Not testing God but testing our ability to get past ourselves and depend on God….and move forward in hope and trust not knowing what the outcome will be.
The trials that God allows to come our way gives us the opportunity to learn what real strength we have tucked away, and to grow in our trust and faith in God’s provision and protection.
So often times we pray for God to protect us from pain that we all have experienced in so many forms. Pain of grief, sorrow, tragedy, broken relationships, hard times, health, sickness, insecurity and often times just anxiousness of how things are gonna turn out. I think many of us today are wondering about our country and what God has planned for it and where will we land in conflict and how our culture will survive the many changes that are before us.
But this is where faith must take hold. Faith in our God who sits on his throne and never misses a move. He has a master plan, that was set out at the beginning of time for each of us… no matter where we are or what situation has come upon us. He has sent Jesus to be our guide and as he pursues us with his loving kindness and grace, we learn to purse and trust him, more with each passing hurdle he helps us to overcome.
The world is insistent on squeezing us in to its mold of trying to be perfect, and comparing who we are and what we have compared to others that are around us, Faith is not based on who, what, when and where the world is calling for us to be, it is based on our relationship with our Holy, unchanging, all knowing, sovereign GOD. Just think for a minute how confident and secure we would feel if this was a constant thought that overlayed any of the junk that we allow to come through our gates of our consciousness? God made us to be who we are, and he has equipped up to confront boldly the challenges that come before us knowing we are never asked to do the hard stuff alone. God always always always has gone before us, walks beside us and will guard us in the midst of any adversity that is before us.
But sometimes we forget to hold tight to our faith knowing that as we trudge through whatever it is, God is making us stronger as we knowingly activate our trust. One thing here that I have learned along my journey is: pray out loud and declare your faith…that may sound like a weird thing to do but there is something about hearing my own words of declaring God’s presence and my faith in His ways that far outreach mine. Try it one day in the car…or outside on a walk…it is a verbal self-confirmation and also one to God that you are in fact holding on the faith as you walk through the fire.
A note here: real faith does not always end the way we would like it to. Haven’t you faithfully lifted up prayers with hope and faith thinking God will surely answer these? Sometimes it is for someone, or a situation that is bogging you down, or for a health reason for you or a friend or a family member. But whatever it is or was, the response was not as you had hoped and left you drained or disappointed or brokenhearted. It is hard to hold onto the fact that your prayer or mine has gone unanswered but one thing we must all keep in mind is real FAITH is not found in the worlds’ outcomes but in our truth and reality that eternity lies before us.
This is just a stage of life that we are walking across. It is our choice to get outside our comfort zone and take risks of faith and trust that God has “got” whatever it is and will grow us through the fires, if we open our hearts and let him in. It is through faith and by faith that God works! What a glorious blessing he has given to each of us.
We sang a song in church this past Sunday that was truly relevant to how God wants us to respond to his calling:
It reads like this:
"Spirit Lead Me"
This is my worship
This is my offering
In every moment
I withhold nothing
I'm learning to trust You
Even when I can't see it
And even in suffering
I have to believe it
If You say "it's wrong", then I'll say "no"
If You say "release", I'm letting go
If You're in it with me, I'll begin
And when You say to jump, I'm diving in
If You say "be still", then I will wait
If You say to trust, I will obey
I don't wanna follow my own ways
I'm done chasing feelings
Spirit lead me
It felt like a burden
But once I could grasp it
You took me further
Further than I was asking
And simply to see You
It's worth it all
My life is an altar
Let Your fire fall
If You say "it's wrong", then I'll say "no"
If You say "release", I'm letting go
If You're in it with me, I'll begin
And when You say to jump, I'm diving in
If You say "be still", then I will wait
If You say to trust, I will obey
Teach me how to follow in Your ways
I'm done chasing feelings
Spirit lead me
Spirit lead me
Spirit lead me
Spirit lead me
When all hope is gone
And Your word is all I've got
I have to believe
You still bring water from the rocks
To satisfy my thirst
To love me at my worst
And even when I don't remember
You remind me of my worth
I don't trust my ways
I'm trading in my thoughts
I'd lay down everything
'Cause You're all that I want
I've landed on my knees
This is the cup You have for me
And even when it don't make sense
I'm gonna let Your Spirit lead
I'm gonna let Your Spirit lead (Spirit lead me)
I'm gonna let Your Spirit lead (Spirit lead me)
I'm gonna let Your Spirit lead (Spirit lead me)
Spirit lead me
Spirit lead me
Spirit lead me
Spirit lead me
If You say "it's wrong", then I'll say "no"
If You say "release", I'm letting go
If You're in it with me, I'll begin
And when You say to jump, I'm diving in
If You say "be still", then I will wait
If You say to trust, I will obey
You're the only truth, the life, the way
I'm done chasing feelings
Spirit lead me
Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
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