Friday, May 23, 2008
Overcoming Swaying Faith Matthew 14:22-32
The Lord wants to do far more in believers' lives and through their witness than most are willing to allow. We believe that He can do great things, but the problem is that we are not sure He will act on our behalf. Consequently, we feel we are unable to trust Him fully for personal answers.
Vacillating between faith and doubt like a boat in a storm makes for a sick and tired Christian. If we desire to calm the sea of faith, we must first act on our will rather than simply making choices according to feelings or sight. Peter walked on water because he proceeded in trust instead of by reason. As believers, we will not become stable in our faith until we recognize that believing God is a choice.
The second action of a faithful believer is to focus attention on God.When we look at our circumstances, we are restricted to our own limited view of the situation. As long as Peter was staring at Jesus, his feet stayed on the water's surface, but the moment he looked at the wind-whipped waves, he began to sink.
Finally, we are to maintain our focus on the Lord by keeping our mind in the Word. We cannot trust our sight, reason, or knowledge to steer us through a storm of doubt. All we can truly depend upon is Scripture.
Choose to believe that the Lord will work on your behalf. Then focus your attention upon Him, and claim a promise from Scripture that applies to the situation challenging you. When those three actions regularly become a part of your life, you will stop swaying. The heavenly Father will honor your steadfast faith.
The Faith to Hold Out
Hebrews 12:1-3
Sometimes our life seems like a long, dark tunnel. Perhaps we are unable to discover a solution for a problem, or we cannot find relief from pain. Regardless of the direction we turn, we find no hope for anything better than our present circumstances.
Thankfully, we serve a God who feels our pain and knows our limitations first-hand. Jesus Christ walked through the valley of the shadow of death and cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"(Mark 15:34). This means that when our faith is stretched to the breaking point, our strength is exhausted, and our dreams are broken like shattered glass, Jesus understands. And He asks us to hold out when everything in us screams to give up.
Giving up means abandoning God's help for our own puny strength.We try to manipulate a situation or simply avoid pain. In essence, we're choosing to believe that Satan in his worldly power is stronger than Christ within us—which is the exact opposite of what the Bible says is true. (1 John 4:4) Of course, the Devil is not more powerful, but we let him win a battle if we give up on the assurance that God will see us through difficulty. When we have that attitude, we miss the Father's blessing and limit our usefulness in His kingdom.
Even when we cannot detect His involvement, God is working every moment on our problem. But we must trust His perfect timing for revealing the answer. Your Father knows your hurt, and He will bring you through that dark tunnel. Do not give up before reaching His blessing
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