Faith That Pleases God

 Heb. 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

With God all things are possible, but for the impossible to happen we must believe. Believing God must be intentional. Faith is not a feeling that just comes over us, and we feel like believing. Faith in believing in God is knowing that God is who He says He is and will do what is always best. We must believe that He is in control of our lives and everything that happens is for a purpose. This is not to believe that God will always answer our prayers and give us what we desire. As Christians, we desire to please God every day of our lives. Life happens, and we are faced with the decision to trust God and believe that He will work all things out for His purpose and His glory. We diligently seek Him first, and He rewards us with His smile of approval. We seek first the kingdom of God and all the other things will happen in His time. I don’t pretend that putting our trust in God when bad things happen is easy. When we face the giants in our lives, and we feel that all is lost, we come to God and give it all to Him. We rest in knowing that He is a God who cares and understands what we need. Let our faith take hold in the God who is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”(Eph 3:20). Let us have a faith that pleases God, even in the hard times.

Walking in the Desert

 Deut 2:7
For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness:..

The testing of our faith is done when we are walking through the desert wilderness of life. I’m told that the desert has its own unique attractions, and in some respects I can see how it might be, but as a general rule, I would choose rather not to live in the dry climate of the hot and lifeless desert. A desert place in life is symbolized as a time of desolation and dryness of spirit. Going through a hard place, circumstances are tough and life giving water is nowhere to be found. The lessons in life are often done when we are walking in the desert. This is the place where our faith is tested and our trust to believe in God, that He knows where we are, and He knows what we need. His will and purpose is being accomplished. He is preparing us for something new. In the desert, He will provide us with what we need. A river will spring forth, and He will bring us through. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Is 43:19). We all enjoy the “mountain top” experience where all is going well, and we are basking in God’s presence. But when we walk through the desert, God’s presence appears to be absent. We need to know that God sees us and knows what we are going through. We can trust the promises of God and believe that He will provide us with what we need as we walk in the desert places of life. He has promised us a river, a stream that will take us through. “When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed, when the day is half done, when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, our Father’s full giving has only begun”- The river of grace will appear and make a way as we walk in the desert.

Refined By Fire

 Job 23:10
But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 

The separation of gold from ore requires many layers of processing and refining to get to 99% pure gold. Refining by fire is the initial step that is taken to remove the impurity from the ore that is mined. This is the analogy that Job uses to demonstrate that God is in the process of refining him. Job, a man of means, was totally wiped out of his material wealth and his possessions. His family was also the victim of natural disasters as a tornado came through their town, destroying the home that his sons and daughters lived in. Even his wife, who should have been the one standing next to him, told him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God, and die!” Satan was doing all he could to get Job to give up on trusting God. The human reaction is to say, “If God loved me, all this would not be happening to me.” Where is God when life starts falling apart? Lost everything he owned, family gone, his wife forsaking him, the painful suffering of boils over his whole body, what else could go wrong? Job, a man of integrity, a man with an unshakable faith in God, looked beyond the temporal world into the eternal world of the kingdom of God, and said,” I was born into this world with nothing, and I will leave this world with nothing. The Lord blessed me with wealth, and he has chosen now to take it away.” Job knew in his heart that he was living right before God and that God knew his heart. Life is not fair. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. We put our trust in the sovereignty of God, who knows what is best. For some, it may mean the refining of the fire, for others it may be going through deep waters. God wants to remove anything that will keep us from fully trusting Him. Sometimes it will require things we love, to bring us to a place where we can be gold in the hands of God. Wholly sanctified, ready to be used by Him, and by Him for whatever He wants to do.

Through the Fire

 Psalm 66:12
…We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

The verse brings to my mind the great hymn of the church, God Leads Us Along, “Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long.” The fire purges, and the water cleanses. Everything in life happens for a purpose. God’s intention is to bring us through. Things in life happen and we may be tempted to give up and quit trying. Even when we stand for what is right, the devil has a way to twist things and have us question if we have done the right thing. The fire is sometimes intense and we are tried and proven.  We don’t necessarily praise God for the trials and tough times, but we can praise Him in spite of the difficulties of the circumstance. Going through the fire looks different for everyone. Whatever the fire is, God is not tempting us so that He may see us fail, but He desires that we put our trust in Him, and be willing to give thanks in everything.(1 Thess 5:18) Through the fire, you will prove your character by praising Him.

The Rock Higher Than I

 Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

A popular church hymn, “The Rock That is Higher than I.” was written in 1871 by Erastus Johnson during a time of financial loss. Many have found financial security in the assets they have accumulated over the years, The want of food, shelter, and comfort is always available, and never denied. Their trust is no longer placed in God to supply their needs, they have put their trust in human strength and determination to achieve wealth and prosperity. There is no doubt that such virtues contribute to worldly success and gain, but history has taught us that God is in control, and He is sovereign, and is ultimately the One who is threading the fabric of life. Erastus Johnson realized this when all was lost, and He turned to the Rock who He knew would not sink. The Rock that was higher than the circumstance and struggles of the day. The world around us can change in a moment's notice, but God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. We can put our trust in Him, and stand on the solid rock. We can flee to the Rock that will not be shaken and will not move. When life is overwhelming, we serve a God who knows and understands our hurts and struggles. “To the Rock let me fly, to the Rock that is higher than I!”

Trust God for Peace of Mind

 Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind stays on you because he trusts in you.

I often wake up in the middle of the night and my mind starts to think of things that are happening in life. I start to become anxious about things I really don’t have any control over. Or, maybe something I said or did that I now have second thoughts about. I tell myself that I can’t change what has happened and need to leave it in God's hands.  Easy to say, but not always easy to do. Having “peace of mind”does not always happen in a moment of time, at least for me it doesn’t. I know that God desires that I give it to Him, and trust Him to work things out. Like forgiveness, trust is a choice that I must make. Life is not perfect and accepting that not everything is going to go like I want it, life happens, but God also happens when I choose to put my trust in Him. I know that I am not alone, we all have our moments of apprehension and worries. For some, it may be the health of a loved one, or a conflict at work, or in the home. There is no end to what may be the problem, but peace is always possible when we focus our minds and hearts on God and trust Him to take control and let God do what is best. 

Be Still and Know

 Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth!”

God is in control! We often find ourselves fretting over many things, and truth be told, many of the things we fret over are created in our imagination. That is not to say that there can be some pretty big things in our lives that can cause us to be concerned about. Human nature is to seek solutions, so we run about looking for ways to solve what unsettles us. The old saying, “The Lord helps them, that helps themselves.” has some merit to it, but there are times and situations where God is the only one that can make it happen, He desires that we stop trying to work it out through human manipulation, and trust Him to do the work. Let God be God, He is the mighty God, the first and the last, and things often happen to give God the opportunity to step in and take control that His name will be glorified and be exalted.  God says, “Be still, and watch me work.” He is able, praise Him, and exalt His Name!      

The Battle is God's

Judges 7:9

And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

The story of Gideon (Jerubbaal) reminds us that the battles in life we face should not be dependent on human strength and ability. God took down Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 to prove to him that this battle he was facing is not won by the arm of the flesh, but by the hand of God, when we follow His ways. This does not mean that we don’t have a part to play in seeing God move. Our faith is challenged and we act on what God leads us to do. God helps those who act on their faith to put the outcome of the battle in the hands of God. He should not be our last resort when we find ourselves in a difficult situation. His ways are not always conventional, and may at times seem to be out there beyond reasonable, but learn to trust your heart when your heart is following God. He just may ask you to break some pitchers and blow a trumpet!

Confidence in God

 1Sam 17:46

This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand…

 

Confidence in our ability to fight the giants in our lives at some points becomes unattainable. There is only so much we can accomplish in our own strength and self determination. Yes, we must be strong, and we must decide to take a stand against the enemy that oppresses us. But our human abilities come short when facing giants that are bigger than us. The confidence that David had was not in his ability to swing the rock, but his trust in God that the Lord would deliver the victory. If it did not happen on the first swing, he believed that God would find a way to deliver this giant into his hands. He had five stones. He only needed one as God guided the stone to hit the forehead of the giant. The metaphor here is that we face giants (problems and difficulties) that take divine intervention. Through prayer and faith we can overcome those giants. Today, the Lord will give the victory.

He is Everything to Me

 Psalm 18:2

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

In summary, He is everything to me. When my life is shaken with uncertainty, He is the rock that will not move, stand firm on His word. When I am surrounded by the pressures of life, He is my fortress, my protector from the evil one.  When I don’t know where to turn and trouble is all around me, He is my deliverer, recusing me from danger. When I am weak, and don’t know how I will take the next step, He is my strength just when I need it. When the fiery darts of Satan are causing me to doubt God’s love, He is my buckler, my shield of faith to trust Him. When temptation to sin oppresses me, He is the horn of my salvation, giving me victory over sin,  And when the storms of life come, and the flood waters of despair flood my heart, He is my high tower. He is everything to me. In Him, I will put my trust.

He Will Not Abandon Us

 Psalm 9:10

And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.

 

Feeling of abandonment is experienced by many who feel that no one cares about them. Children in foster care often deal with feelings of abandonment. Regardless of the reason, they feel mom or dad did not love them enough to keep them. Abandonment leads to loneliness, and loneliness to depression, and depression leads to unpredictable behaviors. Most people want to be connected and feel like they are wanted. There are the rare individuals that always want to be left alone, but even they want to have someone in their lives that will care. Regardless of what life brings us, we have the promise that God will not abandon us. If we seek His name, put our trust in Him, He will be there with us and for us. We are told that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. We always have a friend in Jesus, He will never leave us or forsake us.

The Lord Willing

 James 4:15

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

 

Planning and making goals is good and is a responsible practice, but life has a way of sometimes breaking up those plans. We don’t control our destiny as much as we like to think we do. The best plan is not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him in all that we do. In all our planning for the future, we must be willing to accept change that is bound to happen. I believe that God is pleased when we set goals and aspirations, seeking His will for our lives, but life is so fragile, there is no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow. It is an attitude of submission when we give each day to Him. “If the Lord is willing this day, I plan on doing this or that”.  Accepting change has part of the providence of God. Trust your life to Him for He never changes.

Don't Be Anxious

 Philip 4:6 & 13

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God...I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Impossible! Being anxious is part of human nature, right? The definition of being anxious: worried, concerned, uneasy, apprehensive, fearful, perturbed, troubled, bothered, disturbed, distressed, disquieted, fretful. All of these words describe a person who has forgotten that God is in control, and having such feelings and thoughts will lead to despair. Our human reaction is often displayed in this way. Like temptation, we have a choice to make. Scripture admonishes us to take all our worries and concerns to God in prayer, put our trust in Him, lean not to our own understanding, trust and surrender our lives and situation to Him. We can do this! How? “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Trust in the Lord

 Isaiah 26:3-4
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

If we keep our focus on Jesus and His love and care for us, we can have peace in every situation. Peter during the storm was able to have peace and confidence to walk on water when he kept his focus on Jesus. It was only when he allowed the turbulent water around him to distract him, he began to sink, and lose control. Life is full of things that disrupt our peace. The things of life hit us like a storm, and our focus is on our problems and not on the One who can solve our problems or the One who is in control. We stress over little and sometimes not so little things in life. Human nature will cause us to fret and worry. It is only by resisting our human inclination and focusing our trust on the Lord will we be able to overcome and conquer life’s stressful situations.

The Arm of Flesh

 Isaiah 41:13

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand, Who says to you, “do not fear, I will help you.”

Ten percent of the world is known to be left handed, therefore the left hand is the weaker hand for most of the world. In our need of help, God removes our dependence on our human strength to show us our need for Him. Too often we depend on the arm of the flesh to carry us through. Human endurance is great and is capable of many feats, but in the end, we need Him to make it through the hard times in life. He wants to help us when we are going through difficult times and we are struggling with the human cares of life. There are many things in this world that the devil wants us to fear. The fear of Covid has the world in a pandemic of fear. Covid is real and many have succumbed to this deadly virus, but God is greater than any virus, and we can trust Him that He has this virus under His control. We need not fear if we know the Savior. Our lives are in hand. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Phil 1:21

 Psalm 107: 1-2
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

“God is good all the time” we often say. But we know that bad things often happen to those who love Him. Then why does a good God allow bad things to happen to those who love and serve Him. There have been many books written on this topic and often the topic of many discussions. I don’t claim to have the answer that would satisfy everyone. We know that Job experienced a lot of bad things, and He was a man of integrity and one that put His trust in God. We do know that many are born abnormal or come down with some illness that  either takes their life or cripples them for life.  Accidents, war, murders, rapes, house burning down, natural disasters, the list can go on. We live in a sin cursed world, and Satan has been given dominion to test God’s creation. Jesus came to overcome evil and the works of darkness. God is good! He gave us a way of escape, a way to overcome evil in this world and the sin that dwells in the hearts of men. God is good all the time! His love and mercy reaches down to all who will reach out to Him. He is a good God, and I trust that whatever happens it will turn out for good to them that keep trusting Him and loving Him.

Hope in God

 Psalm 43:5
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
The soul that is cast down can be caused by many reasons. It appears here that the psalmist is in a state of discouragement or depression. His enemy is constantly oppressing him. The circumstances in his life are not in his favor. Life is happening and it is not good. It appears that God is far from him and is silent. Where does one go when life is not going well? The answer is still in trusting God. Look to Him and lift up your heart in praise. Praise Him in spite of the circumstances. Praise Him in the face of adversity. Praise Him even when your emotions are in a state of despair. He is a great Physician and will send the Holy Spirit to heal your broken and discouraging heart. “O my soul, trust in God, believe that He will see you through, put your hope in God”.

World of Trouble

 John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Trouble-free days don’t come very often. A day when everything goes as planned and turns out the way you envision. Surrounded by those you love, no conflicts at home, work, or church. All the bills are paid and no one close to you is suffering from an illness. A little heaven here on earth. But we all know that’s a world of fantasy. Because in this world, we will have trouble. It is the nature of living. There is a time for all things to happen, a time to celebrate the birth of a newborn, a time to mourn the death of a loved one, a time to start something new, and a time for it to end, a time of healing and a time to suffer. Trouble is unavoidable on this side of heaven. Rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous. We cry out, “Why Lord?” For what purpose? The wisest man who ever lived wrote, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:” And Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” The trouble we face from day to day are taken noticed by the one who cares and understands the problems and difficulties we go through. He who commanded the sea to be still, is able to still our hearts during the storms of life. Trust Him, believe Him, hold on. He who lives in you is greater than he who lives in this world.

He Is Our Guiding Light

Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

When it come to knowing the future, we are clueless. We are blind to what life will bring not just the next year or ten years, but tomorrow. Our best plans can be wiped away in the blink of an eye. We plan for the future and set goals because it is good to be prepared and ready to be used of God wherever He leads us. But God may take us down a road that we did not expect and leads us down paths that are unknown to us. We take counsel in knowing that He will light the way before us and will keep us from straying off the path. He sees the pot holes that are ahead and directs us safely around them. We need not fear the unknown if we have put our trust in the God who knows all our tomorrows. He will not forsake us in our time of uncertainty, but will make the darkness light and guide us through this journey of life.

End of Your Rope

2 Corinth 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Have you ever been at the “end of your rope”? Paul and those with him were facing physical danger and were near death because they were spreading the gospel. They believed that unless God intervene they were destine to be put to death. They were beyond helping themselves and all hope seem to be gone. We may not be facing physical warm or death, but we can find ourselves at a dead end facing a difficult situation or circumstance. We have done all we can and there is nothing else to do, but pray. Yes, pray! God often will put us in a places where our only way out is to let God take over. God who can overcome the power of darkness and do miracles is waiting for us to put our trust in Him. In our time of trouble, we are not alone, for their are people all around us that are praying and trusting God to carry us through. Trust not in the arm of flesh, but lean strong on the arms of Jesus.