Tests and Strength…

Jesus was filled with the spirit when He was led to the desert to be tempted. A lot of times, people make the mistake of believing that if you’re being tempted, tested, or going through a storm that it’s because you’ve done something wrong or that God is punishing you. What some fail to realize is:

1. God does not bring you into or allow you to go through a situation that He is not fully prepared and willing to carry and supply you through.

Yes, Jesus was tested and this was a difficult time, but the Spirit also led Him and gave Him all the knowledge and strength He needed to pass the test. All Jesus needed to do was trust God was with Him through it all, and follow the Spirit’s promptings no matter how His body felt.

And

2. God brings you to and allows you to go through difficulties to solidify your faith in Him and to make you stronger.

If you can, think about a time when a friend of yours was there for you when you most needed them. They could’ve been there with advice, or comforting words, or simply a shoulder to cry on. Having them be there for you during that situation bonded you more with them, didn’t it? Going through that and having them there helped you to trust them more and believe that the next time you needed them, they’d be there for you in whatever capacity you might need. It’s the same with God, only infinitely better. God may not be visible, but His help is more real than anything any friend or person could ever offer you. Every time you turn to Him for help, He’s there for you. Countless times in the Bible, no matter what His people did, God would always respond to the cry of His people. No matter how many times they sinned or turned from Him, He always forgave and brought them out of their situations when they repented and asked Him for help. James 4:8 says “come near to God and He will come near to you.” Trust He’s there for you through the storm. And once you trust and He brings you through, you’ll find you’ve grown stronger in spirit and faith than you were at first.

If you listen to nothing else I ever tell you, please listen to this: God knows what’s good for you so much better than you think you know. No matter how much or little sense His plan may seem to you, trust without a shadow of a doubt that everything He does and allows is for your benefit and the furtherance of His kingdom.

Reading: Luke 4:-2

Transferable Faith…

 

I remember growing up as a child being raised by my two Christian parents. I remember thinking of how normal it was to see what they did that I only now realize was far from normal and was taken for granted all these years.

My parents depended on God for everything; for protection, for guidance, for provision, everything. And I never saw my parents without any of the things they asked God for. Looking back now, I’m remembering how it seemed like second-nature for them to immediately turn to God for anything they couldn’t work for or attain themselves, which, apparently when raising six children (and a guinea pig) on one pay check, is a lot. However, no matter how hard anything got, they never faltered in their faith.

During the holidays now, especially thanksgiving, my parents get all the family together and we reminisce about the years long past, about how God brought each and every one of us through difficulties, challenges, and attacks that none of us would have been able to bring ourselves through. We talked and even laughed about how each one of my parents’ children could’ve died at least three times between the time they were born and their 10^th or 15^th year of life. We’d sing together and talk about God’s goodness, and it would only be through these discussions that I’d come to find out how many difficulties my parents went through when I was just a tiny girl with ginormous dreams.

I remember seeing my parents sad, or upset, but not once in my entire life have I ever seen my parents give up faith on absolutely anything. This is one of the many attributes of their faith I’d taken for granted. They’d lived through difficulties that people would stress and cry about for years, but instead of losing faith, they believed and waited for God to do exactly what He said He would, and He always did.

As I got older, but still at a young age, my parent’s faith habits started to become my own. My relationship with God was started during those years and built off of a transferred faith I received from my parents; because they always had faith in God and received what they needed and asked for, it only made sense that I do the same, so I did. Now, as I look back and write this entry, I now have a clearer view of how precious and rare my parent’s faith was, and still is. So many people are living on little to no faith, resulting in a despair-filled life where they believe in God, but are unsure of His care or blessings or love or faithfulness in their lives. Much of that problem could be connected to the fact that they never had any role models or people in their lives that emulated the faith that Jesus had placed so much emphasis on during all of His teachings.

Jesus made a lot of bold statements about the effects of faith and what it can do for or in someone’s life. In Mark 11, He said,” Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” WOAH. That’s a level of faith that I find many people, including myself at times, are afraid of having. The question sometimes arises in some people’s minds,” What if I believe and I don’t get it? Does that mean God doesn’t love me?” or something along those lines. One must also keep in mind that the Bible says in James 4,” When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” And also in 1 John 5,” This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Basically, the only reason God wouldn’t answer a prayer said in faith is because it’s going against His will for your life, or the prayer was said for worldly reasons.

I, now, consider myself extremely blessed to have had two faith-filled prayer warriors for parents, and that my life was built off of the only foundation that can never be moved, Jesus Christ. I now charge you, reader, with this: ask God to build a faith in you that when transferred or come into contact with others, it inspires them. The kind of faith that, when you raise your children, will place them on a solid foundation of belief in God. The kind of faith that looks crazy and stupid until God shows up and answers everything you’d asked for. The craziest forms of faith that are executed within Gods will are the most effective, not only for the person believing but also those watching.

Take this challenge with me to ask God to show you where there may be gaps or scarcities in your faith, and ask Him to help build and strengthen it so you’ll be ready and well-grounded when the winds and storms come.

I pray this message finds you well.

God bless.

Tears…

Hear my cry, my God and Father,

My eyes are full of tears. 

With the pain and anguish in my heart,

My mind is weighed with fears. 
But you stay with me in the midnight hour

And speak and calm and heal,

That my days be long and my heart grow strong

And my mind refocus on your will.  

Personal prayers…

These are prayers I wrote out last year on the first young adult retreat I ever want on. The ideas may seem a bit sporadic, God was working in numerous areas in my life at the time, and so the prayers reflect that. I’ve found over time that not all prayers need to be long or drawn out, as long as they are heart-felt and sincere, God hears and honors them. I pray my prayers help and bless you. 

Help me to be humble, Lord, so that I can set a Godly example for those around me. 

Help me not to forget all that I’ve learned and not to allow my environment to change my morals, beliefs, or decisions.

 Please awaken and strengthen the gifts you’ve given me and help me to use them for your glory and not my own. 

Help me to never second guess a word, demand, or prayer you give to me. 

Refine and strengthen my faith and love for you. 

Strengthen my ability to hear you amidst the noises of daily like and to know when it’s you talking, commanding, and directing. 

Help me to not be afraid to be an example for those around me, no matter their age or position. Help me to remember that God does not see titles, positions, man-made power, ages, money, or anything we see. He sees people with a willingness and openness to learn, serve, teach, and live by faith. 

Help me to stop making excuses or giving you half-baked prayer sessions and alone time. 

Help me to praise you regardless of time or situation.  “In all things give thanks.”

Help me to not forget your promises you made to me in my life and to have faith that you will follow through with them. 

Help me to continue to be a blessing to those around me. 

Help me to be a good and Godly advertisement for Christianity.

Help me to go low and go all the way for and in you. 

 Guard my mind and thoughts and help me to know when to walk away from a person or situation. 

Help me to continually grow in you and always be moving forward in you, not fearing the future or repercussions. 

Help me to stay untainted in a tainted world so that when people see me they’ll know I’m different.

Help me to not be my worst enemy and to forgive myself. 

 Help me to learn to accept but not abuse your unfailing love and forgiveness. 

Show me my directions, my next step, or what decisions need to be made. 

Help me to remember that you will never allow me to go through anything you have not fully equipped and strengthened me for.

Help me to be confident in my faith.