Faith

Always look to the cross.

    It's hard to explain. It's not tangible; not something you hold in your hand, yet you have it. You keep it. You hold onto it. It's not something you see, but rather something you believe and hope for. It's throwing prayers into the sky and believing they won't come back down to you. Trusting that the God of the universe takes hold of them and puts them into action. Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 21:21-22:

 “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

     No, Jesus isn't talking about some black magic to moving mountains, but having faith that our heavenly Father will stand by His word, answering our prayers. I often hear people say,"God didn't answer my prayer, so He must not care." Beloved, the truth is that He often answers our prayers in ways we will not understand until a later time. I refer to these moments as blessings in disguise, because often times we experience something so tragic and heartbreaking, but after some time passes, God opens our eyes to why he didn't answer our prayer the way we wanted Him to. After all, He is our Father and He knows best. Let me explain further...

     After my car accident I was VERY angry. I went through the whole "why me?" phase, and even cursed God from my hospital bed. It wasn't long before my anger turned to PRAISE, and I was crying out from my hospital bed, "How can I repay you?!" I decided to commit my life to God, having FAITH that God was going to do great things with my life, even if I couldn't walk again. I prayed for healing. I prayed HARD for healing, but I always concluded my prayer with "not my will Father, but YOUR will." Times were difficult, and still are, but it's faith that has kept me on the narrow path, finding good in every situation. 

     One of my favorite verses is found in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 verse 1: 

 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

     How amazing is that? It's not always easy, but having faith in the darkest moments can shine forth a light brighter than the noonday sun. What's to lose? Seriously, what do you have to lose by having faith? By believing in Christ? It's a simple question, but in actuality you don't have anything to lose by doing so, but you have a lot to lose by not doing so. You have an eternity in paradise to lose. "Oh, come on, that Heaven stuff is a bunch of junk," you say. Yeah? Well that "junk" will sound sweet as honey compared to an eternity in the eternal fire. So why not believe? 

     Beloved, this world is a terrible place, full of much evil and wickedness. It's apparent everytime you turn on the TV. This is why we are to "...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16) Are you struggling in your faith right now? Are trials and tribulations overtaking you? If so, you are being refined in the fire like gold, and you will come out on the other side stronger than you were when you went into the fire. Reaquaint your knees with the carpet, and bring your requests to our loving Father before taking them to anyone else. God is faithful. <3

 "And 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." ~Hebrews 11:6