So what in the world have I made of all this? How haven’t I given up, or thrown it all away? Why haven’t I cursed God, or stopped believing He is good, ALL the time when my circumstances suck?
I wish I could tell you I once knew this famous, inspirational person who gave me some good advice about how to hold on to your faith. Or that my family is strong in the Lord and can offer me counsel or money. Or even that at least I’m married and have emotional, physical and financial support from my spouse. But I don’t have any of that. What I do have is an intimate relationship with my Savior, and the Bible—the only two things I need to survive this life on Earth. I've built my new life on the foundation of God's Word and His love. If I didn’t have Jesus, I would have been dead years ago, and that is no lie or exaggeration.
There is no real answer that tells us how to live our individual lives on Earth. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, today, or even in the next five minutes. We don't know where we'll end up living, who we'll marry, how many kids we'll have, or how we'll change the world. But God tells us to love Him, love people and enjoy the life He died so we could have. He promises to lead and guide us into the destiny He has for us; our job is to seek him for for who He is and for answers about life. It is the glory of God to reveal a matter; the glory of kings to search it out (Proverbs 25:2). Certainly we are taught the principles of living healthy and under God’s design as His beloved children, and we have plenty of Kingdom wisdom available to make the right decisions, but there isn’t always a direct answer written down for us for the unexpected in our lives; we need to access and exercise love and wisdom from heaven.
So when jobs are lost, homes are foreclosed or lost, family dies, education is suspended, money is gone, and sickness arises, it’s time to step up action in the Kingdom of God. The key is to fix your eyes on Jesus, not your circumstances. We have been given authority in the spirit realm to take hold of that which Christ has taken hold of us. Direction, hope, deliverance, security and health are accessible through Jesus, but there must be expectancy to receive it. We can’t expect God to do everything for us; we play a major part in His plan by responding to Him. Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive, Seek, and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened for you.”
This is a very important time in my life where I can choose to embrace what God is doing and how He is moving, or I can choose to reject Him because my life doesn’t look like I want it to right now. I first need to understand that my situation isn’t about me; it’s about what God is doing in and through me through these circumstances. I am being shaped, formed and fashioned for a greater purpose, and if I didn’t experience this kind of faith testing right now, who says I won’t give up next time something like this comes along? God knows what He’s doing; why do you think Jesus talked about the importance of exercising your faith? So you will be able to stand firm when the tides come crashing in!
The Bible says everyone is given a deposit of faith; I believe to exercise and shape for current AND later situations in life. All I am doing right now is choosing to use my mustard seed of faith to move the mountains that are before me. Along with believing and praying in faith, I declare the goodness and greatness of God; His faithfulness; His grace; His compassion, His provision for His people and the rest of the wonderful attributes He has. Praising Him reminds me how good He truly is, and it builds my faith. Having His love outweighs any bad circumstance or situation in my earthly life. The more faith I have, the easier change becomes because I trust that my God has my best interest in mind and has a better plan and purpose than the plan that was only for a season.
This is precisely where I believe God tests our willingness to hang on to Him when life falls apart. We have a free will to exercise; we can either choose God in the good AND the bad, or we can reject the bad instead of embrace it. Let me suggest if you choose only the good, you're not allowing God's best to happen in and through you. Why should all the growth God has developed in me through the "bad" be canceled because my circumstances aren't where I think they should be? That's rejecting God's hand in me as much as turning my back on Him during hard times is. I don't want to even TOUCH what God has done in and through me--it's too absolutely beautiful and valuable, and that's His to mess with, not mine.
I believe one of the keys to hanging on and fighting the good fight of faith is knowing God's character. You have to be CERTAIN that He's for you, not against you. He’s proven over and over in His Word and through His people that He is faithful to those who wholeheartedly belong to Him. Because I know Him and His heart, I know He would never leave me or forsake me—He promised. So because I know and trust Him, I know He won’t leave me hanging in the dust; there MUST be another plan for my life lined up for this next season.
It all comes down to this: All my help comes from Him. The Bible promises that, and that’s what I believe. I love Jesus, and Jesus loves me. He would never pull me out of a season without having a fresh, beautiful season awaiting me. That’s the joy of pressing on to win the prize—more intimacy with Jesus, and having what He wants you to have. Circumstances are just that, circumstances. They don’t define my life; God does. He is my rock, my refuge, & my shelter—my place of safety. He keeps me from falling apart, so I choose to see my life through eternal eyes, not earthly ones. No matter how hard it is to hang on, I’ll never let go. You shouldn’t either.
I wish I could tell you I once knew this famous, inspirational person who gave me some good advice about how to hold on to your faith. Or that my family is strong in the Lord and can offer me counsel or money. Or even that at least I’m married and have emotional, physical and financial support from my spouse. But I don’t have any of that. What I do have is an intimate relationship with my Savior, and the Bible—the only two things I need to survive this life on Earth. I've built my new life on the foundation of God's Word and His love. If I didn’t have Jesus, I would have been dead years ago, and that is no lie or exaggeration.
There is no real answer that tells us how to live our individual lives on Earth. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, today, or even in the next five minutes. We don't know where we'll end up living, who we'll marry, how many kids we'll have, or how we'll change the world. But God tells us to love Him, love people and enjoy the life He died so we could have. He promises to lead and guide us into the destiny He has for us; our job is to seek him for for who He is and for answers about life. It is the glory of God to reveal a matter; the glory of kings to search it out (Proverbs 25:2). Certainly we are taught the principles of living healthy and under God’s design as His beloved children, and we have plenty of Kingdom wisdom available to make the right decisions, but there isn’t always a direct answer written down for us for the unexpected in our lives; we need to access and exercise love and wisdom from heaven.
So when jobs are lost, homes are foreclosed or lost, family dies, education is suspended, money is gone, and sickness arises, it’s time to step up action in the Kingdom of God. The key is to fix your eyes on Jesus, not your circumstances. We have been given authority in the spirit realm to take hold of that which Christ has taken hold of us. Direction, hope, deliverance, security and health are accessible through Jesus, but there must be expectancy to receive it. We can’t expect God to do everything for us; we play a major part in His plan by responding to Him. Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive, Seek, and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened for you.”
This is a very important time in my life where I can choose to embrace what God is doing and how He is moving, or I can choose to reject Him because my life doesn’t look like I want it to right now. I first need to understand that my situation isn’t about me; it’s about what God is doing in and through me through these circumstances. I am being shaped, formed and fashioned for a greater purpose, and if I didn’t experience this kind of faith testing right now, who says I won’t give up next time something like this comes along? God knows what He’s doing; why do you think Jesus talked about the importance of exercising your faith? So you will be able to stand firm when the tides come crashing in!
The Bible says everyone is given a deposit of faith; I believe to exercise and shape for current AND later situations in life. All I am doing right now is choosing to use my mustard seed of faith to move the mountains that are before me. Along with believing and praying in faith, I declare the goodness and greatness of God; His faithfulness; His grace; His compassion, His provision for His people and the rest of the wonderful attributes He has. Praising Him reminds me how good He truly is, and it builds my faith. Having His love outweighs any bad circumstance or situation in my earthly life. The more faith I have, the easier change becomes because I trust that my God has my best interest in mind and has a better plan and purpose than the plan that was only for a season.
This is precisely where I believe God tests our willingness to hang on to Him when life falls apart. We have a free will to exercise; we can either choose God in the good AND the bad, or we can reject the bad instead of embrace it. Let me suggest if you choose only the good, you're not allowing God's best to happen in and through you. Why should all the growth God has developed in me through the "bad" be canceled because my circumstances aren't where I think they should be? That's rejecting God's hand in me as much as turning my back on Him during hard times is. I don't want to even TOUCH what God has done in and through me--it's too absolutely beautiful and valuable, and that's His to mess with, not mine.
I believe one of the keys to hanging on and fighting the good fight of faith is knowing God's character. You have to be CERTAIN that He's for you, not against you. He’s proven over and over in His Word and through His people that He is faithful to those who wholeheartedly belong to Him. Because I know Him and His heart, I know He would never leave me or forsake me—He promised. So because I know and trust Him, I know He won’t leave me hanging in the dust; there MUST be another plan for my life lined up for this next season.
It all comes down to this: All my help comes from Him. The Bible promises that, and that’s what I believe. I love Jesus, and Jesus loves me. He would never pull me out of a season without having a fresh, beautiful season awaiting me. That’s the joy of pressing on to win the prize—more intimacy with Jesus, and having what He wants you to have. Circumstances are just that, circumstances. They don’t define my life; God does. He is my rock, my refuge, & my shelter—my place of safety. He keeps me from falling apart, so I choose to see my life through eternal eyes, not earthly ones. No matter how hard it is to hang on, I’ll never let go. You shouldn’t either.
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