How strong
is your faith? Do you have faith that says you can make $600 monthly payments
on a new car or do you have faith to receive the car? God can supply the
whole car. Are you able to receive the whole car?
Let’s say you are saddled with a $50,000. Do you have just enough faith to pay $400 monthly payments or do you have strong enough faith to pay the loan in full? God is able and God will provide according to your faith. If you go the payment route, God will be there but if you go the $50,000 payment, God is able to provide.
How do we
develop faith and just as importantly, how do we develop strong faith? I am
talking about herculean faith.
God speaks to us through His word. What does the word of God say about developing faith? God told James to write to the Roman Christians and to us. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The word of God is the source of faith. Study a little of the word and get a little faith. Study all of the word and receive a lot of faith. You determine how much faith you want.
But you say; “Elvin, I don’t have $50,000 to pay the loan off.” I know that. But who does have $50,000? Your Father! Your heavenly Father!
Remember
growing up and needing a pair of shoes for school. You did not have $50 for a
pair of shoes. So, you asked your father to buy you a pair of shoes.
Let’s see
what the word says.
“9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7: 9-11)!
We are to
place our faith on the source of gifts. The source of all good and perfect
gifts comes from the Lord.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes] (James 1:17).
It is easy
to be deceived. When life does not go our way or the way we think it should go,
the tendency is to blame God. It is easy to veer off the path of God into sin
and when the consequences of sin come, we just blame God. Our faith is shaken
in God. Not because God is not faithful but because we have taken the path of
unrighteousness. This is when we should look in the mirror and see the cause of
the pain. God does not wavier; man does. However, like all of humanity, we look
to blame someone or something for our ills.
We can let
the disappoints in life strengthen our faith or we can let disappoints destroy
our faith in God. We can see them as an opportunity to grow spiritually and be
stronger or we can see them, as “all is lost” and throw up our hands in
failure.
It is an
attitude. We can take the attitude that God is not trustworthy, and that He does
not care about us. Cast out this type of thinking. Instead of thinking about
all the things we are missing in our lives, think about all the good things in
our lives. In addition, who provided all these good things!
The weak in
faith will give up and look elsewhere for the good thing they think they are
missing. “If God won’t provide them,” they think, “we’ll have to get
them for ourselves.” We let the ego take control and attempt to do it
ourselves.
Yes, the world’s way is tempting. It looks like fun and excitement. Everyone will tell you how wonderful it is when he or she is masking his or her misery. They are looking for company for their misery.
have peace.
In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the
world.”
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind (James 1:2-8).
Read More. . . Part 2: Faith and Prayers