Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Have you ever wondered how your life would have turned out and how you would have coped with life , if you hadn’t accepted Christ as your saviour?

I have, particularly in these last few weeks as we’ve had to cope with the death of first my Dad and then my Aunt Mae.faith

Just after my Dad passed away, someone said to me that, “There are only two certainties on life, one that you have been born, and secondly, that you will die” – Despite this, we all find the death of a loved one very upsetting and difficult to cope with.

It’s therefore no surprise to me that during these difficult and stressful weeks, I’ve relied heavily on God to keep me strong for my Mum and focused enough make all the required arrangements etc. So much so, I actually feel as if I’ve been running on auto-pilot for weeks now, as every day seems to have been a bit of a blur and I’m not sure I can actually tell you what I did on any particular day since the middle of February!

That said, I’m not sure I would have been able to get through these weeks if God hadn’t been there with me, as there were times when I honestly felt I couldn’t cope with any more problems, but as you can tell, I got through those days, and that I simply put down to the fact that my faith reassured me that God is with me at all times, and is helping me when my own strength has gone.

Today I thank God for my faith. Without Him, these last few weeks would have been even harder to face than they were.

fear-or-faithLife can be a frightening experience at times, particularly during times of uncertainty. It’s also during times of uncertainty that we need our faith to be at its strongest. However, it’s often when times are tough for us that we question our faith and question God’s love for us.

Don’t let life’s problems weigh you down, stay strong and keep believing in Christ.

My thoughts for today are summed up nicely by the following quote I came across recently:

Both faith and fear may sail into your harbour, but allow only faith to drop anchor.

I’ve been sadly reminded yet again this week just how fragile life is because, for the second time in a week we received the devastating news that a member of our family had died suddenly. As the following quote says, it’s just as well we don’t know what’s round the corner!

None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have Faith ~ Paulo Coelho

Yes, the breath I’m taking right now, may be my last, but should I ponder this thought and never again do anything useful or positive for either myself or anyone else? No, I must keep going…not because I can’t face the moment when I take my last breath, but simply because I believe God is with me every moment of every day, and I know He will be there when I do take my final breath.

Life throws us some really difficult situations at times – Situations which, at times, may make us want to just give up. However when our faith is strong, nothing, not even the worst situations and circumstances that life throws our way, can shake our belief that God is with us through it all.

So keep going. Trust God.

Sometimes when life sucks, and I feel like I’m drowning in all that’s going on around me, I take a few minutes to remind myself that:

God is working things out for you even if you don’t feel it, have faith and be thankful

Yes, it can be tough to remember that God is still working in your life, when it seems nothing is going right for you. But by having faith in God and all He can and will do for you, you will find that you will see how God is working in your life.

God is always there for you, and is always working in your life, so have faith in God and give thanks to Him for all He does for you each day.

God makes a promise; faith believes it; hope anticipates it; patience waits for it.

In yesterday’s blog post At The Right Time, I spoke about how God always gives us all we need, but in His time, so sometimes we have to wait hours, days, weeks, months or even years for the answer.

When we have to wait for anything, we can become impatient. But when we wait for God we must have faith, and by having faith in God to answer our prayers we can find patience knowing that God will answer our prayers, maybe not today or tomorrow, but He will answer our prayers in His time…we just have to wait!

I’m sure many of us have been horrified by the recent events in Colorado, when a gunman opened fire in a crowded cinema and killed 12 and injured many others.

When needless tragedies such as the one in Colorado happen, many Christians can find themselves questioning their faith. After all why would a god who says he loves and cares for each one of us, allow such dreadful events to occur. But we must remember that it’s not a case of God letting such events happen, it’s  a case of people going against God’s will.

Events such as this tragedy in Colorado can only shake our faith if we allow it to by letting fear get hold of us. So let’s keep fear from ruling us by digging deep into our faith and finding God is still the answer to everything we need.

Here’s a couple of questions for you:

  • Do you believe in God?
  • Do you believe the God you believe in?

Why am I asking you these questions? Well a couple of weeks ago I came across the following quote by R.C. Sproul:

The issue of faith is not so much whether we believe in God, but whether we believe the God we believe in

It’s true isn’t it, we can believe in God but sometimes we may not actually believe He is there for us, or will answer our prayers. Could it just be that we don’t believe God isn’t there for us or answering our prayers, simply because He hasn’t answered them in the way we wanted?

Not only do we have to believe in God, but we have to believe God always knows best for us, and will never abandon us.

Believe in God, and believe God will be there for you.

Sometimes God asks us to do things which we feel we are not capable of, or question why He wants us to do it at this time. But shouldn’t our faith be able doing what God wants us to do, in the knowledge that He knows the bigger plan for us and therefore knows what is right for us. I think we’re often guilty of forgetting that God doesn’t ask us to do things He doesn’t think we’re capable of or that He won’t give us the support and knowledge to perform the task.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase

I would actually go one step further than that..Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the staircase at all!

My question to you today is this, are you willing and ready to take the first step for God even when you can’t see the whole staircase?

 

People come and go in our lives, some tell us they’ll always be there for us, then when things get tough they desert us. Other’s never promise us anything, but are always there when we need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on.

I’m sure as you’ve read my last couple of sentences, certain people in your life have come into your mind – Some maybe reminding you of some warm loving and comforting times, others maybe of a time when you’ve been deeply hurt or let down.

 

 

But as I’ve mentioned before in previous blog posts, there is one person who comes highly recommended who I can assure you will never let you down, regardless of when you need them or how often you call them…and that person is God!

God will always be there for you no matter where you are, no matter when you need Him, no matter how frequently you need Him. In other words, God will be there for you no matter what!

 

When challenges have come your way, have you ever considered them to be gifts?

I certainly haven’t! In fact I’d go as far as saying I’ve always considered them to be obstacles or burdens. So why am I now saying we should be embracing our challenges? Well in James 1:2-4 (The Message) we read the following:

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Wow! When you come under pressure or are challenged, how do you react? Do you abandon your faith and try to “get-by” on your own, or do you put your faith fully in God to get you through those difficult times?

Just remember that no matter what challenges you’re faced with, they are little gifts from God to help your faith to come to the surface.The challenges you face in life make you stronger and make you more mature in your faith.

So don’t feel downhearted and despondent when trials come your way, be patient and embrace them just as God is embracing you.