Itty Bitty Faith

"Then the disciples came to Jesus

in private and asked,

'Why couldn't we drive it (the demon) out?'

He replied,

'Because you have so little faith.

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

Move from here to there

and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you.'"

Matthew 17:20

Without faith, it's impossible to please God.  Why?  Because, I must believe that He exists and know that He rewards those who wholeheartedly seek Him if I'll ever have a chance of bringing pleasure to Him.  (Paraphrase of Hebrews 11:6)

Faith is knowing without a doubt that the promises of God will come to pass.  Faith is trusting in what I cannot see despite what my eyes are telling me.  Faith is giving God a chance to work when I feel desperate for answers.  Faith is getting up when I feel like staying down on the ground where I fell.  Faith is believing that the unfeasible dream, impractical desire and hopeless mission is possible.  Faith is believing that with God, all things are possible. (Luke 1:37)

Take a moment to listen to What Faith Can Do  by Kutless and meditate on the words.  What can a little bit of faith do in my life?  

Believe

"All it takes is faith and trust. . . and a little bit of pixie dust."  Peter tells Wendy, Michael and John as he gave them their flying lesson.  Soon they were flying off to Neverland.

While the only place I can fly is in my dreams, faith does give me the ability to believe in impossible things.  

When God says He loves me even though I'm His enemy because of my sin, I can swallow that truth and take it into my being, allowing His love to transform me.  (Romans 5:8 and 10)  

When God says that He made me on purpose in His own image, giving me all my traits and characteristics, even placing me in my particular family; faith allows me to accept His Word as truth, granting me a new sense of value and worth.  (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-16)

When God says He will provide for all my needs and that He knows what I require to live, I can believe that He will take care of me.  (Philippians 4:19  Matthew 6:31-34 )

While Peter Pan asked his students to "just believe,"  God does not ask us to do that.  It is hard to consider something as truth without a source of power to back it up.  In what or whom do I believe?    Thankfully, we live in a world where God rules with sovereignty, and I can count on Him to do exactly as He says He will.  God is more than able to back up what He says.

As Augustine reminds me, "Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe."  Believing I am now a friend of God through faith in Jesus means I no longer need to fight Him on every trial, tribulation or difficulty He brings into my life as my Refiner.  Believing I have great worth means I will guard my heart against all the temptations that surround me every moment.  Believing I have a Father who is my Provider means I am free to pursue His Kingdom work without restraint.

Faith in God enables me to believe that God is who He says He is.

Trust

Soften a heart hardened by pain and disappointment

Forgive a friend who inflicted a deep wound

Love a callous, cold neighbor

Live victoriously over sin

Kick an unhealthy habit

Honor God with my thoughts, words and actions

These are all examples of hard things.  Even though I couldn't imagine that a hard heart could be softened, I can trust God to accomplish this.  My hurt may seem beyond repair, but God can give me the strength to forgive as He forgave.  The angry, cutting words from across the fence seems to strengthen the barrier, but I can trust God to love him through me.  It may seem difficult if not impossible to live a life to please God instead of my flesh, but I can trust Him to back me up with His power when I choose His way.  

Once I believe that God is who He says He is, it's time to put that faith into action.  If I say I have faith in a chair to hold my weight but refuse to actually lower my body down to rest on it's structure, my faith is empty.  What difference do my words make if I'm unwilling to back it up with action?  

It's the same with my faith in God;  I can say I believe in Him but if I act like the rich man who went away sad because Jesus instructed him to go and sell all he had, then my faith means nothing.  (Mark 10:21-22)  As early 20th Century American Quaker author Elton Trueblood said, "Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation."

If I trust God, I'll act on the promises He has declared, knowing that He will enable me to do hard things.

Wait

"Hurry up and wait" is the unofficial motto of the U.S. Army.  My husband spent many-an-hour on a hot tarmac waiting to fulfill a mission.  As an Airborne soldier, he learned that an early call time didn't necessarily mean the assignment would actually be carried out early.  Rather, in order to make sure everyone and everything was in order before beginning an exercise, soldiers were expected to be ready.

I would not do well with this scenario because it's hard for me to wait when I don't know what the hold-up is.  I'd rather see action;  tasks being accomplished, headway being made and progress being detected.  Hanging around and killing time until everything is ready to proceed is difficult.

Even though God does want us to wait on Him (Isaiah 40:31-32), it is not so much that I need to sit around waiting for action, as it is that I continue in what He has called me to do while I let Him do the work of preaching, teaching and changing hearts.  

Oswald Chambers described the idea of waiting on God in this way.  He said, "If when God said 'Go,' you stayed because you were so concerned about your people at home, you robbed them of the teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach; as long as you would not obey, you were in the way.  To wait is not to sit with folded hands, but to learn to do what we are told."

Where am I in the way of God's work because I refuse to wait on Him?  In my need to see action, results and fruit, I am blocking God's voice from being heard.  I am becoming a stumbling block because I am too concerned with my mission instead of God's.  Anything done apart from Jesus means nothing; even if I do it in His name. (John 15:5)

Faith allows me to wait on God, even if I don't see the purpose or understand the reason.

Jesus said it only takes a little bit of faith to move mountains.  That itty-bitty faith allows me to believe that God is who He says He is, to put that faith into action by trusting Him to do hard things through me, and to wait on Him to do the real work.   It's not the size of my faith that matters, but the magnitude of the One in whom I place my faith that makes all the difference!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can take my little faith and place it in God's mighty hands.

How do I fail to trust God to do what I consider to be impossible?

When do I put my plan into action instead of waiting on God to initiate His?

Real Answers

"Heal me, O LORD,

and I will be healed;

save me

and I will be saved,

for you are the one I praise."

Jeremiah 17:14

Self-help books line the shelves at the local bookstore.  Advice on how to get through any difficulty can be found all around me.  Experts are eager to share their methods of restoration or treatment for a wide variety of disorders, sicknesses, relationship problems, ailments or difficulties.  Relief can come from many sources.

Relief, but not peace.  Alleviation, but not healing.  A Band-Aid, but not a cure.

How can I find lasting peace, healing and a genuine cure for the issues that plague me?  


God.  

When I allow God to have access to my life, giving it over to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, the work He accomplishes in my life will be authentic, powerful and enduring.

Allow Him

Have you ever tried to make a 2-year-old eat his peas, use the toilet, or go to sleep?  If you have, you know it boils down to a battle of the wills. My will against his will.  I can't make him do any of these things.  I can make him stay at the table, sit on the potty and lay in his bed, but I can't force him to eat, go to the bathroom or fall asleep.  He must bend his will to mine in order for compliance to occur.

It is the same with me and God.  He can't force me to do anything because He created me with my own ability to desire and choose for myself.  If I don't yield to Him, He can't have access to my life.  If He did try to force His way on me, He would only succeed in my stubborn will pushing back against His.  And although His will is much stronger than mine, He is a loving and gracious God who waits for me to surrender to Him before He works in my life.

When I allow God the right of entry into my heart, He will accomplish mighty works never before experienced in my existence.  A changed heart. . .a healed hurt. . .a restored relationship. . .the way of salvation. . .

If I want real change to happen in my life, it will only come from bending my will to God's, and allowing Him to have His way.

Seek Him

My husband has a buddy who is preparing for his first bodybuilding show.  His friends and family are telling him that he needs to step up the cardio training if he wants to be ready in time but he insists that he'll be prepared.  When he looks in the mirror, he is not seeing what everyone else is seeing.  He is only seeing what he wants to see.

It's the same with me.  I can look at myself or my situation and only see what I want to see.  If I focus on the negative, I will only see the harmful and destructive things happening around me.  

If I concentrate on my own abilities, I will think victory depends on me.  

If I home in on my accomplishments, I will see my success and position in life as a result of my effort.

God is a jealous God.  As my Creator, He belongs in the highest position of importance in my life. But it is easy to let other things creep into that top position.  When this happens, I fail to recognize His hand in my life.  

The Israelites were no different in their struggles with this kind of rebellion against God's rightful position.  In fact, God gave this message to the prophet Ezekiel regarding His chosen ones.  ". . .you are living among a rebellious people.  They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people."  (Ezekiel 12:2)

When I seek God, I will find Him.  And when I find Him, I will see the world around me with new eyes. . . eyes that are focused on Him and His wonders! 

If I truly want to see the reality of God's continuous work in all the details of my life, I have to look with new eyes.  

Wait for Him

I love keeping track of the weather forecasts.  There is something about knowing what kind of conditions I can expect for the day that makes me happy.  I do notice, however, that no man can truly predict whether or not it will rain, for instance, with 100% accuracy.  God set the planet into motion in a predictable way, allowing scientists to study patterns and correctly guess how things will turn out based on their data, but God is still in control.  

He could throw a wrench into those expectations by making it snow when rain was expected.  Or He could turn a hurricane over the ocean when everyone was expecting it to continue over land.  Or He could calm a stormy sea with a single command. 

Life is no different than the weather.  I may think I will get a certain outcome if I take a certain step, but all things are under God's dominion.  I may have an order in which I want events to occur, but God is in charge of the timing.  I may think I have God mostly figured out, but then He throws me a curve ball.

Once again, God used Ezekiel to address this issue of His sovereignty with His people. God said, "Son of man (Ezekiel), the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.'  Therefore say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: None of my words will be delayed any long; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"  (Ezekiel 12:27-28) 

I can't predict the timing of any events in my life, nor can I control them.  Instead, God holds the position of authority over my life and it is better if I wait for Him and His timing.  After all, who knows the mind of God or understands His ways?

If I want to live a life of inner peace it will only happen if I wait on Him and trust Him for His timing.  

I can find relief or remedies from many different sources.  But if I want real answers, I must allow God access to my heart, seek Him so I can see all the good He is doing around me, and wait on His perfect timing for all things.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will seek the real answers that come from knowing God on a personal level.

When do I turn to other sources for a quick fix?

How do I betray my impatience in the way I fail to wait for God to provide my needs or solve my problems?

Land of the Living

"Anyone who is among the living has hope--"

Ecclesiastes 9:4

"Wait for the LORD;
   be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the LORD!"

Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

It is easy in this life to lose hope, no longer expecting that things will get better, that situations will improve or feelings will return to a healthy state. Life is hard and has a way of running me down into a state of discouragement, desperation and hopelessness.

Life

There was a point in my life when I felt hopeless.  My situation was such that I feared nothing could improve and I contemplated suicide, thinking that if things couldn't get better, I might as well end it all.  But I soon learned this train of thought is a lie and could not be further from the truth!

If my life is a mistake, created through a random sequence of events that just happened to form me in my mother's womb and the place in which I find myself is due to pure chance, then it follows that the odds of my circumstances getting better are slim to none. I therefore have no hope. 

On the other hand, if life is created with a purpose in mind, each part fulfilling a part of a master plan, then my present circumstances serve a function. 

Since God did, in fact, create me for a specific reason, everything I go through supports that purpose and as a result, my life bears meaning. 

As long as I am still alive, it is safe to assume that He has a reason for my life, and in Him I have hope!

Hold On!

There's a great song my Mandisa that encourages me to wait on the Lord. As you listen to "Stronger", consider the following:

God has a plan, but sometimes the execution of that plan requires that I wait.  In the time of waiting I learn patience, grow in my faith, and gain experience in trusting the One who is above all things and never lacks for resources needed to help me.  Above all, waiting teaches me that God is the One in control, not me!

If it were up to me, I would never have to wait for anything.  I would get everything I want exactly when I want it.  Have you ever seen a spoiled child?  This is who I would become.  Waiting on the Lord builds my character and humbles me so that I am put in my proper place.  Instead of naively thinking I can control all circumstances, I learn to surrender my will for God's, giving Him dominion over my life.

I can hang on because God has a plan and I am a part of that plan!

Give God a Chance

I am not renowned for my patience.  I have been known to make rash decisions, lash out in frustration and hurt those I love the most.  But one of the most common mistakes I make is that I don't give God a chance to work in my life.  Instead, I try to fix things myself.  I analyze the situation, come up with a solution and execute that plan.

If, instead, I stood strong and let God encourage my heart, my situation may not change and my problems would probably still exist, but my heart would be at peace.  And a heart at peace can handle anything!

Then I could confidently say, " Surely God is my salvation;  I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)

 



Life is filled with seemingly hopeless situations.  But I don't have to fall into hopelessness.  Instead, I can remember that as long as I'm alive, God still has a use for me and that I need to hold on just a little bit longer.  Then I can keep in mind that He's in control and I can give Him a chance to work in my heart, enabling me to move forward with quiet strength.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will remember that I am here for a purpose and everything that happens plays a part in the fulfillment of that plan.

Where do I dismiss God's plan and His sovereignty, thinking I can fix my own problems?