Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Taken from www.clarion-call.org

From Gail:  I have found from personal experience that we define things from God as we would define them here on earth with our finite minds.  It doesn’t work that way.  Isaiah 55:8,9 states:

 ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
       neither are your ways my ways,”
       declares the LORD.

 ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
       so are my ways higher than your ways
       and my thoughts than your thoughts.

When we define the things of God as we would define them, we put God in a box and run into trouble with our faith just because God doesn’t answer when we want him to, or how we want him to.  We have a tendency to define God, our heavenly father,  as we would our earthly father.  If we had an abusive father, we will see God as abusive.  In my case, I come from a middle class home.  I didn’t have everything I wanted but always had everything I needed.  If I needed lunch money for school, for example, I just asked for it and got it, just like that.  When I got out on my own, I found out quickly that it doesn’t work that way with God.  I can’t ask things of God, and get it instantly, even though I didn’t ask for a lot of “wants” just needs.  God wanted to teach me to be resourceful, to exercise my mind,  He didn’t want me to turn into a spiritual “fat cat.”  

I believe the same concept works for most situations.  Maybe when God says no or wait, we need to examine our belief systems to make sure they are correct.  If we believe wrongly, God doesn’t want to reinforce it.  Perhaps God wants to teach you to be more resourceful.  If you have a money shortage, what can you do to improve it?  How can you cut back on expenses?  Can you sell something?  Are there certain food items you buy you could and should do without?

The phrase “God helps those that help themselves” is not in the Bible but the concept is true.  There is a Bible scripture in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, for example, that states 

 ¹⁰For even when we were with you, this we commanded you: that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some among you who walk disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

  When we don’t work, we get ourselves in trouble.

So, in conclusion, what is faith?  It is trusting and believing that God works all things out for our good, sometimes sooner rather than later, and sometimes later rather than sooner.  Solomon put it all together in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

 ¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴For God shall bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

³More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

What does it really mean to endure?  First, let’s define endure.  We all know the general definition, but let’s find a more detailed specific definition.

According to Meriam-Webster and Heritage dictionary it comes from the root word endurance–to undergo a hard ship. To carry on through, despite hardships.

It has been said that “shoe leather” faith is like running a marathon race.  When everything in you is hurting in body, soul, and spirit, it keeps right on going, and going, and going.
 24Know ye not that those who run in a race all run, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain it. (I Corinthians 9:24.

Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Remember, how we deal with our sorrows is a choice.  We can chose to lay down and die and give up, or to get up and keep going.  It is all in our attitude.  It isn’t our problems that bring us down–it is how we deal with them.

www.GotQuestions.org
Question of the Week

Question: “Who created God? Where did God come from?”A common argument from atheists and skeptics is that if all things need a cause, then God must also need a cause. The conclusion is that if God needed a cause, then God is not God (and if God is not God, then of course there is no God). This is a slightly more sophisticated form of the basic question “Who made God?” Everyone knows that something does not come from nothing. So, if God is a “something,” then He must have a cause, right?

Answer:

The question is tricky because it sneaks in the false assumption that God came from somewhere and then asks where that might be. The answer is that the question does not even make sense. It is like asking, “What does blue smell like?” Blue is not in the category of things that have a smell, so the question itself is flawed. In the same way, God is not in the category of things that are created or caused. God is uncaused and uncreated—He simply exists.

How do we know this? We know that from nothing, nothing comes. So, if there were ever a time when there was absolutely nothing in existence, then nothing would have ever come into existence. But things do exist. Therefore, since there could never have been absolutely nothing, something had to have always been in existence. That ever-existing thing is what we call God. God is the uncaused Being that caused everything else to come into existence. God is the uncreated Creator who created the universe and everything in it.

From Gail:  Hebrews 11:1-3:6

Now faith is the  assurance of things hoped for, the evidence[conviction] of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

 6But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Remember, that faith is complete in itself being that it originates from God.  Once He comes into your heart to live, the veil of mystery is destroyed, and God becomes very real.

20Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

Don’t bring me to trial!  For as compared with you, no one is perfect.

“Come let’s talke this over,” says the Lord; “no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.  Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!”

If I find thorns and briars bothering her, I will burn them up, unless these enemies of mine surrender and beg for peace and my protection.  Quit quarreling with God!  Agree with him and you will have peace at last!

Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promies, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  So, we too, have trusted Jesus Christ that we might be accepted by God.  The more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we are obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.  No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law demands.

Everyone  who trusts in him is freed from all guilt and declared righteous.  How we thank God for all of this!  It is he who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Ps 143:2. Is. 1:18. Is. 27:5. Job 22:21. Rom. 5:1. Gal. 2:16. Rom.3:20. Acts13:39. I Cor. 15:57.

Taken from Living Light