Has the calamity of the year shaken your faith at it’s core? Are you starting to worry and fear what’s to come? Do you have doubts about whether or not God actually has your back during these uncertain times? Let me help you stop those doubting thoughts. They are deceiving. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says this, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” If the thoughts you are thinking or thoughts that are coming into your head do not line up with the words of God, then they are deceptive. Going further, if you start to believe these deceptive thoughts then you are being deceived. If you allow yourself to be deceived then your actions will be made from a deceptive place.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In lamest terms, faith is trust, confidence, and the belief that although we don’t see it yet, it will be seen soon. The word of God says that we are all born with a mustard sized seed of faith. We all start out having the same amount of faith. So how is it that some people;s faith seem to be stronger than our own? Why does it seem like 2020 hasn’t affected the faith of some but have affected others? This is because some people took the mustard sized seed of faith given at birth and they worked to increase the size of the seed while others took their seed and buried it. What am I saying? I’m saying that the people whose faith hasn’t been shaken this year are the people who saw God’s healing powers back in 2016 when the doctors said there was no cure, but they prayed or had the Pastor pray for them and they were healed. Or the person who experienced God as a sustainer when they were down to their last and just by praying and crying out to the Lord, they made it through. These experiences added to their faith because they allowed it to. When these people are faced with the next challenge or the next set back, or the next test, instead of forgetting about all the times the Lord has come thorough for them in the past, they remember how good God has truly been. They remember when they felt empty and they cried out to be filled, and God filled them. They remember when their child was sick and they prayed for a healing, and God healed. They even remember when they were driving in the rain and God kept the car from sliding off the road and flipping over the bridge. These experiences increased their faith in The God they say they serve. This is the opposite for the person who received the mustard sized seed of faith and buried it. These people are also blessed and God has also looked out for them as well, however, they are a forgetful people. They forgot about that night shots rang out around them and no bullets pierced their skin. They forgot about how they drove home plenty of times drunk and high and made it home safely. They also forgot about the time that they were down to their last $5 and someone came through and gave them a few more dollars just to make it to pay day. These were all circumstances God’s hands were in. But because they buried their faith, they tend to forget that they didn’t bring themselves through tough times. That it was always God.
Don’t be one of those Christians who only believe that there is a God. Be a Christian who also has faith in God. Believe that He is for you, He is with you, and as long as He is God, He will make sure that you are well taken care of. This is not to say that He will give you everything you want, when you want it, all the time. But He does give you the desires of your heart if you seek Him first. That is a promise He made to us in Psalm 37:4.
So if you are the person who has buried their mustard seed sized faith in the ground, I urge you to dig it up and let God increase it in size. That entails putting you in situations that you won’t be able to see the outcome, you will just have to faith in God and His ability. Passing these kinds of test increases your faith in Him so that when storms come, when calamity comes, and when your faith is tried and tested, you will pass the test because you will remember how good the Lord has been already. And if He did it before, He can do it again!
Pray this prayer with me,
Father God
I come to you humbled by what I’ve read
Forgive me God for ever doubting that You are all powerful regardless of what I see going on around me
Increase my faith right now in the name of Jesus
That I may be pleasing in your sight
For I know you only operate in us when we have faith in You
I believe right now God that you have my best interest at heart
No good thing will you hold from me
And everything that happens will work for my good because I love you
Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me
I am yours and you are mine
I rebuke the enemies lies over my life, over my circumstances, and over my future
I believe what You said about me
I am fearfully and wonderfully made, a child of The King, A royal priesthood
I ask these and all others in Your Son Jesus’ name
Amen!
If you prayed that prayer, remember as always that God works with faith so you must believe that what you prayed will come to pass.
Until next time my loves,
Be blessed and be encouraged
-Katina L Jenkins