“I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”
John 14: 6
12 “Look, I AM coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22: 12-13
Pastors Noreen & Henry Kevern
Faith
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
What exactly is this thing that we call faith? Do we know for sure that what we believe in is true? Do we ever doubt what we profess that we believe? Do we truly believe in eternal life with God? We have all asked or been asked questions like these. For most, faith is a fragile thing. They believe, but have no idea what to do once they believe. They are scared by what those around them may say if they start acting different. Most people are afraid of change. But that’s what happens to us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. We put off the old self and put on the new.
Ephesians 4 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Faith believes in what we have not seen or touched or heard with our own eyes, ears, or hands. We learn to have faith through what we have been taught, what we read, what we see in others and in life around us. We let the Holy Spirit come alive in our being and let God live in us. Some may wonder how God can be in each person. No one can explain God. He is above all things. He created the heavens and the earth. He created all that is. To try and define God is beyond our human capabilities.
In the midst of all that goes on around us, how can we possibly have enough faith to remain at peace? People are in need everywhere we look, in our own families, and in the world around us. People are so lost, so scared in the face of adversity. They become scared, they panic, they worry, and they become depressed because of constant bombardment of attacks from various sources. They have lost their faith and trust in God Who is always there. They lose the ability to rest in the Lord and to let the Lord work out His plan in our lives. They don’t look to see what they are to learn in each and every thing that happens in our lives. Matthew 13:22 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
We as humans are under constant attack by the evil one to thwart our peace, our resting in the Lord. We are weak and fall into the many traps that are set to take our eyes off of our Lord. But we must learn to keep our eyes focused on the Lord. We can teach ourselves to be completely dependant upon God. We can start out small, minute-by-minute, then hour-by-hour, then day-by-day, until our walk with our Lord and Saviour becomes a daily part of our lives. When something happens in our lives, look to God in that minute that it happens, pray to God in that minute. You learn to work on just getting through that next minute. Each time, you will find that the minutes will build upon themselves and then they will change into hours and then days. Our walk with God happens daily, all the time. It’s not just for the good times or the bad times in our lives. We must learn to seek the Lord with all that we are in order to be able to learn to rest in God and allow God to rest in us. The more we resist God, the longer it takes for us to learn the lesson. We humans are so programmed to not depend upon God and to take matters into our own hands. Outside influences tell us to depend on others, or the government, for our lives. But we must depend on God for our whole lives. He is the Creator of all and knows what is best for His creations. We should be seeking God first in our lives; then as we learn to come to God, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, God will become the center, the beginning and the end in our life. You will learn to trust in the Lord with all that you are. Hebrews 11 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Long for the life that God has for us eternally in heaven. When we look towards the goal, we will find that the problems will not cause us to waiver in our faith; instead, by keeping our eyes on heaven, our faith will increase.
As we find our hope and peace in putting God first in our lives, don’t be surprised if the evil one tries to divert you back to your old self. But keep your faith and your eyes firmly on God and pray through the troubles that are in your life. Put all in God’s hands and be confident in your faith. The Lord God loves you and is always there with you. He is your constant Companion along the journey. As you learn to rest in the Lord, you will find your faith stronger and your actions will reflect this faith. You will find your old self is gone, replaced with a new person in Christ.
Don’t let the evil one deceive you with all that happens in your life. Be assured of God’s love and rest in Him. There is nothing that happens in the world that God cannot handle. Even in sickness, put your faith firmly in God; trust in God and in your faith in Him. Just like the woman in Mark 5 who had faith enough to believe that all she had to do was to touch Jesus’ robe in order to be healed, have enough faith to rest in the Lord and let His will be done in and through you.
May God’s unfailing love rest in you as you journey in this life. Be firm in your faith in the One Who gave His life for you so that you will reach the goal, which is life eternal in heaven. Trust in the Lord minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day. Be a new creation in Christ Jesus. May the Lord bless you.