God can remind us of his power in our everyday lives. Recently, as I was scrolling through Facebook, the following post leapt out at me:
Psalm 56:3-11 (AMP)
When I am afraid,
I will put my trust and faith in You.
In God, whose word I praise;
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not fear.
A month ago, I had the privilege of running a seminar at our Youth Conference at Fulwood Free Methodist Church where I was speaking on faith.
Questions you may ask yourself are…What is faith? Why is it important in my life?
Answer: Faith is having complete trust & confidence in our mighty God.
My children have complete faith in me. They never worry about whether they will get fed or not, they never worry that I will forget them. The certainly don’t think I’ll hurt them. They know I will be there for them (ALWAYS!!!) Faith replaces worry with hope and gives us an inner strength as we put our faith in God.
Take a few moments to read Mark 5:25-34 so you can see faith in action.
As you read this, you will see what an incredible miracle God performed in one lady’s life.
Here was a lady who had been sick and bleeding for 12 years!!! She must have felt desperate, alone, exhausted and terrified. She was emotionally, socially and physically ill. But she had heard Jesus was visiting and she knew he could heal her. What faith! Her eyes were on Jesus and not on her problems. Jesus told this lady that her faith had made her well. The doctors couldn’t restore her health but one touch from Jesus did! Her hope was in Jesus, her healer, and now her suffering was over. Her life was restored.
1) Faith focuses on God, not on our problems.
This lady felt the fear but grasped her Jesus opportunity. Do not miss God opportunities in your life. Keep your eyes on our loving, heavenly Father. He has good things planned for your future.
My dad was an RAF pilot and flew various jets. One of the things he used to tell me was that there were times when he flew, that his body would become so disorientated and he would have to rely on his faith in the flight instrumentation to guide him. He had to change his focus. It’s during fearful and challenging times, when the rubber hits the road, that we have to stand on God’s promises. Our God will never leave us or forsake us.
2) Faith is turning to God when we feel weak & allowing God to give us strength.Faith grows by believing in spite of our circumstances. So often we learn the most when we feel the weakest. When we are strong we can have a tendency to become self sufficient. “For when I am weak, then God is my strength. “ 2 Corinthians 12:9-11
3) Faith is believing that God has a perfect plan & perfect timing
Sometimes we can feel forgotten. The situation can feel hopeless and stormy. The lady had visited many doctors only to endure more physical and emotional pain. “Don’t let the presence of a storm allow you to doubt the presence of God.” (Craig Groeschel, Senior pastor of Life Church)
The woman didn’t become bitter over time but she trusted God faithfully, she was intentional about getting through the crowd to Jesus and holding on to him (literally for dear life). And it would have taken effort to get through the crowd. Sometimes it takes effort to get through a season. The result…
Not only was her body healed but her social life. No longer an outcast! Her whole future restored and looking bright. God has something great for us, but he does ask us to trust him when things get tough.
I encourage you today, to take that step of faith and lean into God. I was at an incredible ladies’ conference last week where the speaker, Charlotte Gambill, challenged me when she said these words… “Never say never with the God of Forever!”
Let’s do this!!! Let’s have faith!!! With God on our side we can achieve more than we can possibly imagine. God is life transforming. Never underestimate his power.
To help us develop our faith, I have listed below a few ways that can help.
I pray that God blesses you massively as you put your faith in him.
Practical takeaways
1. Pray – Turn worry, doubt & fear into prayer.
2. Spend time reading in the bible passages where God had turned lives around.
3. Choose your friends & ‘go to’ people wisely – They will influence the way you think.
4. Listen to Podcasts.
5. Worship – praise lifts our spirit. It ministers to our soul.
6. Spend time with God –drawing, dancing, singing etc…
7. Focus on & be grateful for the good things in your life.
8. Record answers to prayer for your encouragement – don’t miss God’s work in your life.
9. Get involved in church.
10. Lean on God’s promises while you wait for God’s answer. God may not reply immediately but his timing is perfect.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9