At the end of spring this year, I flew back to America and on the flight leaving Copenhagen I found myself shedding as many tears as I had when I left America.
The important thing is that crying on the plane leaving America in January was only a reflection of me not wanting to do what I knew I was supposed to do. However, the tears on the flight back to America were purely tears that encourages faith. I was crying because as I sat there and thought on how great God is to me, to us, I then realized that I had little faith.
I always said that I would hate for Jesus to say, “Oh you of little faith,” to me. From the first time, I read verses about faith I agreed that I would try to have lots of faith so I would never have to hear Him say that, at least to me. Within the past four months I have learned that we can sometimes have more faith in and for others than we have for ourselves or in Christ. It almost seems natural to preach it and receive it in your minds than it is to live it and believe it in your hearts, especially when faced with adversity. While riding on a plane that idea cut through the clouds faster than my eyes could capture. I began to understand that doing work for the Kingdom and my walk with Christ as a whole is absolutely nothing without faith.
We become void vessels when we do not have faith because all of Christ’s works and miracles were done based on the faith He has in the Father. Matthew 8:26 (KJV): “26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” I can know and understand the Bible but if I am without faith, that is a series of red flags. If I am going to continue this journey with my Groom, I must believe, obey, and love. I must have faith! Hebrews 11:6 (KJV): “6 But 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 them that diligently seek him.”
Jones: “I said to myself, “Now you can cry and you can become angry or you can call on the name of Jesus and have faith that He will answer your call.” (Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH
Many of us make promises, but less of us remember that God is the only Promise Keeper. Before going to Europe, God didn’t make many promises to me personally. But He did tell me to hold on to the promises in His Word, which assured me that in summary, He would take care of me. He never specifically told me what He was going to do but He did tell me to trust and to believe. My wilderness experience (which may not necessarily be over but in a different location) has been an interesting one with many, many trials and tribulations, which was expected.
I won’t list them all here, because we have to be careful of how we witness about the tests that God brings us through because it can quickly turn into complaining but know that whatever it is that you and I go through, He has control.
A couple of days after being in America, I was diagnosed with a sickness that we are believing will pass sooner than later. I talked with a doctor and they had prescribed me medicine for nausea but since I hadn’t experienced any nausea and didn’t want to waste money, I did not fill the prescription. Of course, it is the doctor’s duty to cover all bases and with nausea being a symptom, he wanted to offer me treatment for it. However, I wasn’t too worried since I hadn’t had any trouble with it up to that point. Then I went home and went to sleep but not for long. Maybe around 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m., I was awakened by the most painful and urgent feeling of nausea that I have ever experienced in my life.
I said to myself, “Now you can cry and you can become angry or you can call on the name of Jesus and have faith that He will answer your call.” I decided that I would take that as an opportunity to exercise my faith so I closed my eyes and said, “Whether this illness be natural or spiritual, I demand you to come into submission unto the name of Jesus. I don’t know where you came from but I am telling you to leave. I have no power of my own but I am demanding you to bow down in the name of Jesus because I will have peace. My Savior died so that I may have peace,” and when I opened my eyes again it was later in the day and I had no discomfort whatsoever.
Walking in that faith allowed me to rest in perfect peace and I didn’t even know it until it was time for me to go on with my day. All situations in our lives won’t go this way and it isn’t necessarily a matter of medication but more so about stepping out on faith. I could have been super drugged up, full with as many drugs as my body would handle and still remain in pain and shattered. I had to hold on to His promises and though we don’t always know how, when, or why He will do things, we have to believe that He will take care of us. Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV): “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Gaining and maintaining faith isn’t always as easy as it may seem. After reading the mighty works that can be done from simply having faith the size of a mustard seed I ran to Google “mustard seed” so I could see the true size. My jaw dropped because I only imagined that it would be easy to have faith bigger than the size of a mustard seed!
But again, God uses a mustard seed surely to emphasize how rich faith is yet hard to come by. God could have said faith the size of a watermelon or turkey could move mountains but with Him knowing the struggle we endure to receive, act on, and live by faith He didn’t set the standards low but He does set them realistically. God is a just God and if He only asks for a mustard seed of something then we automatically know that it may not be easy but it is possible and it is rewarding. Hebrews 11:1 (KJV): “11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith means believing all things are possible. (Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
We must keep in mind that we are spiritual beings living in a natural world and because of that we are conditioned to understand things naturally. Faith encourages us to stand on the things that we cannot see or (yet see) with confidence and authority and I want to encourage everyone to make that leap. I am learning myself and I pray that I continue to learn. Faith isn’t an option, it is essential in our relationship with Christ. Again, living in faith may not be the easiest thing but if you have a heart to please God and you believe that without faith it is impossible to please God, it is a goal worth maintaining.
PRAYER FOR YOU
Lord, I come to You asking You to simply give me faith. I had no idea how difficult it would be but thanks to Your careful guidance, it is beginning to make more sense. There are a lot of adversities that we will experience in life but we must stand strong in You while allowing faith to be our source of life. If we want to be Your servants, we must operate in Your faith. If we want to perform Your miracles, we must exercise Your faith. If we want to believe Your truth then Father we must receive Your faith. Lord, You know each of us and what we need to fulfill the plans You have for our lives. Please lead us, You know what we don’t know but regardless, we must never let go of our faith. During troubles and during peace. Whether it be concerning health or finances or love or our next step in life, help us believe. Not faith in ourselves but in You, our dear Lord. Amen.
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