The Reason Why Your Faith Flourishes Or Fails

My Utmost For His Highest

 “Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout, “It’s all a lie”? […]  As soon as I say, “I believe ‘God shall supply all [my] need,’ ” the testing of my faith begins (Philippians 4:19). […] Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. […] The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. “We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” (Hebrews 3:14). […] There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5-6).” CHAMBERS

We often place more confidence in our fear of what might happen [and most often never does happen] than we do in God’s sovereignty.  Hebrews 11:1 says faith is about having confidence in what we can’t see or touch.  That confidence is not in some event or promise, but in the Promise Giver.  Most of our worries have to do with our health, our financial security, our relationships.  Our focus is on ourselves and not our Lord.  Like Peter walking on the water … taking our eyes .. and confidence off of the One who calls us results in fear .. worry.  What are you worrying about today.  Are you facing a lion’s den, fiery furnace, or some other physical or financial threat?  Maybe God is calling you to a place that is uncertain and does not fit in with your plans (Prov 16:9).  God will most often take you through that trouble … not save you from it.  He will be with you … so when they look into the furnace, they will see a “fourth man walking”, the Lord Himself.  Reading the Bible, it is not hard to find examples of times when faith failed and when faith flourished.  The bottom line, it is all up to you … The Lord is with you .. .are you with Him?  You gotta have faith!  Think about it.  ELGIN

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)