“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:8-10
I have a very clear understanding of what God wants me to do, and I am doing it. But there is this issue of faith, or lack of it, that will raise its head every now and again. Let me explain.
It is clear that God has me, Martie and me to be correct, helping those who cannot help themselves. In particular, He has made me very aware of the plight of widows. James 1:27 says “religion is expressed in its purest sense when we help widows and orphans in their affliction” [paraphrased by me]. I have seen the mighty hand of God at work so many times. Do you remember the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18? Right after that victory, Elijah was exhausted and even ran for his life in fear. What changed? In my experience, when you are anointed by the Spirit of God for a particular work and that work is accomplished to and for the glory of God, you will be physically, emotionally even spiritually exhausted at the end. You will have a supernatural ability in the midst of the work, but after, you become acutely aware of your own personal weakness in light of Jesus’ strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
God does not ask us to do things for Him, but asks that we do things with Him. He does what He does through us. But the moment we take our eyes off of Him and look to ourselves doubt sets in and we become aware that what we are doing is impossible for us.
"But when he [Peter] saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased." - Matthew 14:30-32
Did you notice that Peter walked back to the boat in the midst of the raging sea with Jesus at his side? The wind stopped after they got into the boat. Doubt! Perhaps you have wondered, like I have, "Who do you think you are?" Have you ever doubted about God’s call on your life? Wondered what you thought you were doing outside of the boat when everyone one else was in the boat hanging on for dear life? God never asks you to do anything that you can do on your own. And it always has risks from our mortal perspective. It will always require faith - trust - in defiance of what people say is reasonable.
The temptation is to take your eyes off of Jesus and focus on other things, other people. If you do, you will immediately start to sink. That is what happens to me from time to time. On the face of it, it seems improbable or perhaps even impossible. I mean how can you go from standing boldly for God at one minute and doubting that what you are doing is right the next.
“It’s not by strength or by power but by my Spirit says the Lord God of Hosts.” - Zechariah 4:6
As Jesus followers we all live with this tension between the Spirit and the flesh. Once again, Proverbs 3:5-6 says trust God and not yourself. If you are using the world and trust in yourself to do what God has clearly called you to do, you will fail. You can’t do it. Don’t compare yourself to others when considering your God-given purpose. God will always ask you to do what is not humanly possible. You will always need the power of the Spirit to do it. And when the task is accomplished, you will feel just a little bit, or even a lot, of the weight of what you have just done. And it will exhaust you. Maybe even make you fearful or doubtful. When that happens … praise the Lord and be humbled that He would use a sinner like you for His eternal purposes. Amazing!
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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